Mentor Questions

Or

What Do I Ask This Professional??

The telephone interview provides an opportunity for you to talk one-on-one to someone who actually works in the field you have chosen. Similarly, the email interview provides in-depth information, but the give and take of a conversation is missing. By asking thoughtful questions, you will come to an understanding of this professional’s perspective of their career – the good, the bad, the beautiful, the boring. This will deepen you knowledge about the career itself, about the balance of career and personal life, and then either reinforce your ideas or raise new concerns about your own career path.

The following notes should help facilitate your interviews. Good luck!

Never, ever ask anyone how much money they make. Salary should typically NOT be mentioned at all – there are other sources for this information. However, you can ask about general entry level salaries.

You must individualize the interview based on the specific field you have chosen and the answers the professional gives. The conversation should flow and you must follow it. That is why it is important to know as much as possible about the field from your research, since you need to respond intelligently to what the person says and be able to ask pertinent questions about the sub-topics they bring up.

Each student will have different questions because the fields are all different.

However, all students should cover some basic areas:

1. Education – college major, suggested courses, difficult courses, best schools for the major

2. Career path – starting job (entry level position) and company, how long one should work at the starting job, how to advance, training

3. Responsibilities – daily job duties, position responsibilities, how to develop talents, travel required

4. Job – best part, worst part, most challenging part, most rewarding part

5. Companies – major corporations versus small companies versus independent ownership, who are the industry leaders (your research should have already provided specific company info).

6. Professional – Is more education needed (i.e. a master’s or doctoral degree)? Professional associations – do they exist? Are they important? Networking? Does it help with finding a job?

7. Advice – is there any advice they can give you? Is there anything the professional wishes they would have known when they began their career?

8. Personal - How has their career affected their personal life?