Posted: January 20th, 2016

Identify and interview a person of a culture, ethnicity, gender, or such, different than your own.

In today’s global environment college graduates and employees are fully expected to work and collaborate with others in socially diverse teams, groups, organizations, and communities. The understanding that students gain of themselves, others, and the social and natural world prepares them to contribute constructively to society through their private lives, education, work and social interactions.

Identify and interview a person of a culture, ethnicity, gender, or such, different than your own. This person should be in the career, field, or profession that holds interest for you, that you are currently working, or the field you plan to pursue. You will interview this person regarding their perspective of the field/career/profession. Although you can address your own questions, here are the minimum areas that I would like to see addressed:

Your own ethnicity and/or cultural background; age (range is ok); gender; position in the organization, and your length of time with the organization.
The person’s ethnicity and/or cultural background; age (range is ok); gender; educational level; position in the organization, and their length of time with the organization (do not use the individual’s name).

Sample interview questions that can be asked:

How did you develop your interest in this area?
Who did you see as role models in this area?
What do you see as the most challenging aspect of a diverse working environment? What steps have you taken to meet this challenge?
What kinds of experiences have you had working with others of different backgrounds than your own?
What strategies have you used to address diversity challenges? What were the positives and negatives?
Can you recall a time when you gave feedback to a co-worker who was unaccepting of others?
Can you recall a time when a person’s cultural background affected your approach to a work situation?
Tell me about a time that you adapted your style in order to work effectively with those who were different from you.