INTERVIEW WITH

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
Excerpted from Career Management & Work-Life Integration by
Brad Harrington and Douglas Hall
The purpose of this exercise is to get useful feedback about your
skills and competencies from those who know you well and can
offer useful insights. You can conduct this activity multiple times
with people from different spheres of your life including family
members, close friends, work associates, people you work with in
a volunteer capacity and others who have seen you in action.
Before beginning your interviews, you should take the following
steps:
1. Decide how many interviews you want to conduct. Be sure there
is atleast one from your work-life and another from your home or
personal life.
2. Select people to interview who know you well, have known you
for a long time and have somewhat intimate knowledge of how
you operate. When you make arrangements for the session, you
might want to mention the guidelines suggested below
3. Schedule a time that is mutually convenient in a location that is
private. Be sure you schedule at least 1 hour to ensure that you
have time to get as much feedback as possible.
4. You will want to record the interviewees’ comments in some
way. You can take notes, or better still, tape record the session
with the permission of the interviewee. Reinforce with the
interviewee that the data will not be shared with others. Prepare a
form like the one in the table below to help you conduct the
interview.
Interview 1
1. When you think about me, what are some adjectives or
phrases that come to mind that you feel are good descriptors?

Baik

2. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths?

Optimis

3. What do you consider to be my greatest weaknesses or areas

for improvement?

Tidak berpendirian

4. Skill Areas
Please rate and comment on my skills in the following areas. You
may assign a skill rating of “High”, “Medium” or “Low”. You
should also feel free to answer “I don’t know enough about you in
this area to assign a rating” and then pass on to the next question
without commenting. For areas where rating can be provided,
comments are extremely useful. Please encourage the interviewees
to elaborate as much as possible.
a. Analytical, problem-solving skills. RATING: Medium
Comments:
b. Creativity and innovation. RATING: High

Comments:

c. Thoroughness and follow-through. RATING:

Medium_____________ Comments:
d. Interpersonal skills and teamwork abilities. RATING: Medium
______________ Comments:
e. Leadership abilities. RATING: Low ____________ Comments:
f. Ability to communicate and present ideas (verbally). RATING:
High___________ Comments:
g. Ability to communicate and present ideas (in writing).
RATING: Medium ___________ Comments:
h. Ability to listen and convey empathy. RATING: High
____________ Comments:
i. Drive and Motivation. RATING: High ______________
Comments:
j. Ability to work independently. RATING: Medium
______________ Comments:
k. Flexibility and adaptability. RATING: Low ____________
Comments:
l. Planning and organization skills. RATING: Medium
_____________ Comments:
m. Self knowledge and self-awareness. RATING:Medium
_____________ Comments:
n. Ability to maintain work-life balance and perspective. RATING:
Low __________ Comments:
5. If you could suggest three things I could do to improve my
professional abilities, what would they be? Kerajinan, Budi
pekerti, dan Peduli sekitar
6. If you could suggest three things I could do to increase my sense
of fulfillment in my work or personal life, what would they be?
Pengabdian, Tenggang rasa, dan Kepedulian
Interview 2
1. When you think about me, what are some adjectives or phrases
that come to mind that you feel are good descriptors? Baik
2. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths? Kerja keras
3. What do you consider to be my greatest weaknesses or areas for
improvement? Kurang adaptif
4. Skill Areas
Please rate and comment on my skills in the following areas. You
may assign a skill rating of “High”, “Medium” or “Low”. You
should also feel free to answer “I don’t know enough about you in
this area to assign a rating” and then pass on to the next question
without commenting. For areas where rating can be provided,
comments are extremely useful. Please encourage the interviewees
to elaborate as much as possible.
a. Analytical, problem-solving skills. RATING: High _________
Comments:
b. Creativity and innovation. RATING: High ____________
Comments:
c. Thoroughness and follow-through. RATING: Medium
_____________ Comments:
d. Interpersonal skills and teamwork abilities. RATING:
High______________ Comments:
e. Leadership abilities. RATING: Medium ____________
Comments:
f. Ability to communicate and present ideas (verbally). RATING:
High___________ Comments:
g. Ability to communicate and present ideas (in writing).
RATING: Medium___________ Comments:
h. Ability to listen and convey empathy. RATING: Low
____________ Comments:
i. Drive and Motivation. RATING: Medium ______________
Comments:
j. Ability to work independently. RATING: High ______________
Comments:
k. Flexibility and adaptability. RATING: Low ____________
Comments:
l. Planning and organization skills. RATING: High
_____________ Comments:
m. Self knowledge and self-awareness. RATING: Medium
_____________ Comments:
n. Ability to maintain work-life balance and perspective. RATING:
Medium__________ Comments:
5. If you could suggest three things I could do to improve my
professional abilities, what would they be? Kerja keras, Pantang
Menyerah, dan Selalu optimis
6. If you could suggest three things I could do to increase my sense
of fulfillment in my work or personal life, what would they be?
Peduli, Rela Berkorban, dan Adaptasi