The
student should discuss history and development of feminist theory. The
following subtopics are to be addressed: Subtopic 1: oppression and liberation
of women in American culture Subtopic 2: current status of women in the U.S.
compared to other countries Subtopic 3: discuss feminist contributions to the
justice system Subtopic 4: discuss feminist contributions to equality Subtopic
5: discuss feminist contributions to identity Subtopic 6: discuss applicable
federal laws
PLEASE
SEE THE SAMPLE TEMPLEATE AND ESSAY BELOW: Copyright © 2003-2005 University of
Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 1 Revised 7.14.08 Note to the student:
Below is a description of Kolb’s Model. Kolb’s model is the required format for
writing experiential essays. Students must address four areas of Kolb’s Model
with each of the required subtopics in order for the essay to be considered for
college credit. Please read the description of each of the four sections below,
along with the examples, and use that description to determine what to write
for each subtopic. This page does not count toward the 5 to 7 or 10 to 15 page
length requirement. Kolb’s Model Description of Concrete Experience Concrete
experience represents your personal participation with the people, places,
activities, and events of an experience. You should describe your involvement
relative to the experience, demonstrating the opportunity for learning.
Example: My career in public relations started off as a staff assistant in the
Public Information Office of a community college system. After two years of
on-the-job training, I was promoted to the position of community relations
officer. Reflections Reflections represent your thinking and processing
relative to the experience. You should demonstrate your learning by describing
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed through the reflective process.
Example: I have observed that some organizations are very good at garnering
free publicity. They appear at local events and frequently appear as experts in
television and newspaper interviews. Generalizations / Principles / Theories Generalizations,
principles, and theories are constructs that organize and guide academic
learning. A typical college course is built around several such
generalizations, principles, and/or theories. In this stage, you identify and
describe the generalizations, principles, and/or theories to demonstrate your
learning outcomes. These learning outcomes result from analyzing and reflecting
on your experience. The generalizations, principles, and/or theories should be
comparable to those addressed in typical college courses and should match the
course description selected. Example: Whether working with large or small
one-owner organizations, it makes no difference in establishing rules,
guidelines, or policies regarding image and public relations. Developing a detailed
plan of action makes it much easier to schedule and implement appropriate
applicable strategies. Testing and Application Testing and/or application
represents situations in which the new learning can be used. You should
describe how you did, or could in the future, test and/or apply what you
learned. Example: A fun promotional idea that emerged as a by-product profit
center for the bookstore was t-shirts. We printed t-shirts with the bookstore
logo on the back with advertisements for the bookstore on the front. University
of Phoenix® Prior Learning Assessment Essay Template Copyright © 2003-2005
University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 2 Revised 7.14.08 NOTE:
Required essay length: 10-15 pages, using first person singular, and must be
typed. Because of the protected format of this document, to spell check your
work, you will need to compose your essay in a separate Word document, then
paste into the appropriate areas here. Subtopic 1: Pre-interview steps
Description of Concrete Experience: My experience in interviewing began when I
became employed with Murtis H. Taylor Multi-Service Center (MSC) in 2002 as
Director of Facilities and Safety Services. My duties included hiring qualified
employees to fill vacated positions as well as newly created positions. In my
three years of employment with MSC, the organization expanded rapidly
throughout the Greater Cleveland area, creating a need to for me to hire many
new employees in my department including custodians, maintenance technicians,
drivers, police officers and security personnel. I learned the companies hiring
processes quickly in working closely with our Human Resource (HR) Director in
developing pre-interview processes that allowed me to identify the type of
character, skills and experience needed to properly fill positions within my
department. With the help of the organizations HR Director, I developed general
pre-interview guidelines that allowed me to gain an understanding of what
skills and experience MSC desired for a potential employee per each position.
They are as follows; Obtain background information related to the position to
be filled, determine what qualifications are critical to the position and who
should be interviewed, create questions and appropriate follow up questions
related to the Name: Sample Student Date: December 17, 2008 Individual Record
Number (IRN): 9000000000 Title of Essay: Interviewing University of Phoenix®
Prior Learning Assessment Essay Template Copyright © 2003-2005 University of
Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 3 Revised 7.14.08 organizations mission and
specific qualifications of the position to be filled, seek approval through the
HR department through practice interviews, placing emphasis on listening for
key qualifications and utilizing follow up questions to ensure potential
employees truly possess the desired skills and character required for the
position. Reflections: Looking back to my first interview with MSC I can see
how my interviewing skills have improved. Initially, I was nervous, not fully
prepared and did not know how to conduct and control a proper interview. I
spoke too much and listened too little. Many of these problems have since been
rectified in part through the use of the pre-interview steps mentioned earlier.
