For your final project, you will interview a project manager and write a reflection paper based on your interview. Before contacting the project manager, watch the video below to learn more about informational interviews, submit an interview guide for your final project, and wait for instructor feedback.
Find out more about informational interviews by watching this tutorial on team leader interviewing success
After watching the video, develop an interview guide. In your interview guide, include:
- A brief (one paragraph) introduction that you will use as part of your 30-second introduction as outlined in the video above.
- 8-10 questions that you will ask the project manager, including questions that allow the project manager to discuss their daily roles and responsibilities as a project manager. Questions can include topics related to selecting their teams, how they manage their teams, software they use to manage tasks, communication, budgeting, forecasting, deadlines, deliverables, etc.
- A draft of your introductory email or LinkedIn message to the project manager (see below for a template you can adapt).
- Provide a list of at least 3 project managers you will reach out to, indicating who is your top choice that you will connect with first. Include the names, companies, job title, and LinkedIn profile (if available).
Sample introductory email to adapt:
Dear (PERSON’S NAME),
My name is INSERT YOUR NAME, and I am a graduate student in the M.S. in Management with a concentration in YOUR CONCENTRATION at St. Francis College. I am exploring the project management process as part of an assignment for my class, Fundamentals of Project Management. I would like to meet with you for an informational interview EXPLAIN HOW (ZOOM, IN PERSON, PHONE, ETC.) for about 30 minutes to learn more about your day-to-day activities as a project manager. Please note that the information you share will not be published and will only be shared with the professor teaching my course. I am available during DAYS, TIMES (INCLUDING TIME ZONE) to meet. Let me know if any of these times work for you, or feel free to suggest another option. Thank you in advance for your help.
Best wishes, YOUR NAME