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Unit 2: Interviewing Project

Jacob Hansen

College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University

OGL482: Pro-Seminar II

Dr. Brent Scholar

October 29, 2021

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Unit 2: Interviewing Project

There was never any intention for a person to live this life alone. People are meant to be

together, for a variety of reasons. Due to my religious foundations I believe the family to be of

the utmost importance and to be the most valuable organization in the world. One of these

reasons is the ability for each one of us to teach and learn from another. There is great value in

honest and transparent assessment of one another. Throughout my education and professional

career I have relied on my family and close acquaintances to provide me feedback about my

behavior, skills, and values. This application was no different as I engaged myself in the

interviewing project outlined in OGL482.

I drew upon my mother, wife, and close colleague to assess my persona and skills.

Interestingly enough I wasn’t completely surprised by the responses I received for my

interviewing questions. I know what strengths and weaknesses are present in my life. Without

that knowledge I would lack confidence in myself and what I do. However, I was more surprised

by how my interviewee’s responded. The interviewees had to take a considerable amount of time

to answer any questions that highlighted my strengths or offer areas of improvement. In contrast,

they were quick and sharp to inform me of my shortcomings and failures. There was a type of

anger or opportunity present for them to relieve some stress off their chest. This experience has

allowed me to reconsider what I look for in others and how I address it. I have strong traits and

skills in organization, but I have considerable weaknesses in interpersonal interactions that

require a little more focus as a leader.

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Methodology

Preparing for and performing the interviews was the simplest process of this assignment.

I prepared questions and engaged with people whom I knew would be the most forthcoming. I

did not need a pseudo self-confidence boost by asking questions or talking to people who

couldn’t answer with objectivity or honesty in their hearts. I decided to interview my mother, my

wife, and a close colleague from a previous job. My mother has always been honest. There are

many times I have not liked what she has told me in my life, but never have I thought that it was

unnecessary. My wife was essential in this interview. She is the closest person to both my

professional and personal life. She has had the opportunity to observe both extremes of my life.

She understands my behaviors and emotions better than any other person. My colleague who has

now become a close friend understands me best in a professional setting. I have never stayed

with a single job longer than 18 months, so it was difficult to think of anyone else who would

carry the insight and experience needed to perform this interview.

I performed the interview with my colleague first. He and I met via a Microsoft Teams

call. I recorded the conversation and I transcribed important notes during our conversation. The

interview lasted for about 20 minutes, but we continued to talk for another 30 minutes about the

value gained from educational and professional experience. I then interviewed my mother. Our

interview lasted about 25 minutes. We spoke face-to-face, but I used a transcription tool on my

phone to capture her responses to the questions. I finished up my round of interviews using the

same face-to-face transcription process with my wife. Our interview lasted for roughly 15

minutes.

My interviewing guide consisted of questions gathered from a variety of sources. I

sourced many of my questions on persona and skills from Harrington and Hall’s Career
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management & work/life integration: Using self-assessment to navigate contemporary careers

(2007). I also utilized questions that I conceived on my own. Half of the questions were open-

ended while the other half required a high, medium, low scoring. I asked a total of 15 questions

during each of my interviews. After I performed all of my interviews I put all of the answers side

by side and did a qualitative comparison. I looked for common themes across the interviews. I

analyzed those themes against the reality of my work or personal situation. I also compared the

results with my own thoughts to measure how much I have grown or analyze where I need to

develop.

Section 1: Write-Up

What was your rationale in developing your interview guide sheet(s)? What did you hope

to discover?

As a missionary years ago for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I had the

frequent opportunity to perform a self-assessment and interview. As a missionary you work in

pairs of two for a period of six weeks at which point you could be reassigned to work with

someone else or you continue together for another six weeks. The life of the missionary requires

the two people to spend a considerable amount of time together. Coming to know someone and

get along with them when spending nearly every waking minute with them is a steep task in six

weeks or less, so there are practices set in place to help ease the process. One practice is referred

to as conducting a companionship inventory. It is a process of sharing with one another goals and

plans. We discuss strengths and weaknesses of our relationship. Discuss any challenges that

might keep us from working together more effectively and resolve any conflicts that exist.

Finally, we ask how we can improve and help each other set goals to do so.
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I started doing this seven years ago as a missionary and I continue to do it today. I apply

this practice with my wife and some of my coworkers. I have found that asking and sharing such

personal questions have had a more profound impact on my most important relationships. In

terms of my interview guide I wanted questions that fostered this same environment. It was my

goal to not only find out what I am good or bad at, rather I wanted to learn how those answers

truly impacted my relationship with the interviewee. I have learned in my short life that it isn’t

about what I do or how I do it. Instead, it is about the influence I leave or the experience that was

created. Do I feel that I gained the insight I wanted to in this project? Yes. Do I want to keep

improving and keep applying this in my life? Yes.