I can take pre-interview information and compare it to the job description and
the organization’s mission to develop specific interview questions geared
toward obtaining insight into the potential employee. Another important
pre-interview skill I have adopted is to conduct a mock interview with HR
personnel and gain feedback. Early on I learned through these mock interviews
that I was not a good listener and needed to control the interview better
through preparation. This preparation has given me the confidence and control
needed to hire in over twenty quality employees in a three-year period.
Generalizations / Principles / Theories: An interview is the first formal
meeting between the employee and the employer making it a critical step for
both parties. In order to properly prepare for an interview with a potential
employee I must carefully examine and verify in advance the depth of
candidate's skills and competencies, including educational qualifications and
work related experience. Using the pre-interview steps described in the first
section, I establish background information that will be the basis of my
questioning as well as to determine if the Copyright © 2003-2005 University of
Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 4 Revised 7.14.08 candidate is truly
qualified for the position. Because this first meeting holds great importance
in the decision to hire or reject, it behooves me to prepare. I have learned
the key to a successful interview is taking time to utilize these pre-interview
steps allowing me to avoid making mistakes and helps to prevent hiring the
wrong candidate. Testing and Application: I have found through my direct
expeirience in interviewing potential employees that successful interviews are
a result of good preparation. I have found that the preinterview steps mentioned
earlier produce the most successful hires. As a mental health care provider,
understanding potential hire’s background is essential to MSC in discovering
desirable and unfavorable traits. This augments efficiency in the hiring
process through the discovery of elements of a persons background in advance
that are not conducive to the organizations standards and culture, thus
identifying unqualified or ill-suited candidates before a costly and time
consuming interview is held. Subtopic 2: Establishing rapport Description of
Concrete Experience: I have found through my experience with MSC that it is
essential to establish a rapport with potential employees in the interview
process to ensure they have the type of character that fits well with our
mission in meeting the mental health needs of the communities and population we
serve. Researching a potential employee’s resume and application allows me to
build background information to seek common ground, easing the tension of the
interview. Establishing a rapport with a candidate allows the interviewee to
feel comfortable sharing their experiences and to vet out the true character of
the potential hire. This is critical to the hiring practices of my department
due to the sensitivity of the organizations mission and the clients we serve.
Copyright © 2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 5
Revised 7.14.08 Reflections: I learned through my tenure with MSC the
importance of establishing a rapport with the interviewee. When I first
accepted my position the department was in need of hiring three new employees
immediately. I was thrown into the position as interviewer with little
background in interviewing. I learned quickly that by establishing a rapport
with potential hires I was able to create a comfort level in which the
potential hires felt more open to sharing information about themselves which in
turn allowed me to develop insight into their true character. I found this to
be essential in choosing the right types of people with a character conducive
to a role with the MSC. Generalizations / Principles / Theories: Early on in my
employment with Murtis H. Taylor, the organizations human resource director
taught me the importance of establishing a good rapport with candidates in
generating quality information. I learned establishing a good rapport was
important in creating a feeling of comfort and common ground, easing tension,
which then facilitates open communication. Here are some general principles I
use in developing skills that foster good rapport: 1. Work to develop an
attractive personality 2. Always display confidence, leadership, passion,
kindness, humility, emotional control and a solid sense of purpose 3. Show a
genuine interest in others 4. Focus on the other person and their interests 5.
