[Week 10 Task] Language is fun!

I'm applying for the job of linguistics researcher . This is the kind of person who can travel around the country and around the world recording samples of people's accents and such. They then go back to HQ and analyze the phonetics and intonation and so forth, coming up with patterns and characteristics. This information is then recorded, sometimes in cool maps, for reference purposes. It's all very neat.

1. Are you more creative or analytical? Which quality best describes you and give an example of how that affects your work?

Well, in all honesty, I'm a very creative and very analytical person. I've always been like that. But I'll admit that my creative abilities are more prone to fluctuate in reliability (along with my inspiration), whereas my analytical nature is very constant. It is because of this that I'm naturally inclined to hear very subtle differences in pitch, inflection, and sound formation, which just gives me an inherently linguistical ear. I always strive for the highest level of accuracy in my records and so forth.

2. How would co-workers describe you? (From previous jobs)

I believe that all my co-workers would describe me as someone who really puts his full effort into the job. I'm a hard worker, and they probably think I overdo it sometimes - but when I'm impassioned by a job, I work for it like there's no tomorrow. I also tend to lend a helping hand to my co-workers whenever the need arises, but I'm particularly eager to make sure that they're doing their jobs well. I don't think I ever did it to an officious degree, because for the most part they seem grateful for my help. Cooperation and competence are probably the two biggest things they notice about me right away.

3. What did you like and dislike about college? (If not in college yet, discuss high school)

Well, I can't say that I liked a whole lot about the high school I attended. Nearly all of my classmates were unmotivated, apathetic, shallow students with no drive to expand their knowledge. I felt really trapped and bogged down, and while I did cultivate a fair number of friends and acquaintances, I was not able to become close to a single one, perhaps due to a lack of personal depth on their parts. I did enjoy some of the times we spent together in school, though, and I especially enjoyed getting to know the teachers there. There were a lot of great learning experiences that they provided me - classes and trips and performances and activities that I'll never forget.

4. Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Wherever the job takes me. Financial security would be nice, and a sense of comfort would be beneficial if I have a family by that time, but I really just want to be doing what I love. Whether that makes me or breaks me, I'll be thankful that I spent it the way I did. But honestly, I'm confident that the best way to success is to do what you're passionate about.

5. Describe a situation you've encountered with a difficult customer.

I once encountered a man with an accent that was very difficult to decipher. He refused to tell me the country of his birth, so I charted his vowels and determined that he was from Scandinavia. I then analyzed his diphthongs and intonation more carefully, and determined correctly that he was from an isolated region of northern Norway.

6. Tell us about a time you had to work with a group to overcome difficulties. What were those difficulties and what did you learn from the experience?

This is similar to the above incident, except that involved not a single Norwegian, but rather a group of Scotsmen. The difficulties seemed to be that the Scotsmen could not move a certain sheep to its designated habitation, and that the sheep avoided their every attempt to do so. I suggested that one of us act like a dog to scare the sheep; the Scotsmen volunteered myself. So, I risked permanent emotional mortification by getting on all fours and barking at the insubordinate ewe; my methods seemed to work. It was that day that I learned the value of taking risks, as well as the value of avoid

 

Interesting job choice. My hearing isn't the best, so I could never do something like that.

And I'd also like to state that diphthong is a hilarious word.