ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
Interview Submissions
There are five interview assignments for this course. The pair of two students will deliver series of interviews
with real employees, so you may designate your employee contacts (which should be different individual per
interview) from the beginning of the semester. It will be an in-depth examination of an industrial and organizational
psychology topic discussed in class. The format for all interview papers is the same, although the questions you ask
and the type of person you interview will be different for each assignment.
Read the instructions below very carefully. The interview assignments, in order of due date, are:
Interview Submission-1: Job Analysis
Interview Submission-2: Assessment & Selection
Interview Submission-3: Motivation
Interview Submission-4: Emotional Labor
Interview Submission-5: Work Behaviors
The transcription of the interviews should be uploaded into Itslearning. You may run the interview in other
languages, however written submissions must be in English. It will consist of 1500–2000 words (included questions,
exclude references) (1.5 spaced, Times 12, Margin 1inch) (approximately 5-6pages), and will include following
sections:
(1) The person you interviewed: Please do NOT include the name of your interviewee in your assignment.
(You may use a pseudonym for him/her in case of need) (see rubric for example)
(2) Setting: Describe the time, location, and environment in which the interview occurred. (see rubric for
example)
(3) Transcript/summary of your interview (see rubric for example and Appendix for consent form):
Scenario 1: If you have permission, record the whole interview. Then transcribe the whole
interview word for word. If you are using this option, please begin this part with a statement to
the effect that you have your interviewee’s permission to record the interview and this is an exact
transcript of the interview recording.
Scenario 2: If you do NOT have permission for voice recording, you shall respect your
interviewee’s choice. Then 1) take notes during the interview, 2) make sure what you wrote down
is exactly what he or she wanted to express. Use “I” as subject of interviewee.
(4) Reflection: Relate the information you gained from the interview to your own experience and the material
we have covered in the course so far. Answer these two questions in detail (at least one full paragraph for
each question):
(1) Using course concepts and theories, how would you interpret this interview? Relate your findings
to a minimum of two relevant concepts/theories.
(2) Thinking about the overall experience of having conducted this interview, what have you learned
personally? How will your interviewee’s experiences inform your own future professional practices?
What compelling lessons do you take away from this experience?
(5) References: List your references, even if you use only the textbook. Use APA format.
NOTE: Failure to include correct citations will result in a lower grade (see rubric) and may be considered
academic dishonesty.
Interview tips:
a. Follow basic steps: Introduce yourself (Welcome), Brief Explanation & Consent, Q&A, Wrap-
Up.
b. Be on time (whether F2F or ONLINE)
c. Research the company and interviewee
d. Practice your interview questions
e. Practice your follow up questions if interview stuck at some point. Use why, how, when etc. to
open up.
f. Bring a notebook, pen in case.
g. Don’t exceed longer than 30min.
Writing tips:
Good writing skills are essential for success in any academic or professional work. This is also true for organizational
psychology, where writing is the major way we communicate our ideas. Good writing is a skill that requires practice
to perfect. Below you will find some guidelines to keep in mind for the paper:
1) First things first: write the group number, members (should be from the same section of the course), the
course number and section on your paper.
2) Write clear, jargon‐free prose. Read what you have written to make certain it makes sense. It is also a good
idea to let someone else read it before you hand it in to make certain it also makes sense to someone other
than yourself.
3) Think critically about your subject. Relate it to cutting‐edge psychological research, explain what these
relations are, and what we can learn from it.
4) Use the writing guidelines organizational scholars follow: The Academy of Management Review and APA
guidelines. Put the reference list on the final page. Do not forget to cite these papers in the paper.
5) Pay attention to spelling, grammar and sentence construction. This is not a writing course, but I do care
about details.
For deadline see weekly schedule. No late papers or email submissions will be accepted; early submissions are
welcomed.
Interview Submission-1: Job Analysis
Objective: The goal for this assignment is to develop a deeper understanding of a job’s duties and requirements. In
this way, you will demonstrate that you understand the dynamics of a certain job.
For this assignment, you will interview an individual between 20 and 50 years old who work in a physically
demanding job (i.e., mechanic, etc.1), and have at least two years of tenure in the same for-profit organization2. Most
questions are provided for you, but you also will ask follow-up questions after each of the required questions in order
to gain a detailed understanding of your interviewee’s experiences.
1https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/physically-demanding-jobs
2https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/non-profit-vs-not-for-profit-vs-for-profit
1. Important Job Tasks: Describe your job in terms of what you do. How do you do your job (i.e., tools,
equipment, etc.)? Of the major tasks in your job, how much time does it take to do each one?
2. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:
a. Describe the level, and degree of knowledge required to accomplish each task.
b. What are the manual skills that are required to operate machines, vehicles, and equipment, or to use
tools?
c. What physical abilities such as strength, coordination, or visual acuity must you have?
3. Physical Activities: Describe the frequency and degree to which you are engaged in such activities as pulling,
pushing, throwing, carrying, kneeling, sitting, running, crawling, reaching, climbing.
4. Environmental Conditions: Describe the frequency and degree to which you will encounter working
conditions such as these: cramped quarters, moving objects, vibration, inadequate ventilation.
5. Records and reports: What records or reports do you prepare as part of your job?
6. Source of Job Information: What is the principal source for instructions you receive on how to do your job
(e.g., oral directions or written specifications)?
Objective: The goal for this assignment is to have a deeper understanding of how recruitment practices are done in
formal organizations.
For this assignment, you will interview an Human Resource (HR) specialist, consultant, or manager between 25 to
55 years old, who have at least two years of tenure in the same HR department and same for-profit organization, and
involve in internal recruitment processes1 of the same organization. Most questions are provided for you, but you
also will ask follow-up questions after each of the required questions in order to gain a detailed understanding of
your interviewee’s experiences.
1 https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/recruiter-roles
Part 1: General
1. How many employees are working in HR department? Describe the main division of labor (work sharing)
inside the HR department?
2. Do you have written job analysis (i.e., job description, skills) as HR employees? Describe HR role in the
process of job analysis (i.e, who, how often, and how).
Part 2: Recruitment
3. How do you decide and plan HR needs for new hiring? (i.e., how often)
4. Describe the recruitment process. How do you reach candidates (i.e., methods: the web, newspapers,
employment agencies, etc.)?
5. Can you describe how you use data to help you identify and screen recruits? How do you keep track of your
candidates?
Part 3: Selection
6. What methods and metrics (i.e., interviews, tests, reference checking, assessment centers) do you use to
determine the quality of a hire?
7. How do you tell candidates they didn't get the job?
Objective: The goal for this assignment is to have a deeper understanding of how daily and work motivation may
affect employees’ commitments at work.
For this assignment, you will interview a white-collar employee1 between 25 to 55 years old, who has at least two
years of tenure in the same for-profit organization. Most questions are provided for you, but you also will ask follow-
up questions after each of the required questions in order to gain a detailed understanding of your interviewee’s
experiences.
1 https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/difference-between-blue-and-white-collar-jobs
General
1. What motivates you to go to work every day?
2. What would demotivate you in work mostly (i.e., mistreatment, injustice, stressful conditions, etc.)?
Working Environment
3. Describe the work environment that makes you most productive and/or happy. What would you do to create
a work environment that employees find motivating?
4. What roles do your manager and team members play in your motivation at work? What do you do to
increase the job involvement and commitment of your subordinates (in case if the interviewee has a
supervisor/executive role)?
5. Think back to the worst work environment you’ve been a part of. What about it made it a terrible place to
work? How did affect you (i.e., performance, well-being, etc.)?
Commitment
6. What would motivate you to stay at your company for the next five years? What makes you to leave the
job?
7. How would you define a healthy (not toxic) work life (i.e., work-life balance, career opportunities, etc.) that
keeps you motivated?
Objective: The goal for this assignment is to have a deeper understanding about employees who have emotionally
demanding occupation1.
1https://clockify.me/emotional-labor
For this assignment, you will interview an employee who have occupation with emotional labor2, between 25 to 55
years old, who has at least two years of tenure in the same for-profit organization. Most questions are provided for
you, but you also will ask follow-up questions after each of the required questions in order to gain a detailed
understanding of your interviewee’s experiences.
2Top 15 Occupations in Emotional Labor https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Top-15-Occupations-in-Emotional-
Labor-Demands-Ranking-Occupational-title_tbl2_8385535
General
1. What does “emotional labor” at work [duygusal emek-yoğun meslek in Turkish] mean for you?
2. What are the requirements of your occupation in terms of emotions you are expected to perform toward
your customers/consultants? How these requirements reflect into your facial expressions and behaviors at
work? Please exemplify.
Acting
3. Have you ever find yourself expressing positive emotions toward your customers/consultants, even though
you do not actually feel that way? How do you feel in such cases (i.e., “acting”)? Please give us an
example.
4. Have you ever find yourself suppressing your emotions, when there is an inappropriate behavior from your
customer/consultant? How do you feel in such cases? Please give us an example.
5. When there is an inappropriate behavior from your customer/consultant, do you think making an effort to
change your negative emotions into positive ones at work is important? If Yes, why?
