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Interviewing Project

Candice Garcia

Organizational Leadership, Arizona State University

OGL 482: Organizational Leadership Pro Seminar II

January 20, 2023

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Many don't like constructive criticism, but it is an excellent tool to help me know what

areas in my life need work. I can learn something new every day. I am open to new things or

better ways to help me with my daily and work routine. I chose my mom, husband, and eleven-

year-old daughter to interview; it was fun and helpful. I decided on open-ended questions so they

could answer whatever they felt. Each survey took about thirty minutes because these three

people are significant parts of my life, and I could talk to them for hours. It would be fun to

survey with my daughter. She is growing fast, and I wanted to see what she thought. Initially, I

was going to ask coworkers, but I got my end-of-the-year evaluation, and every year it has been

about the same; my supervisor is a sweetheart and very busy, and I didn't want to stop her and sit

her down to survey. The questions I chose are some from the text and some that I remember

from interviews that I have had in the past.

My first question was, what words best describe me? All the answers were similar,

loving, caring, and terrific; if you can't tell, my daughter's response was terrific. My mom has

always been one of my biggest fans. She is always supportive but will tell me the truth. My

husband has been by my side for over seventeen years, and we work very well together as a

team. My daughter is very loving. I don't think she has a mean bone in her body, but she will

stand up for herself if needed. The next question: what are my strengths? The answers I received

were mentally strong, great with multitasking, and a good listener. As I said before, all three

answers come from years of sports and customer service experience. Working as a pharmacy

technician, you either had to multitask or you would never get anything done. Being a mother to

children a year and a half apart, if you didn't multitask, everyone would cry, including me, and it

also helped me be mentally strong. My listening skills came from customer service, but they also
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came from my dad; he is a great listener; he doesn't judge and gives advice; this is best for

everyone and not just for myself.

The following three questions are: what are my weaknesses, where can I improve, and am

I an organized person? My greatest weakness is that all three answered the same, and I am

always running late. I don't know what happens when I get ready to go somewhere. I lose all

track of time, and I am usually fifteen minutes late, which even includes I need to work on this.

My children are always on time for school because I take them before getting ready for work.

My son hates being late and will remind me of the time; he is my reminder. It is something that I

need to work on thankful for my job, and my family loves me despite my lateness, but it is

something that I am working on daily. All three answered that I am not an organized person, and

it is something that I gave up on when I met my husband and especially when I had kids. I grew

up in a clean, organized show where we could only make a mess by getting a lecture. It helped

me learn how to clean my own home well, but I decided that it would be a little different when I

had my own children. My house is clean, but it could be more organized. I let my kids be kids;

we play, and I sometimes leave the dishes for the next day after dinner.

The third question is about what areas I need to improve, and the answers are to take

better care of myself and be patient. My husband and daughter claim that I am very impatient,

and yes, I am; if I repeat myself three times, it drives me crazy, and they are calmer. I grew up in

a very loud house; when my husband came around my family, he was overwhelmed by how loud

we were when we were all together. My daughter and husband are very similar; he is very calm

and doesn't like confrontation. I am the type that is not afraid of conflict and is aggressive if

needed. My mom always says I need to take better care of myself. I am always around doing
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everything for my family. I don't make any time for myself or take care of myself. I have been

doing it for so long that I can't create a routine to do more self-care.

My following questions are where do they consider me a leader, and what are their

favorite things about me? All three consider me a leader. I am the oldest of my siblings and take

charge of my family. I grew up having to help take care of my siblings, and my two younger

brothers are my best friends. My husband prefers to avoid making decisions. He lets me make

most of the decisions, but I try my best to keep him involved. I still go to his doctor

appointments with him because he gets nervous and needs me there for support. When we buy

our parents gifts or make plans, I have to set it up and ensure no one kills each other if there is an

argument. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be taken care of and not be in charge, but

I think it would drive me crazy. I would stick my nose in there at some point.

All three agreed that I handle challenges well and with little support. I am a very

independent person. I don't like to ask for help, and I consider that weakness too. My mom gave

me an example of me rising to the challenge of trying to help my younger brothers have a better

relationship. My younger brothers couldn't be more opposite of each other. One is manly, and the

other one is not. One was a troublemaker, and the other an overachiever. The middle child in our

family had a terrible drug addiction to heroin. He started with pills in high school, which went

into his young adult years of being a drug addict. It threw my family into a dark place. I even

found him overdosing and was lucky enough to provide CPR and was flown out to a bigger

hospital that helped save him. He continued to use the drug and became a thief who stole from

family and anyone. We tried our best to get him help and shake him into sobriety if we had to,

but nothing seemed to help him. I was already an adult when all this was happening, but my

younger brother was just a kid, so he had to live in a dark place. Luckily my brother got sober
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and has been for almost ten years. Unfortunately, though my brothers don't have a relationship

because of everything, I still do everything I can to help them build a relationship. Hence, they

both know how wonderful they are. I won't give up; that is one of my biggest goals.

The next question I asked I got in a job interview before, and I thought it was fun. If you

could describe me as an animal, what would it be? I was described as a goose, hen, and bear. My

mom chose a goose because that is what I call her. She is our mother goose, and now that I have

my own family, I am a little goose. Even growing up, I always wanted to care for someone or

help, so she said I have always been a mother goose. My husband chose a bear because he said I

am a wild mama bear when anyone messes with her family. I am a concise person. I am only five

feet tall and aggressive. Growing up with only brothers, I have always been a little rowdy, and

playing softball all my life has made me bold, but having children has helped me calm down.

Even though I am small, I have always been solid. I have always been able to help my husband

or dad move heavy objects, but I am turning thirty-six next week and have lost some of my

strength. I don't work out as much as I should, so that is on my list of things I need to work on.

My sweet daughter describes me as a hen. She chose that because I love chickens and said I am

fluffy and beautiful like a hen. Bless kids, and they are always honest whether you like it.

The last question was do you think I am a positive person and they all said I am mostly

positive. My mother and husband told me that I am more optimistic than they are. Both of them

described me as someone who helps them feel better about themselves. I try to tell my mom that

she is fantastic and thank her for everything she does for me. My husband needs to be reminded

how special he is and that he is a great person, or he will think the worst about himself. My little

girl said sometimes, mom can make me negative when I get mad and that I stay angry for a long

time when I get mad. My daughter doesn't like when she is punished for being naughty
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sometimes. I am working on talking to her more than yelling as she gets older, and I think I

would reach her better if we had a conversation.

I received constructive criticism for completing these questions with my loved ones.

They helped me realize that everyone in my life is sick of me being late to everything, so that

may be something I have to work on right away. The majority of the conversation was based on

my being late. How often I am late, and why it takes less time to be on time. I also learned that

my daughter thinks I'm a fluffy hen, and I love that, and it was my favorite answer that I

received; she took her time to answer and put her thought and love. All the surveyors were great

sports and didn't mind telling me what was on their minds; they gave me good feedback for the

future and realized that I need to make time for myself once in a while.