How comfortable did you feel listening to the feedback in your personal interview(s)?

I chose the two closest people in my life to engage in the personal interview with me. My

wife and mother have been some of the biggest supporters in my life, but to experience the good

you must experience the bad. They have also been some of my sharpest critics, and for that I am

grateful. I felt extremely comfortable listening to the feedback they provided in their interviews.

They were honest and spoke from the heart. Both of them were able to speak from places of love

and compassion. I felt that I could sincerely trust their answers and reasoning. In both

experiences we sat casually in the kitchen and spoke as if we were having another conversation

about life. There was room for openness and transparency, both figuratively and literally.

I must point out a unique observation that occurred during all of my interviews. As stated

above I felt comfortable listening to the feedback I was receiving, however I noticed a feeling of

uncomfortableness in my interviewees. It is possible that I was asking questions that were so

deep and meaningful that they simply couldn’t muster up the words to speak. Not all people have

the strength to speak candidly, and it is something I noticed and thought worthy of noting. I was
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prepared to receive any type of answer, but I don’t know if my interviewees were prepared to

speak as open as I was requesting.

How comfortable did you feel listening to the feedback in your professional interview(s)?

I felt as comfortable in this interview as I did my personal interviews. I was prepared for

it, and mentally willing to accept any response of praise or criticism. Truth be told, I did

experience both. Although, I might have felt more comfortable in this interview because of the

less intimate relationships that I have with a coworker than I do a family member. My coworker

would not know some of the deeper beliefs and attitudes that I carry because he simply doesn’t

spend enough time around me. Nevertheless, it was enlightening to sit across the screen from my

coworker and not feel a single ounce of fear, anger, or resentment. Instead I felt peace and

comfort knowing I was hearing what I needed to and when.

One of the biggest advantages in my interview is that I am aware of who I am. I know

that I am not perfect, but I know where my strengths lie, and I know where I falter. I think we are

normally afraid to go through interview experiences like these because we don’t want to hear the

truth. We don’t want to hear the truth because all we do is lie to ourselves. And the fact right

here is that I don’t lie to myself, or at least I try not to. I have stopped lying to myself and started

telling the truth. I am comfortable with what other people tell me because I have already heard it.

The only difference is that they may share the truth in a different light or give alternate

suggestions.

What did you learn about yourself as a result of this process?

For the first time in my life I actually felt humble. I have never had this many people be

so honest with me at one time, yet I feel more at peace because of it. What I learned about myself

is that I am changing. I love it. I love that countless hour of schooling, work, relationships, and
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living life are making a difference. I recent years, with an emphasis on the last couple of months,

I have gained experience and perspective that only comes with time. This process has helped me

to understand that the whole reason I am here is to learn. If I am not actually learning than I am

wasting my time. There is too much joy and opportunity to be experienced to not want to keep

learning.

I have learned that the people with whom I associate and seek these responses from are

going to have the biggest influence on my life. Surrounding myself with the right people is key. I

have big dreams and goals, so it is essential that I surround myself with others who have big

dreams and goals. I have always cared about the family and friends in my life, but I have

developed a greater appreciation for them through this process. All of this has taught me that I

want to keep applying these interviews throughout my life.

Were there any surprising results from your interviews? Explain?

Truth be told there weren’t any surprising results in my interviews. I am glad there wasn’t

because I didn’t want to write about them, and it would have shown that I don’t know myself

well enough. I lack empathy and the ability to find balance in my life. Those are two common

themes that keep coming around which would typically surprise me, but I am working on them.

These two ideas used to surprise me and would actually frustrate me. I used to confuse myself

with the want to feel empathy and balance and what I actually demonstrated. I have recently

accepted that empathy and balance are not in my life, and now it gives me the time to work on

them.
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How will you think differently, and what will you do differently, as a result of this

assignment (self-monitoring, working on developing certain skills, etc.)?

