In pairs, students will stimulate a job interview between a recruiter for Charles River Consulting and an MIT graduate. Each student will have the chance to be both the interviewer and the applicant. Each interview should last no more than four-five minutes.
The interview will take place between a candidate seeking a position as consultant with Charles River Consulting and the company's Director of Human Resources.
Be familiar with the materials on job interviews. Please see MIT Career Office: Interviewing.
Worksheet for Strategic Interviews (PDF)
| INTERVIEWER | JOB APPLICANT |
|---|---|
| 1. Starts interview with small talk. | 1. Responds appropriately to small talk. |
| 2. Ask 2-3 traditional questions. | 2. Limits answers to 1-2 minutes. |
| 3. Asks for clarification at least once when applicant responds. | 3. Asks for clarification at least once when asked a question. |
| 4. Asks 1-2 behavioral questions | 4. Shows strategy (STAR or PAR) in answers. |
| 5. Signals closure by asking applicant for questions. | 5. Asks 1-2 questions near the end of the interview. |
You will be evaluated only on your role as the job applicant. Please see the criteria for grading here (PDF).
This assignment provides an opportunity to practice several communication skills we have been studying in class: efficient group dynamics, summarizing information, and impromptu speaking.
Each of you is expected to come to class having read your group's assigned article on a controversial subject and considered both sides of the argument. You will be a member of a debate team. You will not know in advance whether you will be arguing for or against the proposition.
Your group's performance will be based on the following criteria:
Procedure (PDF)
Worksheet and Summary (PDF)
Clearly demonstrates a process, provide instructions ("how to") or exlpain a concept . Expect to be interrupted by teh audience members. Encourage the students to engage in this material, even if it means interrupting you. In other words, teach the class!
Approximately 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of the class), including interactions (questions and comments) with the class.
A group of glass members.
You may, at a conference, professional meeting, or formal celebration, be required to introduce a speaker. Think of a colleague or mentor whom you would like to introduce at a conference. Prepare notes for a 1-2 minute extemporaneous introduction.
A typical introduction for these kinds of events is designed to
To be effective, you should be direct, respectful and brief. Avoid providing a detailed life history, or a long personal anecdote to "pad" your introduction.
Design one slide that demonstrates "best practice" and bring a hard copy (transparency or paper) to class. Be prepared to spend approximately two minutes explaining the content of the slide to the class.
You have approximately fifteen minutes to deliver a presentation, including a question and answer (Q & A) session, to a specific professional audience with a need for, and interest in, your information. You may base the presentation on material in one of your other course, on a paper or a research project you have already completed, or on research in which you are currently involved. Appropriate topics include the state of the art of a particular technology, exciting new research results and their ramifications; new uses for old methods/materials, policy analyses, and market research to identify new niches.
Guidelines for Successful Q & A Sessions (PDF)
You will view your recorded presenation and prepare a short reaction/self-evaluation to send in an e-mail message to me no later than the last day of class.
Students were required to watch an episode of the PBS show Washington Week.
Washington Week Worksheet (PDF)
You will be responsible for five short memos over the course of the semester; they are summarized below.
Please consult the following sample memos for proper formatting:
Sample Conventional Memo (PDF)
Sample Progress Memo (PDF)
| MEMO # | DUE DATES | MEMO ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ses #2 | Baseline Memo In one-two pages, describe your experience in academic English, your strengths and weaknesses in formal speaking and active listening, and what you hope to gain from 21F.232/3. Provide examples to illustrate your points. Include a list of 5-10 key terms or phrases in your discipline - terms that you frequently read, hear and say. |
| 2 | Ses #10 | Progress Memo In 1-2 pages, review the materials (other than assignments) or communication-rich contexts that have helped you to study speaking and critical listening. Your progress memo must include a review of at least one recommended material listed in your syllabus. See more detailed instructions below. |
| 3 | Ses #13 | Class/Seminar Evaluation Memo While you sit in a class or attend a seminar, take notes on the skill of the professor, TA or presenter. In a memo of 1-2 pages, describe the class period or seminar from the perspectives of
|
| 4 | Ses #17 | Progress Memo In 1-2 pages, review the materials (other than assignments) or communication-rich contexts that have helped you to study speaking and critical listening. Your progress memo must include a review of at least one recommended material listed in your syllabus. See more detailed instructions below. |
| 5 | Ses #25 | Exit/Final Self Evaluation Memo Write a 1-2 page memo evaluating your progress this semester in 21F.232/3. Consider your first impromptu and compare it to your last. Consider your formal presentation skills - how have you improved? Address insights that you have gained outside of class. Provide feedback on what you feel was most useful. |
The two progress memos must provide at least one critical review of a recommended material from the syllabus as well, as any language lab or on-line materials of your choice, TV and radio programs, movies or plays, or the speaking and critical listening skills of friends, colleagues and mentors that you have noticed in social or academic contexts.
Before writing your progress memos, ask yourself questions like the following:
Your detailed responses to such questions can form the body of your progress memo.