Try not to judge but observe 6. Establish common ground and values 7. Try to
always think the best of others 8. Work hard to meet other's “crucial needs”
Copyright © 2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 6
Revised 7.14.08 9. Work hard to become an excellent communicator 10. Become a
good listener 11. Cultivate trust and trustworthiness Testing and Application:
Through my experience in interviewing I have had to hone my interpersonal
skills and personality to better develop a rapport with interviewees. In
researching a potential hire’s background I have found gathering information in
advance can be used in finding common ground between the interviewee and me,
allowing quick development of rapport, leaving them more open to answering questions
without bias or anxiety. Establishing a good rapport with an interviewee also
catalyzes their demonstration of their true character. This openness allows me
to hire only candidates whose character best fits the culture of the
organization. Subtopic 3: Questioning Description of Concrete Experience:
Because MSC deals with mental health patients the questioning process is
paramount to hiring in employees who have the character, skills, experience and
sensitivity necessary to fill open positions. With the help of the HR
department, I have developed questions that form a clear view of these
attributes in a potential employee and that generated over twenty successful
hires for the organization. The questions are categorized under six titles;
personal motivation and character, goals, communication, flexibility, stress
and manageability. These are used to gauge potential employee’s work ethics,
compassion, tolerance, ability to take directives and constructive criticism,
ability to make sound decisions and multi-task, and willingness to work in a
collaborative team setting. Reflections: At first I was given a standardized
form with interview questions to use in interviewing potential hires. I found
the standardized form was not generating the information Copyright © 2003-2005
University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 7 Revised 7.14.08 needed to
confidently place new employees in my department. In my second year, with the
approval of the HR department, I began to make changes to the form, creating
questions directed more towards specific positions. My experience with several
bad hires demonstrated that certain personality traits did not work well in the
mental health environment and I set out to create questions aimed at
identifying these traits. Most of the questions I created revolved around
personal motivation, character traits, and flexibility. I created questions
like, “Under what conditions do you work best?”“ What makes a job enjoyable for
you?” “What frustrates you most at work?” and “What motivates you the most to
do your best?” These questions provided the means for discovery of certain
character traits that are best suited for the mental health environment.
Generalizations / Principles / Theories: In 2004 I took on the responsibility
of revising the interview questionnaire for my department. As described earlier
in the “reflections” section, the need was there to revise these standardized
questions and to create more specific questions to better bring out elements
and traits in candidates that were geared toward particular jobs rather than
generalized questions. Through this process I found it much harder than
expected to develop questions that were not biased, which could lead
interviewee’s to answer the question in a certain way. I also learned to create
questions that would not be confusing to interviewees through brevity and
clarity of meaning. Furthermore, good questions must directly relate to what I
am trying to learn from my interviewees. In order to accomplish this task I had
to ensure the questions were short and concise to avoid confusion, that they
were not biased and did not assume what they asked, all the time keeping in
mind the purpose or information being sought from the question. Copyright ©
2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 8 Revised 7.14.08
Testing and Application: In revising and creating interview questions for the
candidates I have found that it is important to create questions that relate to
the information being sought for a specific position(s). The questions asked to
an interviewee could either produce relevant information or extraneous
information. It has become clear that the key to a productive interview is in
the quality of the questions asked and the mode of delivery. Questions posed in
a one on one interview can avoid ambiguity and lend themselves to further
elaboration and clarification, if needed. Questions on a questionnaire lack
these qualities, but do offer time and flexibility for candidates to consider
their responses and to answer without possible stress or environmental impacts
of the in person interview process. When creating interview questions I try to
keep in mind to avoid biased questions, never ask questions that assume what
they are asking, ask only questions that are relative, and to avoid wordy or
confusing questions. I have also come to avoid culturally insensitive questions
and to educate myself on cultural differences to better understand the
candidate’s responses. For example, a person from Asian decent may not make eye
contact in the same manner that Western cultures do to communicate. Keeping
these principles in mind when creating interview questions allows me to not
only fashion the interview to the organization’s needs, but to stay apprised of
variations in interviewee’s style and presentation and to consider other
external factors that may impact my ability to truly discern the
appropriateness of the candidate. Subtopic 4: Other forms of data gathering
Description of Concrete Experience: I have discovered many forms of data
gathering that can be helpful in current as well as future interviews. I have
found that by including a questionnaire section to the application for
employment we are able to ask questions that are very specific to the desired
position. The applicant’s answers provide insight into their thoughts and
feelings Copyright © 2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Page 9 Revised 7.14.08 regarding particular issues such as client/patient
treatment, ethical verses unethical behavior, beliefs, cultural awareness and
overall conviction to the position. Many times I am provided with enough
information from the questionnaire that I can reject certain applicants before
the interview process begins, saving time and money. Other forms of information
gathering include; direct observation, such as the interviewee’s body language
and appearance, criminal background checks, their resume, information on
previous work experience, references and, most importantly, post interview
surveys. The latter is a comparative tool that helps me to improve my
interviewing skills to continually improve my interview efficacy. Reflections:
It has become apparent to me that data gathering is not limited to background
checks, resumes and interview checklists. There are many other forms that can
be helpful in determining character traits and qualifications of a potential
employee. I have learned that timeliness, proper appearance and dress and being
prepared can be indicators of future behavior and should be documented.
