Tips for Students

Structured Interview

1. Think about what you already know about your colleague’s work.
   In what areas is your colleague’s experience particularly useful? What do you know about his/her work? What are your own ideas and perceptions about it?
2. Formulate the questions.
   Write down a few questions you would like your colleague to answer or comment on.
3. Consider what you have learned.
4. After the interview, write down the conclusions you have come to and tell your colleague what you have learned.
5. Use the new information in your own work.
   Set goals and prepare a plan of action for how you will put the new information to use.
6. Some possible interview questions:

• How long have you been an entrepreneur?
• What do you think I should pay attention to when planning my first business venture?
• Give three examples of how you’ve overcome challenges that came your way.
• What are the most important values you try to promote in your team?
• What are some websites, books or courses that have helped you in your work?
• What do you think are the five main qualities that employees expect from their management?
• What are the most common pitfalls for new entrepreneurs?

People naturally tend to fear criticism and perceive it as a threat. In fact, the more often we receive feedback, the easier it becomes to hear it and to find useful information in it for our own growth.

1. Think about what you want to learn, and ask specific questions.
   For example:
   • What two things do you think I should improve in my work?
   • How could I work more effectively?
   • How could I have completed this task faster and more effectively?
   • If my job was done by the ideal employee, what would he do differently?
   • How do you evaluate my contribution in this project?
   • What more could I do to help you reach the goal?
2. If someone gives you feedback, listen to it. Do not start making excuses or providing explanations.
   Remember that the person is only sharing his/her own view of the situation.
3. Even if you do not agree with what the person is telling you, try to listen until he/she has finished. If you interrupt or start opposing the speaker, you will deny yourself the opportunity to learn something new and understand another person’s view.
4. Ask questions to learn specifics, for example, “I want to make sure I’ve understood you correctly. You say that I…,” or “Can you give a specific example of when I’ve acted this way?”
5. Evaluate the feedback you receive.
6. If you do not agree with the feedback, try to think about why the other speaker got the wrong impression of you.
7. Try to find useful information in what the speaker has said to you.
8. Consider asking other colleagues for their views, too.
9. Based on the information you’ve received, think about whether you want to change anything in your work or behaviour.

Job shadowing means spending time with an experienced person and observing him/her at work. This method is especially helpful for newcomers, because it gives a good overview of the work environment. It is also helpful if you want to learn about a different job or about how another section of the company works.

• How to go about it?
• Discuss with the CEO / manager about your interest in job shadowing him/her or another employee. Together with your manager, think about:
• ◦ which colleague to shadow,
• ◦ what are the main issues you want to focus on,
• ◦ how long should the shadowing take place (for example, a whole day, or only in specific situations, such as meetings).
• Get the person’s approval and tell him/her about your interests/needs.
• Before the shadowing begins, both sides need to prepare
  • Your colleague needs to consider what is the best time for you to shadow him/her and then inform his/her colleagues about the activity.
  • You need to think about what issues you’re interested in and what exactly you want to observe in your colleague’s work.
• Become acquainted with the available information about your colleague’s work.
• Be curious during the job shadowing, ask questions and take notes!

To learn more about job shadowing, read the booklet published by Manchester Metropolitan University. It provides valuable advice about shadowing in the workplace: Job Shadowing Guidelines

Learning together in a group helps participants stay motivated. This way colleagues can also support each other during the learning process.

The ideal size of a group is three to five people. A small group like this ensures that everyone participates and actively communicates with each other.

When organising a learning group, come to an agreement on what each participant wants to gain from the process.

For example:

• Discuss a specific topic or talk about experiences gained.
• Find out what your colleagues know or think about a certain issue.
• Create an environment in which various actions can be tried out and feedback can be received.
• If the topic is complex, it can be divided into subtopics, with each participant exploring one specific aspect.
• Use online collaboration tools, such as Google Docs, to work on documents together.
• It is valuable to tell your colleagues about your own learning goals (use the Goal Pyramid or other methods for describing your goals).
• Give assignments to each other, for example, regularly providing feedback to colleagues.