MA 4-CR Internship Package.pdf - The American University of Paris

Internship Office 118, rue St. Dominique 75007 Paris4 GUIDELINES FOR INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWSStudents pursuing an internship must submit a critical account of an interview of two or more keyemployees, if possible a person from senior management and a co-worker or your immediatesupervisor, focusing on the career paths of individuals working in the organization. This provides anopportunity to acquire information useful in the formulation of career plans. This section of the reportshould be approximately five pages long.RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE1. Request permission to interview your contact by either writing or calling directly to ask for anappointment. He or she should be informed of the purpose of the interview and approximatelyhow much time it will take. The interview should last at least 20 minutes.2. Prepare the interview by making a list of questions (see below). Avoid personal questions.3. Be on time for the interview. Ask for permission to take notes or record the interview should youwish to do this. If the report will contain confidential information, make sure that the contactunderstands that a written summary will be read by faculty members and possibly others in theAUP community.4. Within a week following the interview, send a note to your contact to express thanks for his/hertime, consideration and ideas. Indicate when the report will be ready and send him or her acopy.5. It is important to aim for a report that is informative and interesting, and which clearly sums upthe interviewee’s responses.POTENTIAL QUESTIONSSelect the questions that seem most appropriate with regard to the person you are interviewing,and/or add some of your own.1. How did you get involved in this line of work?2. Which degrees or qualifications are required or recommended?3. What are the key skills and personality traits needed to succeed?4. How many hours a week do you work? Is it common to take work home?5. How much variety is there in your work? How much specialization?6. What is a typical day like? A typical week?7. What are the most difficult problems and decisions you are faced with?8. Does this job have any travel obligations?9. Are there any civic or social obligations that go with this job?10. Is it easy for someone in this field to move to another location?11. What is the best thing about this job? The worst?12. How visible are you in this job?13. What trends do you see happening in your field?14. What is a typical starting salary? What can someone expect to earn after five or six years ofexperience?15. Are there ways to “try out” this line of work (internships or summer jobs)?16. What is the supply/demand situation in this field?17. What do you wish you had known when you began your career?18. What advice would you have for recent graduates interested in this field?Tel. (33-1) 40-62-06-25 Fax (33-1) 53-59-82-21 internship@aup.fr (version September 2010)