Colby Kieffer COMM1010 INTERVIEW PAPER For my interview paper I applied and interviewed for a job with my current

employer, Delta Air Lines, but in a software development position, which is what I am currently majoring in. Delta has a fairly large IT department that includes anything from system admin to senior developer, so I have a large amount of opportunities to choose from. the fact that I already have my foot in the door with this company was also a big benefit to applying for this position.

My first interview was conducted over the phone and was a series of short answer questions. When I did my phone interview for my current position I found it hard to convey my personality and show my knowledge effectively, but this time it was much different. I answer the questions concisely, but effectively and I managed to keep the conversation fun for both of us. Then I received a face-to-face interview for an entry level programming job meaning that I didnt need prior coding experience, but I did need to know the languages and IDEs used. When the interview started we talked briefly about my history and prior jobs with Delta Air Lines and what I have learned from my time with the company. We also spoke about my education and special qualifications that I may have that would help me with the job. I told her about my education here at SLCC and the classes I had taken to learn programming, I also showed her some of the projects I programmed in those classes. All things considered she seemed to be impressed with my work and qualifications.

After we established that I had the basic computer knowledge to carry out the job we got into the actual nitty-gritty of the interview. I was asked the typical clich questions like what type of personality are you? and are you self motivated? Being as I already worked for Delta Air Lines I knew how to answer the questions and what they wanted to hear from a new hire, but knowing the answers was just part of it. I also needed to use the tools I acquired from this class. Telling them what they wanted to hear while also speaking clearly and showing confidence in your body language was more than enough to impress my interviewer.

Towards the end of the interview we talked casually for a bit, this was the part of the interview I was most proud of. The conversation flowed easily and we seemed to get along nicely, we joked around and discussed some ins and outs of the job. This seemed crucial because I was able to dictate the conversation, but also humanize myself. It took our connection to a new level, I wasnt just a potential employee, I was a new acquaintance. We had a more personal connection and that goes a long way. Even though I wasnt offered the position I think things went well. The communication between the two of us was very smooth and the amount of awkwardness was minimal. I think the fact I wasnt offered the job had more to do with my experience with programming and less with the actual interview.

I truly believe that taking this class has helped me with my communications skills and that it helped me in my interview. Using eye contact to show that I am

interested and display confidence when I am speaking or listening is something that I used in the interview. It had a big impact on how the communication went, I really think that that one simple trick made a huge difference and I only knew to use it because of this class. Ive also learned about how to be a good listener and a better speaker, things like body language, non-verbal cues, and vocal tone are just a few of the things this class has taught me that I try to implement daily. Without these insights and this knowledge my face-to-face and phone interviews would not have gone nearly as well as they did. Knowing how to communicate effectively could be the difference between getting the job or not in some situations and its a very handy tool to have in your arsenal. Whether its giving a speech, making a sale or even being interview, knowing what your body language is saying and how to react to non-verbal clues while being concise and knowledgeable makes you stand out from everyone else.

Colby R. Kieffer 3437 Chatel Drive Riverton, UT 84065 colby.kieffer@gmail.com 801-244-3395 March 27th, 2014

Deborah Tang Mngr. Software development team-SLC Delta Air Lines 3624w 510n Salt Lake City, UT, 84116

Dear Ms. Tang,

I wanted to thank you for taking the time to interview me for the opening on your software development team. I know you had a lot of interest in the job and just receiving the interview was an honor. I do feel like I have a lot to contribute to your team and if you have any questions or want to see more of my work please feel free to contact me at any time on either my provided number of through e-mail. It was a pleasure speaking with you and learning about the other side of Delta. I cant wait to hear from you again in the future.

Thank you again for you time, Colby Kieffer Delta Air Lines, Reservations and sales, SSS SLC

Enclosure: resume

Colby R. Kieffer 3437 Chatel Drive Riverton, UT 84065 801-244-3395 Objective Obtain a position that will utilize my enthusiasm for providing excellent customer service in a fast paced, energetic and growing company. Abilities 4 years in customer service related fields 2 years in supervisory position managing staff of 4-5 Speaks conversational Spanish and Italian Money management skills closing and balancing store receipts after each shift Excellent written and verbal communication skills extremely productive in a high volume, high stress, environment Self starter with a can do attitude Employment History Specialty sales and service representative January 24th 2011- present Assist passengers with booking and managing flight reservations, along with customer service relations and protecting passengers when irregular circumstances arise, handling a plethora of other situations to all things flight related, representing delta as the first point of contact. Cashier Normal till and sales duties along with cleaning organizational duties. November 2010 December 2010 Dollar Tree, Riverton, UT Customer Relations Crew Responsible for creating positive in store customer experiences, manage cash till and balancing receipts at the end of each shift, ensured inventory levels were documented and maintained, responsible for maintaining store appearance by restocking and organizing shelves both in the front and back of the store. Mar 2006 Oct 2009 Cold Stone Creamery, South Jordan, UT Senior Shift Leader Managed staff of 4-5 team members, assigned responsibilities to team at beginning of each shift, handled customer escalations, responsible for balancing store receipts at the end of each night, responsible for opening and closing store, maintained store appearance by regular cleaning throughout shift as well as closing shift cleaning duties, managed store inventory and ensuring that there were sufficient stock to last throughout day, trained new employees, involved in interviewing process for new employees, responsible for accurately taking and fulfilling customer call in orders, managed staff at catered events and ensured customers represented Cold Stone in a professional and friendly manner. Mar 2006 Oct 2009 Cold Stone Creamery, South Jordan, UT

Fullmer Rec Center Jr. Jazz Referee Required to have a comprehensive understanding of regulations regarding Jr. Jazz basketball, ensure player and parents displayed sportsman like

conduct, taught players rules and regulations of the game both before and during the games, responsible for set up before games and clean up after games. Nov 2005 Jan 2006 Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, West Jordan, UT Gene

Delta Air Lines Call Center- SLC: Daily responsibilities included: Handling passengers assistance specializing in problem solving and selling of the Delta product, Trained in conflict resolution and management, In depth knowledge of Deltas policies, Well trained in DLTERM and CMS/AXIS, Being the first point of contact for passengers in need of assistance, Being the voice of Delta, Assisting passengers in IROP situations and with irregular circumstances when they arose. Jan 2011- Jan2013 Delta Air Lines, Salt Lake City, UT, 84116 Delta Air Lines Cargo- SLC: Daily responsibilities: Handling financial transactions daily along with balancing and closing a drawer/till, In-depth understanding of logistics and aircraft specifications, critical thinking pertaining to weight distribution and priority of shipments, conflict resolution and customer relations skills, Thorough knowledge of the Delta Product and being the face of the Delta Brand. JAN 2013- present Delta Air Lines, Salt Lake City, UT, 84116