Nonverbal cues are also revealing, i.e. eye contact, and warrant documenting if
notable. A potential hire appearing overly nervous in replying to certain
questions or contradicting a previous statement may be a red flag that I should
use scrutiny in assessing their candidacy. The gathering of data from previous
successful and unsuccessful hires along with data from post interview survey’s,
provides me with a basis of comparison that can be used to determine certain
common traits in potential hires as well as a comparison of interview methods
and processes allowing me critical insight into potential problems in advance.
Generalizations / Principles / Theories: I have come to recognize that
face-to-face interviews are the most productive means to gather data. There are
many other forms of data gathering that I Copyright © 2003-2005 University of
Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 10 Revised 7.14.08 commonly use to develop
background information on a candidate before an interview or to verify items
after the fact. Many times I have had to request additional information from
interviewees before and after interviews to further determine qualifications,
experience, and references. I have also used surveys from past and present
interviews to gather data to use in comparing previous successes and failures
in past hires and to identify critical information that may help in my final
decision to hire or pass on a candidate. It has been helpful to me to log this
information and have it available as a learning tool. I often revise and edit
my observations to fit my growing interviewing skills and experiences. Resumes,
applications, and questionnaires are also other forms of data gathered and used
in determining perspective employee’s qualifications for a particular position.
There are also instances when I have used telephone interviews to gather data
before a face-to-face interview is scheduled to determine whether to eliminate
or accept the candidate for further interviewing. There are many different ways
to gather data before, during or after the interview. Most methods are used to
some degree or another to gain the most complete understanding of the candidate
ensuring he or she is truly qualified and capable of handling the demands of
the position. Testing and Application: I have found in my experience that the
best way to gather data on potential hires is through an actual face-to-face
interview. However, there are many forms of gathering information on potential
hires that can be used as either support for the actual interview, or to
eliminate candidates who do not have the qualifications, experience, or traits
needed. Resumes, references, questionnaires, surveys, gestures, body language
and appearance are among the data I commonly gather to develop background
information on potential hires. This information helps in creating interview
questions, developing a sense of the candidate’s character, uncovering areas of
common ground, discovering candidate’s strengths and Copyright © 2003-2005
University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 11 Revised 7.14.08
weaknesses, and identifying potential conflicts. Gathering as much data or
background information as I possibly can on a candidate allows me to make
better decisions regarding a candidate’s abilities to perform the demands of
the position offered. It also familiarizes me with the whole picture of a
person and not just one aspect that is captured on paper or in their style of
dress that day. Subtopic 5: Controlling the interview Description of Concrete
Experience: Early on in my position the HR director taught me that controlling
the interview is essential to having a successful interview. I learned that it
is my job as an interviewer not to take over the interview with extreme
questioning, but to allow the interviewee to answer questions in his or her own
manner. My job is to keep the interview on track, steering the questioning
toward the topics I created in advance, ensuring the discussion leads to the
information needed to affect a hiring decision. Reflections: In looking back I
can see how my perception of what it means to control an interview has changed.
I have found that controlling an interview does not mean acting as a superior
or controlling the interview through a battery of questions. I have found
through my experience that interview control is attained through preparation.
When I come properly prepared to interview I can ask specific questions and
guide conversation toward information that is relevant to the needs of the
position. I have found this to be one of the most difficult tasks in
interviewing, as the balance in establishing a rapport and sticking to the
relevant topics can be hard to manage evenly. Preparedness allows me to
establish clear guidelines of what I need to take out of the interview, and the
confidence this breeds helps me to stay on track to properly control the
interview. Copyright © 2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Page 12 Revised 7.14.08 Generalizations / Principles / Theories: My experiences
interviewing at MSC have given me the confidence to control an interview
through good preparation. Having background information on the interviewee
allows me to familiarize myself with their skills, past employment, and
character traits, from which I can center questions used to guide the interview
in gaining only relevant information. In controlling the interview and guiding
the questioning in a calm and confident manner, I can retrieve quality
information on the potential hire without overbearing the interviewee, who
could become nervous or sensitive possibly hindering their honesty or accuracy
in answering questions. Controlling the interview ensures the information
collected is relevant and answers critical questions and that the interviewee
is comfortable enough to allow his or her true character to show through.
