Salt Lake Community College

COMM 1010, section 006

Professor Raymond Bingham


Professional Career Interview Project





10/15/2014





Jennifer Cunningham
Professional Career Interview Project

Pre-Planning
I am very interested in the field of Radiology. I currently volunteer in the CT department at the
Utah Valley Regional Medical Center located in Provo, Utah. I have several friends who work as
Radiology Technicians and have witnessed a few of the modalities in the field. I asked several friends
whom they recommended I interview to get a better feel and understanding of the field of radiology. I
wanted an inside perspective of what brought them into this field, what it took for them to get into the
industry, what or who helped them enter the field, and to seek advice that would aid my decision to
continue pursuing this field of study.
Knowing I needed to speak to someone I did not previously know I contacted several friends
working in the field of radiology to obtain possible interviewee names & contact information. After
many suggestions, I called my friend, Carol who used to work at the Timpanogos Regional Hospital in
Orem, Utah. I have always trusted Carols opinion. Carol highly recommended I speak with her friend
Tori Haag. When Carol switched employers, Tori, apparently, was hired in her place. Carol text
messaged Tori to check if she would be willing to have me contact her and arrange a 15-20 min
Professional Informational Interview with her. The next day, Per Toris request, I contacted her by
phone and corresponded with her by preferred text message to arrange the meeting. We discussed our
availability, then arranged to meet the following Friday, at 9:30 a.m., for half an hour in the main lobby
of the Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem.
In preparation for the interview, I asked Carol how she came to know Tori, what her personality
was like, and a bit about her background that would be helpful to make the interview flow and be most
productive. My own volunteer experience has provided the opportunity to witness first hand some of the
work Tori and Carol do every day. The next thing I did to prepare for the interview was ask several of
the radiology technicians from my volunteering location what questions they would ask if they were
currently conducting and informational interview. I made quite an extensive list. The issue was now
narrowing down the number of questions to fit within the half hour time frame. Next, I asked Tori for
permission to forward a copy of my resume to her via email. I wanted her to have a better understanding
of my work history and be better prepared to offer any advice and/or suggestions to help my seemingly
unconnected employment experiences enhance my ability to transition and succeed in the radiology
field.
I dressed in a pair of nice black slacks, a blue dress shirt and my favorite necklace my dad
designed by my dad. I arrived about ten minutes early, briefly reviewed my outlined questions, took a
deep breath and went to the lobby. We met and proceeded to a private booth in the cafeteria to begin the
interview.
The following is a copy of the Interview Outline I prepared and followed:
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Professional Career Interview Project Outline
Interview Plan
Opening:
Thank you for making time to meet with me today. As I stated over the phone, I attend school at
Salt Lake Community College working towards a degree as a Radiology Technician. Carol
Edwards highly recommended I speak with you to receive a better understanding of the field of
radiology. Im excited to learn from your expertise and experiences to assist my decision on
whether radiology is the right career fit for me. Shall we begin?
Topic #1 Personal Background Coming Into the Field of Radiology
- How did you come to choose the field of radiology for a career?
- What sacrifices have you had to make to succeed in this field? Do you feel the sacrifices
were worth it?
- What do you like and not like about working in this field?
- If you could change anything about your job, what would it be?
- What do you wish youd known before you entered this field?
Topic #2 Economic Stability of Industry
- In what ways have you witnessed the current economy affecting the industry of radiology?
- How to you see the employment outlook because of these issues?
- From everything you have observed what problems can you cite regarding working in this
career?
- What trends in the field would most likely affect someone just entering this career now?
Topic #3 Skills & Training
- What skills or personal characteristics do you feel contribute most to success in this industry?
- Customer/patient care is a significant characteristic of radiology; do you find this to be more
important to the field than other more technical skills required for the job?
- What suggestions do you have that would help me obtain the experience necessary to enter
this field?
Topic #4 Transitioning Into the Field of Radiology
- As you looked over my resume, what aspects of my background do you feel would be the
most helpful in making the transition to your career field?
- Do you know of any other people in your career who have made the transition to radiology
from a background similar to my own? How did the transition work out?
- Was transitioning into this field difficult for you?
- What aspects of my background do you feel would be the biggest obstacles to making the
transition to your career field?
Cleaning House Questions
- What is the most important thing that someone planning to enter this career should know?
- If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? Why?
- If you were a college student entering this career today, what would you do differently in
your preparation to better facilitate entry?
- How do you think those with hiring power in your career would view someone in my current
field?
- Knowing what you know about your career field, and knowing what I should have to do to
get into this field, do you think you would make the change if you were in my position?
- Do you know of other people who I might contact within your field?
Closing:
I appreciate your willingness to meet with me within your busy schedule today. Your
background and experiences have taught me valuable information that has already enhanced my
interest in radiology. I am excited to discover what my future holds.
- Would you be willing to answer more questions, by phone, text message, email or in person
if I need additional advice in the future?
Im looking forward to receiving your email with the additional contact information about your
radiology colleagues. Your time has been invaluable to me and has opened my mind to new
possibilities which I am excited to explore.
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Post Interview Analysis
The hardest part of the process was choosing the questions I wanted to ask and then narrowing
them down to a select few. Preparation was definitely the key to a successful interview. I prepared a
moderately structured interview format to allow a list of topics designed to provide both control and
spontaneity in our informational conversation. The interview seemed to flow effortlessly.
The friends and colleagues I asked to obtain contacts I could interview were either apprehensive to give
suggestions or had a flood of names to suggest. It was obvious that many were glad that my assignment
was to speak to someone I did not already know. They were off the hook. Just the same, they were very
excited to help me succeed.
I structured the order of my questioning but purposely pre-allowed time and room for
spontaneous sub-questions that naturally branched off the responses I received. This seemed to work
well. I did an okay job transitioning from question to question. However, I can see how easy it is to
lose track of time and possibly get tangled in responsive tangents. You have to always be aware of
watching the clock. This meant having to do a cold transition back to the planned outline structure, thus
disrupting the flow. Luckily, the questions and tangents within my informational interview were right in
line with my next pre-planned outline structure.
My interviewee has granted me permission to contact her in the future should I have further
questions. She truly is a valuable networking contact.



Bibliography
Website -
TimpanogosRegionalHospital.com/service/imaging-radiology

Personal Contact -
Carol Edwards, R.T.(R)(CT)(MR)(ARRT), Salt Lake Orthopaedic Clinic, Salt Lake City, Utah

Interviewee -
Tori Haag, R.T., Timpanogos Regional Hospital, Orem, Utah