You are to conduct a personal interview with at least two (2) individuals who have been in a supervisory or managerial position for a minimum of three (3) years. For the purposes of this assignment, we will define “supervisory or managerial position” as follows:

1. Must direct the daily activities of at least three (3) subordinate employees.

2. Must have decision-making authority to direct the daily activities of the unit.

3. Must have direct input into the employment process, employee compensation, and progressive discipline within the unit.

4. Must not be a relative of the student by blood, marriage or adoption.

You are to cover the following points, as a minimum, in your interviews: All work must be and produced by word processor and formatted into MLA style. NO late work will be accepted! 

Paper should begin with an introductory paragraph introducing the interviewee and include years of experience, industry, education level, and any of pertinent information you gather. At the end of each interview, you will provide a conclusion paragraph with your observations of what you have learned from this assignment and how this information can help you in your career.

You may complete 1 interview and move directly to the next or you may list the question and under each have (see example below)

1. How long has he/she been in management?

Manager 1– their response

Manager 2– their response

Include each question with your answer for each interviewee.

1. How long has he/she been in management?

2. What was his/her first job in management?

3. How did he/she get into management?

4. What is the educational background of the person being interviewed?

5. What courses did they take in school that proved most useful to them as a manager?

6. What courses or skills do they feel would be most beneficial for them at this stage of their management career?

7. How have they kept up with the changes in management styles and models in today’s business world? (Have they been back to school; attended seminars; read industry and management related books, etc?).

8. What was the biggest challenge they faced when they first moved into management? How did they address this challenge?

9. What do they see as the three (3) most significant challenges facing managers in today’s workplace?

10. What has been the single most significant change they have seen during their career as a manager?

11. What do they see as the most significant challenges facing their business in the next 5 years? What plans have they made to address this challenge?

12. What do they like most about being in management? Why?

13. What do they like least about being in management? Why? (see next page) 

14. What do they feel is the key to motivating today’s work force?

15. In what type of planning do they participate? How?

16. What do they see as the keys to being an effective leader in today’s business environment? Why do they feel these are so critical to today’s manager?

17. How do they compare the workforce and employee of today with that of past years? Why?

18. What advice can they offer to you as someone pursuing a degree and a career in the field of management? What do you think about their advice? Why?