Running head: PROFESSIONAL CAREER INTERVIEW

Salt Lake Community College

COMM 1010-028
Prof. Raymond Bingham
Professional Career Interview
October 16, 2016
Israel Hernandez Martinez

PROFESSIONAL CAREER INTERVIEW

When it came to scheduling an interview for radiology. It was a bit difficult because I had to
work with my work and class schedule, as well as with the radiologist schedule. I went to Jordan
Valle Medical and they did have radiologist available, but hes schedule didnt work with my
schedule. I had to decline the appointment. I then went to the U of U Hospital and found a
radiologist to interview. The time the interview was set up was on Friday October 14 at 3 pm.
When it came to preparing for the interview I researched about how to enroll in the radiology
program, the minimum pay in Utah, and the options for career advancement. I also researched
how often you had to renew a radiologist certification.
I wanted to cover three topics with the questions I came up with. The three topics were how to
be successful in the radiology program, job availability, and career advancement. The way I
decided to open the interview was by doing a solid greeting. First thing I did was thank Orlando
Durant for taking the time to make the interview happen. Moving forward I explained a little bit
how I was going to do the interview. I made sure he knew if there was any question he felt
uncomfortable answering, he could simply skip the question.
The order I asked my questions was to ask questions that were simple to answer, to get the
conversation going. Another reason I asked my beginning questions was to get background
information on him, and to relate the rest of my questions back to what he had told me earlier, to
make sure he knew I was listening and motivated to learn more. I also wanted my interview to be
more like a normal conversation rather then it being in an ask question then answer format.
The main topic I wanted to cover with the questions I came up with was how to successfully
complete the radiology program. I wanted to know if there were any hard courses I should be
aware of, and how many students passed the program.

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The setting for the interview took place at Beans & Brews due to the fact thats where the
interviewee wanted to have it at. Since the interview was going to take place at Beans & Brews I
didnt dress too formal. The first reason I choose to not dress too formally was because it was at
a public setting. The second reason was that the interviewee was going to meet me there after
work. I didnt want to over dress and make my interviewee uncomfortable. I chose to dress
casual. I wore a plain blue V-neck with a grey blazer, black jeans, combed my hair, and made
sure I shaved. Finally, I carried a wooden clipboard. When I met Orlando, he was dressed casual
as well. I felt like if I were to dress more semi-formal he would have felt a bit more nervous and
think I over dressed for the location that was chosen, which could have affected the flow of the
conversation.
I felt like the interview went well and the flow of the conversation never came to a complete
stop. The way I set up the questions worked quite well because it led to a nice flow in the
conversation. Some of the first questions that were answered I used to transition to my next
question. When I did that it, I demonstrated I was actively listening and showed I was interested
to do the interview.
One of the things that I didnt expect was when we talked about job advancement. Orlando
started to talk about a different job advancement in the radiology department that I havent heard
about. An example would be, becoming a radiologist physician assistant. I also knew there were
different shifts, but each shift had a different name to it. Orlando also mentioned depending on
what shift they start you at it shows the level of team work you are at. For example, if you were
to get a night shift, it would mean that you are not as good as working in a team than if you
would have worked in the day shift. It could also mean you are self-driven and do not need any
one to micro manage you.

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When the interview was ending, I made sure to get his e-mail. Once I asked him, he told me it
was fine. Orlando also mentioned if I had any questions to e-mail him. He would gladly e-mail
me back. After I got his e-mail and response I knew I have started my networking into radiology.
The level of comfort I was at the beginning of the interview was just a little bit anxious. Once the
interview started I then left more relaxed and the way of talking started to sound more natural.
The style I choose to use was a moderately structured interview. One thing I learned is if you
practice and know the questions youre going to ask when doing an interview. You will be better
off and feel more comfortable when doing the interview. One thing I learned about the way I
interview is I needed a better at opening and closing as well. I also need to talk more formally
then how I was when it came down to the interview.
The process of the interview was quite fun and I got to learn a lot about the daily routine of a
radiologist. I also learned that there a quite a few steps to take when planning an interview. Some
examples would be schedule in advance, research, body language, and formal greetings.
If I could do the interview all over again I would choose to talk more professionally to make a
better impression on him. I would also make a change in the location that was chosen, but since I
was short on time, it couldnt be helped. Something that I will apply to my future interviews will
be to do more research, schedule in advance, location, and formal speech.

