Question

1. Provide three specific examples of what the writer did well on the following memo.
2. Provide three specific areas that the writer could improve on the following memo.
3. On a scale of 1 to 5, in which (1) Strongly disagree; (2) Disagree; (3) Neither agree nor disagree; (4) Agree; (5) Strongly agree, evaluate the memo in each category.
____ The memo provided useful and clear information on the interviewee’s background.
____ The memo gave concrete career tips based on the interview.
____ The memo would inspire college students to do their own informational interviews.
____ Each sentence is grammatically correct, with all words spelled correctly.
____ The memo is formatted according to business professional standards.

To: First Year College Students
From: gpt
Date: February 15, 2026
Subject: Information Interview

One of the fastest ways to grow your network and learn about possible career paths is by conducting an informational interview. An informational interview is a conversation with a professional in a field or role that interest you, and it is an excellent way to gain insights you can find online and building a relationship that can help you in the future. While many students do rely on online research or career websites for information, this is a good way to help you learn about careers and hearing directly from someone with real-world experience.
To start the information interview process, it is important to research the companies you are interested in. By reviewing company websites, LinkedIn profiles, and even news to locate information about the company’s values, product, service, industry, and culture. Take note of which companies you like and what makes them special to you. Also check if their values and goals align with yours, it will make the process funnier. This will help you identify potential interviewee as well as demonstrating to them you are interested and serious about the firm.
The next step is to find the professional you want to interview. One great platform to find professional is LinkedIn, where mostly all employers are on, and useful to building professional network. Once you identify someone, reach out with a short, polite message or email introducing yourself, and explain why you are reaching out, and if they are available for a coffee chat to virtual conversation. This at the beginning might seem stressful or hard to ask, but professionals are always open to help answer and connect. Before the interview, do some more research, prepare five questions to ask during the conversation, make sure these are questions that the internet can’t answer. Or even check their LinkedIn page and see if there are any questions or facts interesting about them on there that you would like to talk about. That would be a great way to build a personal connection. To start off, you can ask about their career path, responsibilities, and advice. After the interview ends, within the twenty-four-hour time range remember to send a thank-you to show your appreciation for their time and insights. This can help you leave a positive impression and help maintain professional relationships. Some interviewee might even send you their personal number for you to contact them easier.
Informational interviews provide multiple benefits for students. They can give you a understanding of what a job entails, and the skills required to succeed. During the process you can also learn about career paths, common challenges, tips for growth directly from professionals. There might even be a possibility they can introduce you to someone that has the same interest as you or who did exactly what you are looking for. Additionally, one of the biggest advantages is that these interviews expand your professional network, which can possibly lead to more mentorships and even future internship or job opportunities. By engaging, you gain knowledge and confidence that will help guide your career decisions and help you make informed choices about your future.
Overall, informational interviews is an excellent way to gain knowledge, develop professional relationships, and prepare for your career. By researching companies, reaching out to professionals, and asking thoughtful questions, you can gain valuable insights and guidance to help you succeed in your chosen field.

Answer 1

1) Three things the writer did well
- Clear purpose and audience: The memo’s To/From/Date/Subject and opening sentence make it obvious this is advice for first-year college students about informational interviews.
- Logical, actionable structure: The memo follows a helpful sequence (research companies → find professionals → prepare questions → follow up) that students can follow step by step.
- Practical tips included: Concrete suggestions such as using LinkedIn, preparing about five questions, asking about career path/responsibilities, and sending a thank-you note within 24 hours are useful and immediately usable.

2) Three areas to improve
- Grammar, word choice, and sentence structure: The memo has multiple grammatical errors, run-on sentences, and wrong word choices (e.g., “funnier,” “mostly all employers,” subject–verb disagreements). A careful proofread and edit for clarity and correctness are needed.
- Professional tone and formatting: Use a professional sender name (not “gpt”), fix the subject line (e.g., “Informational Interviews: How to Get Started”), and tighten header spacing. Also standardize capitalization and punctuation.
- Specificity and examples: The memo would be stronger with a short sample outreach message, 4–6 example questions, and a brief real or hypothetical mini-case/example to illustrate the payoff of one interview (so it’s more persuasive and inspiring).

3) Ratings (1 = Strongly disagree … 5 = Strongly agree)
- The memo provided useful and clear information on the interviewee’s background. 1
- Reason: The memo contains general advice about informational interviews but does not present any interviewee’s background or profile.
- The memo gave concrete career tips based on the interview. 2
- Reason: It gives general tips for conducting interviews (questions to ask, follow-up) but no tips drawn from an actual interview or real-world examples.
- The memo would inspire college students to do their own informational interviews. 4
- Reason: Despite language issues, the clear steps and benefits described are likely motivating to students who haven’t tried informational interviews.
- Each sentence is grammatically correct, with all words spelled correctly. 1
- Reason: Multiple grammatical errors, awkward constructions, and inappropriate word choices appear throughout.
- The memo is formatted according to business professional standards. 2
- Reason: Basic memo header is present, but the sender name, subject wording, and some formatting/capitalization choices are unprofessional and need correction.

If you’d like, I can produce a cleaned, professional revision of this memo (including a sample outreach message and a list of example questions).