Interview Questions Sherena Genenbacher 4/11/14 1. Name, how long you worked for the business?

What your area of expertise? What you like most about what you do? a. George Nathaniel, he has worked for Lowes for two years, he enjoys working with computers and technology. 2. What is the most common English or grammar Issues you see in your work place a. Communication over email is very important especially when communicating with upper levels of the business or other resources youre trying to get to. b. Documentation is important and readability. 3. What is the impact of demographics in your communications- primarily age and ethical backgrounds a. Not too much a factor they have made rules and Lowes is a work place where they will not tolerate discrimination of any other protected ethnicity or cultural b. Contractors mostly from India but also Mexico, it is important when working with themwhich they do often- that your using proper English and good at communicating to make up for what they lack in their knowledge of the English language. c. Do the needful is something the Indian people say quite frequently which as first language English Americans we would not say or hear often. d. You must be professional in your communication at Lowes. You have to be different than the way you may be in your home community, Context of a work environment you cannot call women by a gender specific title other than madam/ mam. You will get fired quickly for insulting a protected demographic, even though Lowes has a reputation for not being a place that fires people quickly. 4. Written / speech wise how can you tell someone who knows what they are talking about from someone who is new or uninformed. What is a big red flag? a. The tone that they using emails is passive, someone who has been working at Lowes a longer amount of time will be more commanding in their speech.

5. What do you see over and over from the top down to focus on in your business- focus on writing or speech correcting English or their English to focus on- how to they get that message across. a. Buzz words are used very frequently in the Lowes work place. b. Management sets expectations quickly and more often. a) time b) time c. % - they use percentages a lot even though they dont really mean anything. d. They communicate directly 6. Favorite jargon? a. Synergy getting along great, if any process came together smoothly they always use the word synergy

7. Funniest (English Focused) thing you hear around work? a. People who are trying to be upper management or look good to upper management will over use the buzz words or not use them correctly. 8. If there is any forms of communication you wish you used more around the work place? I.e. Prezi. Which is your least favorite? a. Loves emails he like the communication trail, in case he forgets what you tell him he can go back and reread it and work on his own pace with what information you gave him. b. Some people like to use the phone, he kind of wishes he liked using the phone but still does not. c. They use i. Power point ii. WebEx meetings iii. Share point iv. Connections new social media for the work place- web based

9. How does working for Lowes different (in the way they communicate) than in the way other companies you have worked with before? a. They are forward thinking in technology like the connections has different platforms and can post blogs and multiple people can find it useful to get so many people to work together and build a better community for working and in turn more productivity/ loyalty for Lowes. 10. What is some advice you would give a new person coming into your department about English/ grammar/ communication? a. Things we do, first become comfortable with documentation, buzz words needed for your job, mostly get involved, go to meetings, and pick up as much work as you can do to jump right in to your job. b. Be a self-starter, there is no book sitting on your desk the first day that tells you everything you need to know to do your job right or well, and if it was it would not be at all easy to read. You can ask for help but getting 0 100% of knowing how to do your job is up to you, you have to be out going and send emails, go talk to people and get the information you need, you may have to talk to a lot of people before you know who is the best person to help you but you have to get the information or when your work is not good enough it is going to fall back on you and your going to have to fix your work and it will make you look bad and unreliable, do your work right the first time, it will get easier as you go along, but the payoff is worth it, self-reliance, a good reputation, selfassurance you are capable of going your job, and raises and promotions will mirror your hard work.