Preparation for my Interview
I have prepared some common questions for my first interview. First, I get to know the background and culture of my interviewee. Then I choose the most suitable questions for the interviewee. I will remember all the questions that I have chosen. And also make two copies for the questions. Maybe I will ask some questions which are not on the question list.
Owing to I am an international student; I met many international students when we had the orientation. There is a person named Yonghan Zhuang who comes from Malaysia, he was the tutor of the orientation. He helped us a lot. Because we were new students here, he shared his experiences to us, and encouraged us to study hard. He is a nice person. Therefore, when I knew that we would have the interview for our class, I thought of him. At first I called him and made the appointment with him. We decided to meet at Caribou Coffee shop in Atwood. The day of the interview was on Saturday, Feb 26th. It was a nice place for chatting and interviewing.
Describing the Interview
We really had a good time during the interview. Everything went smoothly. Yonghan was a nice person, and he did not mind answering any of the questions on the list. We were relaxed at the beginning of the interview and joked around. We talked a lot, I got many information from him. He also asked me some questions, I was very glad to answer him. We also talked about something we both were interested. The interview lasted about half an hour.
Report On Country
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. Kuala Lumpur is the capital. Malaysia is separated as West and East respectively by the South China Sea. It has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometers. The peninsula land borders are shared with Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, Brunei, and south of Vietnam. Malaysia is quite closed to Singapore; they are connected by a causeway and a bridge.
Malaysia was occupied by Great Britain and Japan. It was independent in 1957. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country. The ethnic groups include Malay which takes up 50.4 percent; the second one is Chinese, and it accounts for 23.7percent; then they are indigenous and Indian, occupy 11.0 percent and 7.1 percent respectively.
In Malaysia, 60.4% of people are Muslim, second one is Buddhist. They are few Christian and Hindu. As for the language, Bahasa Malaysia is the official one, then it includes English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai.
Malaysia is a relatively open state-oriented and newly industrialized market economy. The economy of Malaysia is the 3rd largest economy in Southeast Asia. Malaysia is attempting to achieve high-income status by 2020 and to move farther up the value-added production chain by attracting investments in Islamic finance, high technology industries, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals.
Malaysia has many holidays. The most observed holiday is Hari Kebangsaan(independence Day). Other notable national holidays are Labour Day( 1 May) and King’s birthday (first Saturday of June). Muslim ’holiday Hari Raya Haji, Chinese New Year and so on.
References
^ "Malaysian Flag and Coat of Arms". Malaysia.gov.my. http://www.malaysia.gov.my/EN/Main/MsianGov/MsianFlagAndCrest/Pages/MsianFlagAndCrest.aspx. Retrieved 2010-10-26
^ a b "No.10760: Agreement relating to Malaysia" (pdf). United Nations Treaty Collection. United Nations. July 1963. http://untreaty.un.org/unts/1_60000/21/36/00041791.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-29
Transcript Of the Interview
Interviewer: Yingying Nan
English 191
Interviewee: Yonghan Zhuang
Interviewee’s country of origin: Malaysia
Interview date: Feb 26th, 2011
Interview Location: Atwood
Ying: Hey, how are you?
Yonghan: Hey, I am good.
Ying: I am so glad that I can interview you.
Yonghan: Yeah, that is not a big deal.
Ying: Ok, so let’s start then. Firstly I want to ask you that do you think it will be easy to find a job after college.
Yonghan: Well, in the downturn of the economy companies try to limit new hirings. Because positions are limited people tend to hire the best applicant they think they could find. Although St. Cloud State University has very good engineering program the industrial connection is not broad enough. People are skeptical to hire engineering graduates from our campus even though we have the ability to fit into the position. Furthermore, in order to be able to establish a longer work relationship, an international employee has to apply for a H1B work visa. There is a few thousand dollar fee involved and there is no guarantee for an applicant to be granted even he/she meets the eligibility. There is a yearly quota and if the number of applicants exceeds the quota they will all be entering a draw. Thus, to minimize the risk of loosing an employee and restart the process of hiring a new person, companies prefer not to hire international applicants.
Ying: Wow, you have already studied for this. Right? Your answers are so integrated.
Yonghan: Yes, I am. Lol~~
Ying:What was the hardest thing about transitioning to the U.S.? (Culture shock)
Yonghan: Ways people talk. To be able to meet and know American people and join their circle.
Ying: Why did you decide to come to SCSU instead of studying or working in your own country?
Yonghan: Studying abroad means more than a diploma. It's a global exposure. In a university campus like SCSU, you have the chance to meet friends from all around the world. From them, you know how living in another country is actually like, instead of reading them elsewhere.
Ying: How does the climate in your home country compare to here?
Yonghan: Malaysia is HOT, HUMID, and HOT! It's always 85-90 degrees F 24/7/365. After adjusting myself in this Minnesotan weather for two years I decided to pay a visit back, and I wonder how I survived 18 years in that weather.
Ying: Lol, yeap. Who takes care of the finances in your family?
Yonghan: Both my parents. My dad sells insurance and does some language consulting on the side, and my mom is an elementary school teacher.
Ying: What is your opinion of the American diet? Kill it. Delicious greasy pizza.
Yonghan: Salad is healthy. Steak and chops are great. Subs are a good combination of meat, bread and salad. I tend to stay away from Burgers and Pizza. Oh and yes, American Chinese food is an insult to my taste buds.
Ying: What are some cultural differences between your country and here?
Yonghan: The way people perceive humor. I cannot quite catch the humor even they think it's funny. The craze of Football is also another thing. Who ever heard about American football before they come here?
Ying: Lol, How do you think people here?
Yonghan: I met some really nice people and some badasses. Good and bad people comes in all shapes and colors. But generally, most people are nice in central MN. I have been to NYC and I think people there are rude. Minnesota nice.
Ying:Yes, people are really nice here. What is the most interesting thing you have experienced during your time studying at SCSU?
Yonghan: Snowboarding and Skiing!
Ying: What are the major festivals in your country?
Yonghan: Chinese New Year, Eid-al-Fitr, Deepavali.
Ying: Where will you work after you graduate from college? Go back your country or stay at USA?
Yonghan: Prefer staying because I think the US provides more opportunities for me.
Ying: What are differences of education system between your country and here?
Yonghan: Although some schools try to weight students' performance more on homework and quizzes, exams still play an important role in the education system. There is one major exam each on grade 6, grade 9 and grade 12 that will really affect your life planning.
Ying: How difficult for you to learn English?
Yonghan: I speak English at a very young age. I also have a chance to speak English outside of school and home since the de facto Business and Industrial language of conduct is English. So for me, it's the matter of speaking the local accent and pick up some non-standard ways of speaking it. (You wanna come with? No, I am not going nowhere. Ufta!)
Ying: What do you miss most in your country?
Yonghan: My families, my friends, the time spent with them, and FOOD!
Ying: That is right. Wow, we almost finish the interview. I am really happy to talk with you! Thank you very much!
Yonghan: Lol, you are welcome! I am glad, too.
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