The process of interview is an important process in shaping learning and understanding the different tasks involved in the workplace. Here, it opens up opportunities for professionals to develop new ways of applying the principles and concepts taught in class to the workplace. These directions then serve as components in developing a relationship with responsibilities in my chosen profession and how supervision can serve as significant in providing growth and development.
Seeing this, my interview with a supervisor from an engineering firm provided good ideas not only in learning what the job is but also the associated responsibility involved in supervising the needs of the employees. I specifically gave five (5) questions for the supervisor to answer and he provided responses clearly and used different examples for each one. One of the questions that were asked was how engineering is involved in the work processes? Here, the supervisor said that he was in-charge of identifying equipment to be used in the building.
In particular, he communicates with the department if the supplies used were up to the rules and standards set by the client. Likewise, he supervises the computation and analysis of how these materials can suit the needs of customers. The second question I asked tells the specific benefits of the job. Here, the supervisor says that he is able to apply engineering concepts he learned in school in work. He also mentions that it gives opportunity to develop new skills and improves the ability to talk with other people especially clients. Also, it provides leadership to people to the employees.
Knowing how to handle problems gives ability to get the job done effectively. This example then gives ways to improve efficiency and how people work. People become motivated because they see that good leadership is applied and maintain greater ability to establish a friendly but professional relationship (Robbins, DeCenzo, and Wolter, 2009). This creates new ways to understand and learn new things from the work. The third question looks at the problems by the supervisor at work. Here, he says that most of the troubles of the company involve employees and clients.
For employees, there is the clash of ideas and rules related to work. Also, problems occur when relationships are troubled inside the workplace. Here, people lose focus and motivation to do their tasks. Due to this, supervisors need to consider using strategies of communication and develop specific rules to prevent problems such as these from happening (Robbins, DeCenzo, and Wolter, 2009). Problems with clients are also part of the work. The supervisor I interviewed tells that this is one thing that is crucial in the business.
The company needs to provide good service to customers so as it can create good feedback and impression. Here, establishing effectiveness in output, productivity, and deliverables is one aspect of supervision critical in growth in any chosen organization (Robbins, DeCenzo, and Wolter, 2009). Using this is important to ensure that the supervisor I interviewed does his specific responsibilities and tasks. The fourth and fifth question I asked revolves around the challenges and opportunities related to career growth and administrative style.
The supervisor tells that the style he uses takes into consideration the needs of employees and providing opportunities where they can advance in skills related to the tasks and responsibilities of the work. By taking advantage of strategic planning, supervisors can then effectively facilitate the recognition of goals and objectives in a given organization and foster achievement for everyone (Paradigm Changes, 2010). However, the challenge that affects the administrative style is the ability of the people not to cooperate with the rules and regulations of the company.
This limits the ability of the supervisor to exercise fully specific functions and duties. Due to this, employees have little motivation to work and may affect the overall production of the company (Robbins, DeCenzo, and Wolter, 2009). Such actions then require the supervisor to remain responsible, accountable, and open to the specific tasks given by the workplace. Overall, I do believe that the most interesting aspect of a supervisor’s job is seeing the development of learning among employees. Here, they gain new experiences and achieves new skills that can help them in their career paths.
As a supervisor, I can help them by providing training and education on how to handle both responsibilities and problems. On the other hand, the least interesting aspect of a supervisor’s job is handling challenges and problems related to employees and clients. This prevents the growth of the company and become a problem in addressing relationships. Thus, this interview provided new ideas of how an engineering professional works as a supervisor. They do not only handle specific tasks related to computation and analysis but also leadership and needs of employees.
As leaders, they are important because it gives the direction towards objectives and goals of the company. At the same time, it also provides expected behavior in relation to the accomplishment of goals and skills necessary for completion of jobs. In the future, I plan to use the ideas I got from this interview in developing better communication among employees. By choosing an effective supervision style, I can give opportunities for employees to acquire new skills and improve in their productivity. This then becomes essential in creating contributions to the company I work and explore my potential as a professional.
Interview Questions 1. How does engineering relate to the work environment you are in? 2. What advantages does the job provide? 3. What are some challenges/problems in the workplace? 4. What opportunities are necessary to achieve development? 5. How does the challenge affect the administrative style and application of tasks?
Reference
Paradigm Changes (2010) Strategic Thinking and Planning. Retrieved from http://www. paradigmchanges. com/strategic. aspx Robbins, S. P. , DeCenzo, D. A. and Wolter, R. M. (2009) Supervision Today! (US: Prentice Hall).