2. ENC 3242, Technical Communication for Majors Fall 2015 WEEK 4: Assignment 2 - Interview with PTC Professional Presented by T. E. Roberts Instructor II, Professional and Technical Communication University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee Fall 2015 Semester Posted September 13, 2015 Length of this lecture audio (7 slides): 00:29:49 NOTE: This audio is adapted from one presented in Fall 2014. Thus, the correct 2015 dates and other details seen in the text of the slides may differ somewhat from those in the audio. Send the three audio codes in this lecture with those from the Week 3 and 5 lectures with Assignment 2 by 6 p.m. on September 28, 2015. Course website: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/3242_welcome.htmhttp://www.todroberts.com/USF/3242_welcome.htm Copyright © 2015 by T. E. Roberts © 2003, Scott Adams & United Feature Syndicate, Inc. / www.dilbert.com

3. ENC 3242, Fall 2013 Week 4 Lecture Slide 1 of 7 Assignment 2, Option 1: Original Interview with a PTC Professional This is an informational interview, not a job interview. It should be in person or by phone, but may be by email if that is the interviewee’s preference Your objective: understand the career choices of a specific professional in your field and apply that understanding to your own choices The possible interview subjects listed in the Assignment 2 instructions (sent via email and posted in Canvas FILES section) are only a starting point -- use your own research skills to find good candidates if you wish This option is better than Option 2 (reporting on existing interview) in terms of your learning experience

4. ENC 3242, Fall 2013 Week 4 Lecture Slide 2 of 7 Interview Preparation Memorize questions and information categories in advance How you chose this career? Background and training, both formal and informal? Personal or family influences on career choices? Duties and responsibilities? Most difficult challenges? A typical day on the job? Advice to students considering this kind of career? Using both hand-written notes and (if permitted) recorded audio, gather as much information as you can in the time allotted – respect the interviewee’s schedule! Read these useful tips to prepare for the interview: http://www.essortment.com/conduct-effective-professional-interview-34173.html http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/infointerviews/a/infointerview.htm http://www.essortment.com/conduct-effective-professional-interview-34173.html http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/infointerviews/a/infointerview.htm

5. ENC 3242, Fall 2013 Week 4 Lecture Slide 3 of 7 Digital Voice Recorders Do Google search for current reviews Need not spend much money on such a device My personal choice is an Olympus VN 960PC -- compact, reliable, monaural, recordings can be easily downloaded via USB to computer (Windows only) as WMA files (about $50, purchased in 2008) This model is now superseded by others having advanced features and higher memory capacity Unless you are conducting legal/illegal covert operations, always ask permission before recording (also record the permission itself)!

6. ENC 3242, Fall 2013 Week 4 Lecture Slide 4 of 7 Option 1 Format If you wish to include a verbatim transcript of the interview, use this style: Interviewer: [text of question] _____ [name of interviewee]: [text of response] Organize your interview into the following sections: 1.Interview Background Interview circumstances Interviewee’s background 2.Interview Itself Verbatim transcript (this tends to be long and time-consuming to prepare), or Summary of the questions and answers exchanged during the interview 3.Conclusion What did you learn of value to you as a student? How can you apply these observations to your career planning? Follow the format shown in sample interview attached to Assignment 2 instructions

7. ENC 3242, Fall 2013 Week 4 Lecture Slide 5 of 7 Assignment 2, Option 2: Report on Existing Interviews This is adequate but not as valuable as Option 1 Highest grade available is 90 (A-) Search for interviews with business or technical communicators who comment on their career choices, background, and any other information relevant to you as a student The Google search term interview technical communicator (without restrictive quote marks) identifies 873,000 hits Format for OPTION 2: Prepare a prose report analyzing what you learn from the existing interviews found in the internet or printed sources (report format should be similar to that for Option 1)

8. ENC 3242, Fall 2013 Week 4 Lecture Slide 6 of 7 Both Options See detailed instructions sent by email (also posted in FILES section on Canvas) In reporting an interview, analyze the value of insights provided by the interview subject(s) Length should be 500 to 1000 words Your submission will be judged on the basis of: Insight expressed through your choice of interview subject and interview questions (your own or existing interviews) and the interviews’ relevance to your objective of increased knowledge about professional and technical communication Clarity, conciseness, and professionalism of your writing and editing in the completed submission. Submission is due via Canvas by Sept. 28, 2015, 6 p.m. Include the lecture audio codes for Weeks 3, 4, and 5 in the COMMENTS section of the Canvas submission page, using this format (X refers to week number; a, b, c refer to slide numbers): Week X Slide a = _____ Slide b = _____ Slide c = _____

9. ENC 3242, Fall 2013 Week 4 Lecture Slide 7 of 7 Closing Thoughts If you are nervous about interviewing, realize that this is a learning experience – don’t worry about being perfect Keep an open, curious mind and focus on the interviewee, not on yourself Be courteous, professional, and respectful of the interviewee’s busy schedule A Reformation concept called the Erasmian Heresy holds that wisdom exists in books, not in human beings -- if you conduct an in-person interview, you can show that this idea is in fact really heretical! It’s important to request your choice of interviewee when you send me your interview questions by email (don’t contact the interviewee without doing this first – I need to control the number of students matched up with an interviewee) Please email me if you have a question.