Interview answers

Mark Rocco's interview  

1. What is the most common type of genre of writing seen in your field? " The most common type of genre of writing seen in my field is email. Usually emails are a quick and convenient way to get information out to a large group of people."  

2. In what cases do you use other types of genres? And why do you uses they different types of genres? "There is also presentations, documentations, and white papers." " You would use these because they provide more in-depth knowledge on a topic" 

3. How do you decide whether to use formal or informal writing? " It depends on the audience and how quickly you need to get the information out." 

4. How much time is devoted to your writing? "For an email I would spend no more than 10 - 20 minutes. I would spend 10 if it was being sent to a co-worker and 20 minutes if it was to upper management. Although for documentations, white papers, and presentations I could spend days devoted to the writing of those." 

5. Is there a certain format that is used universally in your field?  " No, it usually depends on how the upper management or the company wants it formatted."  

6. How often, if at all, to do cite or use outside resources to add to your writing? "I often cite outside resources because it enhances my writing with an outside or expert opinion."  

7. Who is your most common audience? Co-workers under me, management at the same tier level and upper management."  

8. How do your writing change when talking to a client vs a coworker/ boss? "Writing to a coworker can be informal, writing to a vendor or a client must be in business format, and writing to my boss must be done in a way that shows the responsibility and the understanding between the different of his job vs. my job."  

9. What types of media do you use in your job? "email requires an email system , presentations require a software and if you are going to give that presentation's you will want visual aspects such as charts and graphs, as well as short written points to help get the point across."   

10. What type of tone and language do you use in your writing? "It depends on the subject matter and the audiences. It could be authoritative, conversational, understanding, and persuasive."   

11. What do you value most in writing? What do you hate the most about writing? " the ability to have a conversation with more than one person and have detail documentation that you can look back and refer to. One thing I hate about writing is that once you put it down you can't take it back."   

12. How often to your write academic vs. non-academic writing in your field? " I do not do any academic writing in my job, just non-academic writing."  

Beginning questions  

13. What is your official job title? "Senior manager at Park Nicollet."  

14. what does that require you to do? "Information technology on the data side." 

15. Where did you go to school and what degrees did you acquire? " I went to the University of Minnesota and got a bachelors degree in computer management and information technology, and a degree in business management. I also have to certificates in system analysis and design of computers and the other in computer operations  " 

16. How long have you been working in your field? "Since 1977"  

17. What different jobs have you had in your field? " manager, senior manager and director" " In that time period I have worked for Ecolab, Health Partners, Long Term Care Group and Park Nicollet."  

18. Did your education prepare you for the type of writing done in  your field ? " Yes I was require to take a course strictly pertaining to writing within business. It taught how to write clear and consciously ."   

19. Did working and experience improve your writing even after all of your educational experiences? " My writing improved somewhat after I graduated and started working. It is in the work force that you can actually apply the writing strategies that you learn in school and get more feedback from someone who you are working with."  

20. What specific skills are need to have a job in your field? what specific writing skills do you need for your field? " You need to be able to write in business terms so it is well understood, without computer jargon, and it has to be conscious and to the point."  

21. How often do you write? " Daily, it ranges from emails, to memos , documentation paper, and anything else in between."  

Professor Solow's Interview 

  

1. What is the most common type of genre of writing seen in your field? " Every professor has three jobs, research, teach and services. Service meaning to the college, to the department, and to the students. I do a lot more teaching and services as the DEO than I do research. In the research part of things its academic writing. Economist theorize, hypothesize about different things, but a lot of it has to do with math which makes our writing more compact. What your trying to do is persuade a broader audience, most of the time its you coworkers, other professors or people interest in that topic, what you discovered ought to make them think of the topic in that way. In my job as head of the department though I tend to write more memos and report which, is usually more fact based. It can also be persuasive where I am trying to persuade my coworkers, the dean or the provost about something like should we do this or should we do that."  

2. So your tone changes? " I mean yes, and the style changes too.  

3. Is there a specific format you must use when writing?  " Well in the academic stuff there is a fairly standard format that everyone uses. In academic paper there is an introduction in which you introduce the topic or question at hand, and then you would have a literature section with what other people have said or wrote about the topic and you have a section that show your results, your data and your conclusion. In my writing as the DEO it can take many different forms. Memos are pretty standard with starting at the top with to and from, but it may be simply just writing an email to my colleagues in which there is no specific format its just used to pass information."  

4. What types of media do you use in your job? "In academic writing its usually just a typed up document, but if I am talking to my colleagues I might make a power point slide to put facts, or visual effects and data to get my point across."  

5. What type of tone and language do you use in your writing?  

6. What do you value most in writing?  " Organization and Clarity are two thing that I value. A person must be able to lay out an argument in a way that another person can follow, understand, and get to your conclusion."  

7. So you should always have an organized format in your writing? " Well yes, should always have an organized structure to your writing."   

8. What is your official job title? " I am a professor of economics at the University of Iowa, and the Department head of Economics."