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Interview Questions
How long have you worked in this hospital for?
Have you worked at any other hospital before?
What are the main responsibilities and duties of your job?
What made you decide in this profession?
Did you consider any other profession before choosing radiology?
What school did you go to for your degree?
Where there any difficult courses when you enrolled in the program?
When renewing your certification and registration is it difficult?
Is there any opportunity for advancement in your field?
What are some things you like about your job and dislike?
Is there anything you would change about your working conditions?
What are your days and hours like?
Could you choose your schedule?
How often do you spend in the E.R.?
Would you consider your job to have longevity?
Is the profession in high demand?
Does salarys change depending on what hospital you work at?
What advice would you give someone that is trying to get into your profession?

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E-portfolio Reflective Writing Prompts

When I first learned about the interview assignment I was a little bit worried about finding
someone to interview due to my class and work schedule. Other than that, I also thought this was
a great chance to interview someone that is already in the field, and get to hear about their
experience. To overcome my anxiety to contacting a total stranger I practice at home until I
remembered most of the questions for the interview. For the networking resource, I had a couple
of options to help me set up the interview like advisors, friends in the medical field, and I also
knew some people at a hospital I used to work at. Even though I had these many sources I ended
up going to the U of U Hospital and asked if they had a radiologist I could interview. The reason
I chose Orlando Durant to interview was because he was in the field Im trying to go in to. I also
wanted to start building my networking and build my resume.
When it came to doing the research, I made sure to look at salary, education requirements, job
outlook, job advancement, and what they did when working at a hospital. Once I gathered the
information I started to make questions about what I wanted more information about. For
example, for education requirements I wanted to know what classes where the hardest to pass so
I can then know what classes to take by themselves if I needed to. I also wanted to know if
certain hospitals did on the job training to get certified without needing to go back to college.
After the interview, it made me more motivated to pursuit my career because of the benefits it
comes with like healthcare, 401k, job advancement, and the starting wage. One of the things that
I liked out of all those things that I listed is that there are many options to branch out when
choosing radiology. I could for instance go in MRI, Ultrasound, CT, and even RPA one that I
didnt even know about.

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A career lesson I learned is if I wanted to get a competitive edge into getting into the radiology
program is I should start volunteering at a hospital to show that I have what it takes to care for
patients. Which will also look good on a resume. What I learned is if Im tired of being a
Radiology Technician I could also change to something more specific which will lead to more
money and a different kind of environment depending on what I what to pursuit. Another thing
would be to keep networking even after I get the job because that will give me the competitive
edge to getting a raise or a position that would open.
Having good interviewing and networking skills is very important because it will give you the
extra edge to get the job, and know of different job openings before anyone else hears of them.
When it comes to being in an interview you want to stand out and not be like every other
applicant. One way to stand out would be to use EPAR in an interview, and do research on the
company you would be interviewing for. Networking helps you get your foot in the door by
knowing of positions available and by knowing someone in the company can help your resume
stand out.
English 1010 has helped me with this assignment by teaching me about doing research before
interviewing, expect the unexpected, and to know your body language as well. My
communications course will help me with my other college courses because in this course I
learned about what makes a team, and the levels of communicating. Which will help me when I
start my radiology program since the program is all about team work and good communication.
The advice I would give someone who is planning on doing a career interview is to do lots of
research on the career you have chosen to proceed, and practice a lot at home with the questions
you are going to ask to ask to reduce nervousness. To develop good networking skills, its a good

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idea to start volunteering in something that is related to the career that you are going into. That
way you will start to know people who know people that can help you advance in your career.

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Bibliography
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015, December 17). Retrieved October 18, 2016, from
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Radiologic-technologists.htm#tab-6
Durant, O. (October 14, 2016). Personal interview.

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