Emotion Regulation
6. What kind of strategies you use to regulate your emotions at work?
Stress Level
7. Can you evaluate and describe your daily stress level at work? How do you de-stress (i.e., activities) after a
bad day at work?
Objective: The goal for this assignment is to have a deeper understanding about employees who depict productive
and counterproductive work behaviors from the eyes of the leaders (i.e., executive, manager, or supervisor1)
1https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/responsibilities-of-a-supervisor
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-does-executive-manager-do
For this assignment, you will interview a white-collar employee1, between 25 to 55 years old, who has or had at least
two years of leadership experience in the same department and same for-profit organization. Most questions are
provided for you, but you also will ask follow-up questions after each of the required questions in order to gain a
detailed understanding of your interviewee’s experiences.
General
1. What is the most difficult part of being a leader?
2. What are your preferred methods of communication with your department?
Work Behavior
3. How would you describe and list productive work behaviors in an employee? Which behavior is the
mostly wanted at work?
4. How would you describe and list counterproductive work behaviors in an employee (i.e., aggression,
theft, etc.)? List from mostly occurred to the extreme ones.
5. What are the main reasons behind such bad work behaviors (i.e., bad hiring decision, personality,
leaders, work environment, etc.) based on your experiences?
6. Tell me about a time you had to manage a difficult employee who is showing one of the bad behaviors
you have listed. What kind of strategies you have use in such cases.
7. Have you faced any of theft, sabotage, or labor strikes in the workplace? If yes, how you and your
company deal with it? (no names of employee should be mentioned)
Bu çalışma, _____ Üniversitesi Psikoloji Bölümü öğrencileri tarafından PSY ______ (dersin adı)
kapsamında gerçekleştirilmektedir. Çalışmanın amacı, ders kapsamında seri mülakatlar yürütmek
ve gerçek çalışan deneyimlerini gözlemlemektir. Sizden _____ (mülakat ödevi ana konusu
yazılmalıdır) ile ilgili önceden hazırlanan mülakat sorularına cevap vermeniz istenecektir. Benim
görevim, bu kapsamda mülakat gerçekleştirmek ve ödev olarak teslim etmektir.
Mülakat yaklaşık olarak ____ dakika sürecektir. Lütfen soruları dikkatlice dinleyiniz ve her soruyu
size en doğru gelen şekilde yanıtlayınız. Mülakat içinde yer alan soruların doğru ya da yanlış
cevapları yoktur. Vermiş olduğunuz cevaplar gizli tutulacak ve yalnızca ders kapsamında
kullanılacaktır. Çalışmaya katılmaktan herhangi bir an vazgeçebilirsiniz veya çalışmayı yarım
bırakabilirsiniz. Bu bilgilendirme formunun bir kopyası sizde ve sadece bende kalacaktır.
Araştırmacı(lar) Ad-Soyad:
____ Üniversitesi Psikoloji Bölümü Lisans Programı
_____________________________________________________________________________
(İkisine de onay alınmalı)
□ Bilgilendirilmiş onam formunu okudum ve anladım.
□ Araştırmaya gönüllü olarak katılmayı kabul ediyorum.
_____________________________________________________________________________
(İkisinden birini onay alınmalı)
□ Opsiyon 1: Mülakat deşifresi için ses kaydımın alınmasına onay veriyorum.
□ Opsiyon 2: Mülakatımın, sadece yazılı not alınarak kaydedilmesine onay veriyorum.
This study is carried out by ___ University Psychology Department students within the scope of
PSY ______ (the name of the course). The aim of the study is to conduct serial interviews and
observe real employee experiences within the scope of the course. You will be asked to answer
pre-prepared interview questions about _____ (the main topic of the interview should be written).
My task is to conduct an interview within this scope and submit it as homework.
Participation in the study is completely voluntary and no identifying information is asked from the
participants during the interview.
The interview will take approximately ____ minutes. Please listen carefully to the questions and
answer each question as best you can. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions in the
interview. The answers you have given will be kept confidential and will be used only within the
scope of the course. You can stop participating in the study at any time or leave the study
unfinished. A copy of this information form will remain with you and only me.
Researcher(s) Name-Surname:
___ University Department of Psychology Undergraduate Program
_____________________________________________________________________________
(Both must be approved)
□ I have read and understood the informed consent form.
□ I agree to participate in the research voluntarily.
_____________________________________________________________________________
(One of them must be approved)
□ Option 1: I consent to my voice recording for interview transcription.
□ Option 2: I consent to my interview being recorded only by taking a written note.