Behavior is the process of thought, feeling, and action. I have always known that I will

not act one way without first believing that way. If I want to change and improve the weaknesses

in my life I have to change the thoughts of my mind. I will work on developing my empathy and

balance. I have been so caught up in school and work for the last five years that I have literally

given zero time and attention to the people around me. Sadly, I lack close friendships. In some

cases I feel that my relationships with family and friends are hollow. I have allowed myself to

justify this behavior by telling myself that I don’t have the time. If I want to pass my classes and

be successful I have to sacrifice hanging out or going to an event. This attitude is multiplied

times ten as I now have a wife and two small children. When I am not working 8-12 hours a day,

then I am doing homework for another 2-3 hours. Outside of that my kids and wife get a small

amount of time, then what is left?

The truth is that I have cared more about getting A’s over building relationships. I will

really need to consider what is more valuable. I have fought for great academics because of the

opportunity it provides in continuing education. I love to learn and need to learn to provide for

my family, but I need to realize at what point it becomes counter-productive. I want to pursue my

master’s degree upon graduation. Now is the time for me to consider if it will consume my life

like schooling does now, or will I give more attention to empathy and balance. It will be my

responsibility to consider my options, weigh out my joy, relationships, and future. In the

meantime I can make more proactive choices to perform simple acts of service, and practice

accountability for my choices.

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How does what you found out pertain to your leadership style?

My self-defined leadership style has always been more democratic. This has been

predominately demonstrated by the selling style of situational leadership. I want people to feel

included and valued. I believe each person plays a major role on their teams and in their projects.

Although I lack strength in empathy and personal interaction I still feel a desire for the collective

group to do well. There are responses that highlight my work ethic, organization, thoroughness,

and teamwork abilities. In my mind I want to help people, but I need to improve my ability to

turn it into action.

Most importantly, I have room to grow and I willing accept that. I don’t hide my

weaknesses from my coworkers, nor do I try to do things too far outside my skill level. I bring

my whole self to the table, and sometimes I am like a piece of Swiss cheese full of holes.

However, I show up and I contribute and that is all I ask of others. I want people to come with

the willingness to participate and the drive to follow-through.

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Section 2: Interviews

Interviewee #1
Interviewing Guide
Name: Cody Wilkens Relationhip: Coworker
Date: 10/22/2021
Interview Length: 20 Minutes
Recording Medium: Microsoft Teams

Persona
What do you consider to be my greatest strength?
Organization. You always have your facts in order. You understand and abide by the
rules. You know what goes where and how smaller tasks connect to something bigger. I
can see the organization in the way you perform your work, how you balance your work
and life, and how you plan specific tasks.
What do you consider to be my greatest weakness?
Handling and working with people who I don’t connect with well. You need to handle
softer personalities better. I believe you expect others to live at your level, and you have
very little patience for those who don’t. Learn to appreciate and value the personalities
and skills of the people around you.
What do you consider to be my greatest areas of improvement?
Leadership skills have developed greatly. I have seen you grow from a subordinate role
to management and leadership positions. The most important thing is that you don’t just
act like a manager, instead, you lead people.
What values/ethics do I demonstrate? If any.
You demonstrate honesty, integrity, and work ethic. You have given a significant amount
of time and effort to employer as demanded. You follow through with the tasks you are
assigned, and you don’t quit until a job is done. You also expect others on your team to
follow these same values.
Do you consider me to responsive and open to change?
Sometimes. This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on your perspective.
You are open in certain situations that apply to your thought processes and ideas. It also
depends on the individual you may be responding to, or what change is being asked of
you.
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What degree of empathy is present in my life?

On a scale of ten I would rate you at 4/10. You are not heartless, but you have a hard time
relating with others especially with conflicting personality. Your self-reliant approach to
life makes it difficult for you to reason with and understand the perspective of others.
How do I handle stressful/challenging situations?
I believe that you handle stress well. I have seen some big projects and short deadlines
thrown at you and you never waver. You move forward as normal and maintain a sense
of consistency in your work. I think this is why you handle stressful/challenging
situations so well.
How do I handle difficult individuals?
On the other hand, you do not handle difficult individuals so well. I would describe you
as someone who tells others to go kick rocks. You don’t have the patience for difficult
people, nor do you find the value in having them around.
Am I passionate about the things in my life?
Yes, I believe that you are passionate about the things in your life. You are passionate
towards work and family. You talk about them frequently and you would drop everything
to be with them at any given time. You are also passionate towards self-interests when
time permits. I have been able to participate in some of your hobbies with you and I
notice that you open right up.
Skills
(High, medium, low)
Analytical, problem-solving skills. Rating and Comments:
High. Dealing with processes is a strong skill. Relating to your strengths in organization
you have a keen awareness of why problems exists and how you can overcome them.
However, your technical problem-solving skills are lacking.
Thoroughness and follow-through. Rating and Comments:
High. Sometimes you are too thorough, but it says a lot about your work ethic and
attention. I never worry about something getting done when you are working on it. I have
always known you to follow through with plans in professional and personal settings.
Interpersonal Skills and teamwork abilities. Rating and Comments:
Medium. You tend to keep plans and ideas to yourself. I don’t know if that is intentional
or not, but it is the truth. I think you know how to work well with others, but the reality of
it will rely heavily on the people you work with. If you are given strong personalities
with high-achieving attitudes you will excel.
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Ability to maintain work-life balance and perspective? Rating and Comments:

Low. When we worked together I noticed that your professional life consumed a lot of
your time and attention. I know it didn’t help that we worked long weeks, but you let it
creep into almost every aspect of your life. In many ways it impacted your use of
personal time.
From your perspective, what skills do I demonstrate? How efficient am I at that skill?
One of the greatest skills that you have is that people respected and valued your opinion.
This was the case even with the lack of empathy. You were still approachable, but harsh.
What I believe is that you demonstrated honest and upfront leadership, but never with
malicious intent. People respected you and your opinion because you knew what you
stood for, and they were able to look past the rough edges.
If you could suggest three things I could do to increase my sense of fulfillment in my work or
personal life, what would they be?
Improve work-life balance. Take stock of where you are and look at where you want to
be. Make a plan to find a better sense of balance. Use your personal time more
effectively. Engage in some of your personal interests and make time for them. Finally,
learn to separate work and personal life when needed. It is best to find that switch and
turn it off. Give all of your attention to the appropriate task at the moment

Interviewee #2
Interviewing Guide
Name: Stacy Hansen Relationhip: Mother
Date: 10/24/2021
Interview Length: 25 Minutes
Recording Medium: iPhone speak to text

Persona
What do you consider to be my greatest strength?
I think one of your greatest strengths is your desire for knowledge, and then your ability
to stick it out during hard times. Your willingness to help others is also a great strength.
What do you consider to be my greatest weakness?
I think your greatest weakness is impatience. When it comes to something you want to do
but don’t know the whole story or have all the facts or it’s not going your way. But when
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you take the time to learn more and think more about the situation and take the
opportunity it becomes when your greatest strengths.
What do you consider to be my greatest areas of improvement?
Your greatest area of improvement, because of experience, is your willingness to
overlook what somebody has done to negatively impact you. You give others the benefit
of the doubt more than you used to.
What values/ethics do I demonstrate? If any.
You are a very honest person and morally aware, and your faith in God is what guides
you and keeps you on the path that you’re on. You don’t just think it and believe it you
live it.
Do you consider me to responsive and open to change?
I think you are wanting to be more responsive and open to change but I think by nature it
is very difficult for you. However, I do believe you are better than you used to be, and I
think because your desire to be better and always working on it. I think you need to
remember that always and continue to work on that. I know it can be a personal benefit to
you.
What degree of empathy is present in my life?
Your ability to empathize with others depends on what the circumstance is but I would
rate you about five out of ten. However, by your nature it’s just hard for you to believe to
think like that. You see a lot of things in black and white for yourself and I think it
something need to learn more about so that you better understand what empathy is so
you’re more aware of it when the person who needs it from you can receive it.
How do I handle stressful/challenging situations?
You hate stressful and challenging situations it makes you sick and you don’t want to
deal with it. You fret about it, but you know if there’s another way to get through it, so
you just do it but it’s super hard for you.
How do I handle difficult individuals?
You tell them “Okay buddy, stop reliving your glory days”. This goes back to a time
when you told your football coaches off.
Am I passionate about the things in my life?
Yes, you’re very passionate about the things in your life especially your family they
mean everything to you. Everything you do is with them in mind, and also when you
want to relax you want to do something that you feel passionately about so you can find
balance
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Skills
(High, medium, low)
Analytical, problem-solving skills. Rating and Comments:
High. You think very deeply and intensely about problems and how to solve them
Thoroughness and follow-through. Rating and Comments:
High. You follow through and are very thorough most of the time
Interpersonal Skills and teamwork abilities. Rating and Comments:
Medium-high. You are very capable of it, but it does not come naturally, and you have to
work really hard to work with others.
Ability to maintain work-life balance and perspective? Rating and Comments:
High. Proves it every day while he’s working full-time raising a family and going to
school full-time.
From your perspective, what skills do I demonstrate? How efficient am I at that skill?
If being a father is a skill he’s doing a damn good job at figuring it out since there’s no
rulebook on how to raise a family.
If you could suggest three things I could do to increase my sense of fulfillment in my work or
personal life, what would they be?
Number one: get out of debt. Number two: care less about insignificant trivial things.
Number three: find inner peace.

