Kenny Vo

Interview Plan
Communication 1010-013
11/27/2015
Background Information
My Interviewee:
I'm planning to interview Gordon Storrs. He works at the South City Campus of the Salt Lake
Community College on 1575 South Sate Street as an Academic & Career Advisor. I will interview
Gordon at his office at the South City campus as we arranged an appointment time on November 25th at
2:00pm. I chose to interview Gordon because I've talked to him several times about changing my major
and seemed intrigued when I switched to communication.
Please note: I plan to ask a number of questions that are technically worded as closed questions,
but if he interprets them as an open questions and list more then what Im looking for. Ill ask him to
reiterate his answer.
Career Research:
I began taking classes based around the communications field as I switched majors because I
find communication vital to our everyday lives and it has a wide variety of choices to take. I chose a
counselor for this project because I am interested in the field as I have visited a few in the past and I
generally like people and I find myself wanting to help, and in my friend group end up being sort of a
counselor sometimes when they ask me for advice on various topic because I do a lot of listening and
analyzing. In this interview, I want to learn more about the day to day activities of a counselor, how to
be one and what kind of outlets it may open up.
I learned from the Occupational Outlook Handbook that you would generally need a masters
degree in school counseling or a related field to work it also depends on your work experience though
internships. The pay rates can dip from $32,000 to $86,000 but depending on my personal outlook it
may be more rewarding knowing I changed someones life for the better. It's projected that there will be
an increase of openings depending on the location and population of an area.

Interview Schedule
Opening:
Hello Gordon! Thank you so much for letting me interview you during this busy time. So the
purpose of this interview is to accumulate info based on your career. It's an assignment for my
communication class, but being a counselor has interested me before. I'll be asking you about how
someone can get started in the field, your schedule and its impact on your family life, and continuing
education.

I'll be writing just a few notes, but you can keep talking while I write. I don't want to interrupt,
but I want to take some notes for later. This shouldnt take longer than a half hour. Are you ready to
start?
Body:
Topic 1: Getting Started as a Counselor
First, I was curious on how did you end up choosing to be a counselor?
1. What influenced you to choose this career? (Primary, Open)
-Why would you say that you made a good choice? (Secondary, Open)
-Do you have any regrets on you decision? (Secondary, Open)
2. How did you get started as a counselor? (Primary, Open)
-Would you have changed anything? (Secondary, Closed)
3. What kind of education would you suggest if I wanted to be a counselor in the future? (Primary,
Open)
-How much time did it take to get all the prerequisites? (Secondary, Closed)
-How much did it cost (estimation)? (Secondary, Closed)
4. Is there anything else that helped you become a counselor? (Primary, Open)
-What other fields could you transition into without additional schooling? (Secondary, Closed)
5. What types of knowledge or skills should I have that would benefit me in the field? (Primary, Open)
-- What resources have you used to develop these skills? (Secondary, Open)
6. When you first started out how prepared did you feel? (Primary, Open)
-Have you progressively become a better counselor? (Secondary, Closed)
- What elements have contributed most to your success? (Secondary, Closed)

Topic 2: A Typical Day

Now that I know how you got started, Id like to hear what your current job is like.
1. Can you tell me about how a typical day plays out in your workplace? (Primary, Open)
-What tasks are the most difficult? (Secondary, Closed)
-Which are the most simple? (Secondary, Closed)
2. What do you like most about your job? (Primary, Open)
-What would you say you like least about your job? (Secondary, Open)
3. Can you tell me about your schedule? (Primary, Open)
-How accommodating is your schedule to your personal life? (Secondary, Open)
-Are you allowed to take vacation time or days off when you choose? (Secondary,
Topic 3: Continuing Education
My next questions are about continuing education.
1. Is there any additional education required or recommended? (Primary, Closed)
--Tell me about the education are you currently involved in, if any? (Secondary, Open)
--What education would you recommend beyond what's required? (Secondary, Closed)
2. Do you ever attend any kind of seminars related to this field? (Primary, Open)
--Are there any kind of publication you follow? (Secondary, Open)
--Which educational resource have you found most practical and valuable? (Secondary, Open)
4. Are there any other learning strategies you use to help you make better decisions? (Primary, Open)

Clearinghouse question: The interviewee's turn

1. Are there subjects we havent discussed that you think I need to be aware of? (Primary, Open)
Closing:
Well, looks like that's all the questions I have. Thank you very much for taking time to talk to
me. I really have learned quite a bit, and you have been extremely helpful.

Finally, if you remember, I mentioned an evaluation form I needed you to fill out in order for me
to get credit. Please be completely honest because your evaluation, whether good or bad, won't affect my
grade. But I won't get full credit for the assignment until my professor receives it. So if you don't mind,
could you please complete the evaluation now or email it to me in the next two days? Heres my E-mail
address.
Thank you so much! This has been wonderful and it was a pleasure to meet you. (Handshake)
Good bye.