N I C H O LAS I M B R IALE

284 N. Chorro St. Apt. #1 | San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 | 310.818.6729 | nimbrial@calpoly.edu

MEMORANDUM
To: General Hiring Manager
From: Nicholas Imbriale
Date: December 2, 2015
Subject: Informational Interview with James Los Banos
During this quarter, I have reached out to a second year Cal Poly architectural
engineering major. James Los Banos was kind enough to give me information on his
past summer internship with R. M. Towill Engineering Co. located in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Provided below are main topics that stood out to me during our interview. I am currently
doing my best to take advantage of the tips he gave me regarding summer internships.
State and Government Regulation Construction Codes
I learned from James that knowledge of basic regulation codes is essential for
internship work at an engineering firm. He told me that knowing specific definitions of
codes is needed for application to job assigned work. Although most of James tasks
included sorting and completing paperwork, codes were such relevant information in
completing this duty. Now that I know how important construction document specifics
are, I will go into my upcoming Construction Management class ready to focus; asking
questions about construction codes in particular will be integral.
Software Knowledge
James told me that he was not fully prepared to do the amount of AutoCAD work
assigned. Learning on the job and doing his own research on the program helped him
get through his summer internship. Since AutoCAD is such an essential program to
know, I am currently using it more on a daily basis. In all honesty, I am familiar with
AutoCAD but not skilled with the program to the extent that will be required of me.
Despite my lacking of expertise in this area, my upcoming Construction Management
class will definitely require the use of this software. I will do my best to understand the
AutoCAD and get tips from the professor regarding the best way to utilize the software.
Communication Skills
I now understand that communication in the workplace is an essential skill to have at an
engineering firm. James was unfamiliar with reading plans and blueprints, and this
made it difficult to understand the job site and to communicate with others. Particularly, I

N I C H O LAS I M B R IALE
284 N. Chorro St. Apt. #1 | San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 | 310.818.6729 | nimbrial@calpoly.edu

must gain knowledge on symbols within the plans; James was once assigned to clear
up any misunderstanding of the construction documents and hadnt memorized the
symbols. Once again, paying careful attention to specifics in my upcoming Construction
Management class will be highly beneficial before taking part in a summer internship.
If you have any further questions, I will be happy to discuss this memo with you at your
convenience. Thank you again for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from
you.
cc: none