Interviewee #3
Interviewing Guide
Name: Rachel Hansen Relationhip: Wife
Date: 10/24/2021
Interview Length: 15 Minutes
Recording Medium: iPhone speak to text

Persona
What do you consider to be my greatest strength?
Your greatest strength is the ability to lead in any situation. No matter if it is a work
assignment or something in your personal life you have a significant drive to take charge.
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What do you consider to be my greatest weakness?

Your greatest weakness is being impatient with most things. And sometimes you are not
willing to hear out what others have to share or what is really going on. You just make up
your mind and that’s it.
What do you consider to be my greatest areas of improvement?
You have to increase your ability to be patient with others and rather than jumping to
conclusions. You have to be willing to hear the other person and understand their side of
the story.
What values/ethics do I demonstrate? If any.
You have a very good relationship with your kids you value your time with them. You
make sure that you have time every single day to spend time with them and not have any
other outside things come in and bother that time
Do you consider me to responsive and open to change?
Over the past 4 1/2 years that I’ve known you, you have grown a lot in this situation, but
you still have room to grow. You struggle a lot to be open to change because you like
things to be your way and your way only. It is as if others must see your way or the
highway.
What degree of empathy is present in my life?
I would say your ability to empathize with somebody again depends on the situation. A
lot of the situations that come about in your life I feel your level of empathy is probably
at about four or five out of ten. However, when it comes to situations like where my mom
died your level of empathy was at like 9 or 10 because you knew her and the situation of
what happened. As my husband your level of empathy was higher so again it just depends
on your relationship with that person
How do I handle stressful/challenging situations?
Not very well. You are really bad at handling stress and challenging situations in general.
However, a lot of stressful situations that you do handle well are related to your work.
You understand your work and know how to navigate it. That behavior is what allows
you to have the job that you do.
How do I handle difficult individuals?
You don’t handle difficult people well. You don’t have a lot of patience for people who
can’t figure things out on your own. You expect people to have more responsibility in
their lives. It would be helpful for you to slow down and try to understand where people
are coming from.
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Am I passionate about the things in my life?

Yes, you’re very passionate about things in your life. You share that passion when it
comes to your kids. You love to spend time with them and you’re passionate about your
work. I would say that you express passion in a lot of ways in your life.
Skills
(High, medium, low)
Analytical, problem-solving skills. Rating and Comments:
I would say high because you’re very good at figuring out what to do in many
challenging situations. You are methodical and careful about the decisions you make.
Your life experiences have given you an extensive knowledge about a variety of topics
and you apply that knowledge towards all of your problem solving.
Thoroughness and follow-through. Rating and Comments:
High again. In most situations you have an ability to just figure things out and you
follow-through. You don’t ever quit until you find resolution to the challenge in front of
you.
Interpersonal Skills and teamwork abilities. Rating and Comments:
Medium. It depends on the situation, but most of the time you like to work alone but
other times it’s easier for you to work with somebody. You show appreciation for teams
and their efforts when you do work on them.
Ability to maintain work-life balance and perspective? Rating and Comments:
Medium for sure. You are good at balancing life with other things that sometimes you
struggle. Work, school, and family have been a tough balancing act for the last five years,
especially as our family has grown.
From your perspective, what skills do I demonstrate? How efficient am I at that skill?
High. You are very good at managing challenging/problem solving type situations
because it’s something that you can control. When you are in a position to control your
ability to complete a difficult task it is a very high-quality of yours.
If you could suggest three things I could do to increase my sense of fulfillment in my work or
personal life, what would they be?
Finish your education. Engage in interests and hobbies. Live life with no regrets.
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Conclusion
Feedback is essential. The opportunity in this course to have three of my closest

associations provide me critical feedback as a friend, father, husband, leader, and coworker has

significantly increased my perspective on the paths I have chosen to walk. I have grown in each

of these areas, but all in different ways. I noticed that as I become more refined as a husband and

father that I begin to have more patience and empathy in my work responsibilities. I love seeing

everything connected and influencing the finer aspects of my life. I have some obvious areas to

work on, especially in empathy and patience for difficult people and difficult challenges. I will

continue to draw upon the assessments of my friends and family to better understand who I am

and to make more meaningful choices in my life.

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References

Harrington, B, & Hall, D. T. (2007). Career management & work/life integration: Using self-
assessment to navigate contemporary careers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications,
Inc.