Introduction

When you’re looking for a job or exploring a new career path, it’s smart to go out on
informational interviews. An informational interview is a meeting to learn about the real-life
experience of someone working in a field or company that interests you.
Procedure

1. You will need to locate and interview TWO professionals working in the career field(s)
you have researched.
a. ֍ Interns
i. One interview must be with your internship mentor and per the schedule
can and should be completed before your last day on site (
ii. The second interview must be with someone who is not affiliated with
your internship work site in any way. This can be a different career
altogether if you choose but the point is to get another perspective.
b. ֍ Career Explorers
i. You must conduct and interview for the TWO different careers you have
focused you research efforts on
ii. You may not interview two people within the same organization; the
point is to get another perspective
2. Both interviews must be recorded and saved as an MP3 (audio) or MP4 (video) and the
recording must be uploaded as directed. You must ask the interviewee if they consent
to being recorded and if they do not, you must interview someone else who does.
3. Both interviews must be transcribed, and the transcript lines must be numbered
(independently), copied, and pasted into the end of this document.
4. The synthesis matrix must be completed, with meaning, and effort; in other words, not
just quoting the interviewees where they are similar and different but rather finding
themes and proposing the origin of those themes.
5. All required questions and the required minimum number of questions are asked.

Required first questions:

1. Please state your name and position/title.

2. Do you consent to this interview being recorded?
3. Do you consent to my teacher contacting you if she has any questions or requires a
follow up?
4. Please provide a phone number or email she may contact you at.
Additional Questions:
1. Why did you decide to work in this industry/career?
2. Which high school courses helped prepare you for this industry/career?
3. What post-secondary training did you need to qualify for this position?
4. Did you have any professional experiences unrelated to this industry/career that
allowed you to excel in your current position?
5. What new skills have you developed as a professional since taking this role?
6. Which certifications or accomplishments are required or can help set you apart in this
role?
7. Can you tell me what it is like to work for (or run) your company?
8. What kinds of decisions do you make in your role?
9. What’s your favorite thing about your job?
10. What’s your least favorite thing about your job?
11. How many hours do you typically work during the day? Week?
12. Are you able to establish a work/life balance in your field?
13. Can you tell me about the most difficult or frequent challenges you face in the role?
14. Can you tell me about what a typical day in your job entails?
15. I've done some research on entry-level salaries in this industry/career, but can you
tell me about benefit plans such as healthcare, retirement plans, and vacation time?
16. What are the greatest rewards you have experienced in your industry/career or
company?
17. What surprised you the most about your position and industry/career?
18. What do you wish you had known before you started in this industry/career?
19. What advice would you have for someone considering this career?
Student Generated Questions
Record a minimum of 2 additional questions that you plan to ask in the space below:

1. What’s your proudest accomplishment in your job?

2. Are there any trends in technology that make your job easier?

Synthesis Matrix
Positive Positive Neutral Neutral Negative Negative
Theme #1 Theme #2 Theme #1 Theme #2 Theme #1 Theme #2
Source #1 Ever since Making a For Technology The data When
she was mark on undergrad, in liquid in an conducting
Mentor she earned
young, she people’s handling experimen an
Cecil her
always saw lives and techniques t needs to experimen
Milena bachelor’s
herself in a publishing a and making be t, you
lab coat, journal that in micro absolutely need to
wanting to other agriculture measureme accurate, repeat it
be a scientists , majoring nts have and if an three to
 scientist. can use to in plant been a experimen four times
reference breeding. massive t isn’t to make
their work She help to the written sure the
so that recommen industry. meticulous data Is
major ds that if I ly, it can’t consistent
advanceme want to go be and
nts can be into repeated. publishabl
made is a research, I e.
positive could get
my
theme.
masters in
biology or
any
biological
science or
get my
PhD to
become a
researcher
.

Source #2 Ever since Saving lives To Technology An MD You have

he was and become a in new could get a to witness
Dr. Noel
little and witnessing doctor, medicine, call at any people at
Chua
watching patients get Dr. Chua more time—in their worst
movies, he back to had to powerful the middle conditions:
was normal graduate anti-biotics, of your unconscious
motivated after a college, and imaging sleep, at a , bluish,
to be a horrific apply and machines family without life,
not
doctor. illness is a get that can gathering, breathing.
positive accepted detect in the
theme. into med- cancer bathroom.
school, earlier help And you
finish the industry. would
graduate always
school, have to
take on an respond.
internship
, and
apply and
get
accepted
for
residency.
Your Both of Both I found I see an I found I found an
synthesis those jobs, industries out that interesting that the interesting
of the are in the have the there’s correlation larger juxtapositi
informati science help less between disadvanta on
on field, and people. schooling the two ge for an between
they Whether it to industries. MD is the two
wanted go would be become a While balancing daunting
into their indirectly, cancer cancer personal tasks. One
position through research research and is
since they
publishing a scientist relies on profession repetitive
were a
scientific than to be micro tools al life, and it’s
child. I find
journal, or an MD, to help meaning negative
this to be a
directly which I advance they have because it
positive
thing
through wasn’t their defeat to sacrifice can get
because surgical surprised toward a bit of tedious or
ever since I efforts, about. cancer, the their boring.
always both That is medical personal The other
liked careers why I doctor relies life to is heart
science and benefit the found it to on macro meet the wrenching,
I saw health of be a tools such needs of and it’s
myself as a people. neutral as an their negative
neurosurge theme. imaging profession because
on after machine to al life. The it’s scary
watching combat biggest when you
Dr. Strange. cancer. disadvanta will be the
I think it’s ge for a deciding
inspiring cancer factor on
that little researcher whether a
dreams can is person
turn into cooperatin lives or
something g with co- dies.
real and workers
impactful. when
obtaining
the right
pieces of
informatio
n. I found
this to be a
negative
theme
because
both
require
 time.
Interview Transcripts will be turned in separately.
Each line should be numbered and each speaker should be identified by name.