Testing and Application: My ability to control an interview is essential to
having a productive interview. This means that I am able to keep the interview
on track, generating only relevant information from the questions asked and keeping
the tone and momentum of the interview moving in a direction as best suited to
the information sought. It is also important to control the interview through
creating a sense of calmness, having a likeable personality, and asking well
thought out, non ambiguous and value focused questions. Having the confidence
needed to control an interview stems from the examination of background
information that provides insight into the candidates qualifications,
character, goals, and overall attitude toward the position. Having the
confidence to control an interview stems from good preparation and practice
exercising these skills in many different interview environments. Interview
practice can take place in several areas of the workplace when I am posing
questions to try and get information or identify what a colleague or supervisor
needs from Copyright © 2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Page 13 Revised 7.14.08 me in the clearest, quickest way so I can take the
correct and most sensible action. This also enhances my listening skills.
Subtopic 6: Evaluation and follow up Description of Concrete Experience: The
evaluation process of the interview is vital as this is where I make the
decision to consider or reject the candidate. In my position I used a
standardized evaluation form that rated key areas of importance to the
organization as well as my personal feedback. I was trained to keep an open
mind during the interview and to honestly report what I observed. The
evaluation form consisted of 15 key elements some of which were elements I
required for a particular position in my department and others were key to the
organization’s mission and performance standards. I trained myself not to fill
the form out during the interview as I found this can have a disruptive effect
on the interviewee, but also to allow the entire interview to play out and then
take a look back and evaluate the items after all information is taken in.
Areas such as related work experience, cooperation, interpersonal skills, character,
and attitude toward the position were given special attention. Once the
interview was completed a short, confidential optional survey was given to the
interviewee to be filled out and mailed back to us to help gain insight into
the strengths and weaknesses for improvement of our interview process. After
the evaluation I would generate a short report to be reviewed by the HR
director. If the HR director’s findings correlated with mine then action was
taken to either hire the individual or reject employment based on the outcome
of the evaluation, report and review process. All interviewees received a
follow up letter from the HR department stating acceptance or rejection of the
desired position. All interviewees were thanked for their time and were Copyright
© 2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 14 Revised
7.14.08 prompted to either contact me to schedule orientation or to feel free
to apply for other future positions. Reflections: Properly evaluating
candidates is essential to hiring in employees that fit MSC’s openings. When I
first began to facilitate interviews I thought that this rigorous process was a
waste of time that did nothing but create bureaucracy. Through my experience I
have learned the importance of hiring in the right type of employees. Not all
individuals are suited to work in an environment that provides services to an
array of clients including ex-prison inmates, homeless and impoverished and
persons with substance abuse challenges. I have learned that it is important to
an organization’s reputation to treat people with respect. This tenet motivates
a follow up letter thanking them for their time and encouraging them to pursue
future positions with the organization or including a start date and
orientation time if hired. Additionally, follow-up surveys provide insight into
the interview process to enhance continuing improvement efforts.
Generalizations / Principles / Theories: In evaluating interviewees I use a
standardized evaluation form that covers all of the basic skills and
requirements for the position offered. The evaluation form’s purpose is to
standardize the recording of data collected during the interview to ensure an
unbiased view into the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Once the
evaluation is complete, I then use this information in combination with my
results from questioning and other gathered information in generating a short
report. The combination of these documents serves to assist in the final
evaluation and comparison of candidates in determining the best match for the
position offered. Testing and Application: Through my experience in
interviewing a wide variety of candidates I have found that a thorough
evaluation, coupled with follow-up communication, is capital to a Copyright ©
2003-2005 University of Phoenix®. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Page 15 Revised 7.14.08
successful interview. The steps described in earlier sections and my experience
in evaluating potential candidates has allowed me to hire in only the most
qualified candidates while gaining feedback through follow-up communication
that allows me to continually improve my interview skills and processes.
Working for an organization that promotes respect makes it my responsibility to
conduct respectful interviews including follow-up communication for all
interviews. Through my experience I have found that follow-up communication has
been a helpful means to survey my interview process, allowing me to gain
valuable information for future improvements, and helping to increase the
organizations ability to bring in the “right” people.
Get this paper
No comments:
Post a Comment