Reference no: EM133197196 , Length: 3 pages.
Assignment: Disability Coach Case Study
Read the following case study and critique Joe's business interview form and the quality/helpfulness of the information he gathered. Identify any missing information and explain why it is important. Assess the form's strengths and weaknesses.
Case Study
Joe Smith is a new job coach at Advantage Employment Services (AES). Part of his training at AES is to spend at least two weeks conducting informational interviews with different employers throughout the community. He worked with the AES marketing person to identify several employers. He selected a local greeting card store to visit and sent them an introductory letter explaining who he was and what his agency does for employers. He made a follow-up phone call with the store manager to set up a time to meet for the interview.
Prior to the meeting, Joe developed several questions to ask the manager. Realizing that he wanted to get a lot of information in a short period of time, he wanted to use his time wisely. Because he also wanted to encourage discussion, his questions began with one of the following words: who, what, where, when, why and how. Questions developed for his interview were:
A. What types of job duties are performed at this store?
B. When are your busy seasons and how long do they last?
C. How do you recruit employees?
D. What has been your experience with these employees you have hired?
E. What performance expectations do you have for an employee?
F. What services would you expect from me?
Upon entering the card shop, Joe met the manager, Ms. Thomas. He initiated the meeting by remarking on the attractive nature of the showcase and the large selection of cards and gifts. Small talk, similar to what Joe was doing with Ms. Thomas, is important because it encourages conversations by both parties and begins to establish a friendly rapport. During the entire interview, Joe kept eye contact with Ms. Thomas and smiled and nodded when she was talking. (By paying attention to non-verbal communication, you can gather additional information from the store setting and other personnel.)
Some job coaches or employment specialists use their own forms to complete profile information on the employer and conduct job analyses, others just jot down notes to keep when they are talking with the manager. Joe keeps a digital voice recorder in his car and when he returns from the interview, he turns it on and begins to talk about his experiences and to add additional observations. This keeps all the information that he gathered fresh and accurate and allows for him to expand on his jotted notes. When Joe returned to his office, he completed a Business Interview.