Lecture 22 - Interview Skills

Figure 1: Interview

Get comfortable. Forget that you in an interview. Say what comes to the Mind.

When people are fed up, need a new challenge, want more money, want a more conducive work environment they start reading the want ads, polishing their CVs, pounding the pavements and trawling for jobs. The current situation, however, does tend to mean that a whole lot of other people are also looking for new jobs, so you need to have a jump on the competition by presenting yourself at interview in the best possible light, no matter whether you've been made redundant or are looking for something fresh and motivating. 

Learning from class:

 

Lecturer started off the lecturer by specifying why there is a requirement for an interview. According to lecturer main objectives were to identify candidates communication skills, practicality, appearance, energetic/enthusiastic level towards its organization.

Then Lecturer stated that there are few types of Interviews. They are

• One-to-One -  Consist of one interviewer (potential supervisor) and interviewee

• Two People - Consist of two interviewers. Normally questions were asked by one interviewer and both interviewers assets the interviewee. Both interviewers assessment will be consolidated regarding the interviewee at the end of the interview.  Normally interviewees address only to one person this is a big mistake that done by many interviewees. Should be address to both interviewers.  

• Panel (Conference) - Every interviewers in the panel assessing the interviewee. In some point every interviewer communicate with the interviewee. As from interviewee side they must challenge to convince each interviewer in to some extend. The success level of convince can be identify by interviewer's reaction such as from a smile since it reflects the sign of approval.

• Group Interview - Select few candidates, call them for an informal Question and Answer session. In the Q&A session all the candidates were short listed and allow candidates to ask question from interviewers. As from interviewees side they must ask really good and relevant questions from interviewers since they assets interviewees based on the questions that they ask. Basically the success dependents on the questions that candidate ask. Should ask questions that reflects the candidate's interest towards the job.   

Then lecturer stated besides the above types of  based on how the interview is conducted it can be further classified as, 

   

• General Interviews (Informal) - Normal discussion between interviewer and interviewee. Interviewer does not well prepared for the interview but there is some objectives to accomplish. Some questions were made depend on the scenario.

• Chronological Interviews - Based on the life events interviewer conduct the interview. Interviewer try to picture interviewee based on the artifacts that they gain from questions. Seek for the logical of career changes and address gaps in the interviewees life. 

• Criteria based Interview - Seeking for evidence whether the candidate fulfill criteria or requirements that specified in job advertisement. This can be achieve easily through by Quick Match Template that provided by the lecturer that enables candidates to well prepare for expectations of job requirements.

Then lecturer described about the Quick Match Template. According to lecturer this allows the candidate to prepare well before facing to an interview or making the CV. First Candidate need to list down what are the qualification,experience and technical knowledge that the company asking for and then need to specify what are the consequence that ccandidate owns to fulfill each requirement of it. This should considered to be number one priority before apply for job since this outcomes facts to make custom made CV for the applicant.

• Technical of Creative Interview - This type of interviews quiz interviewees Technical knowledge

• Telephone Interviews - This conduct over the phone. Enable interviewers to short list candidates. This saves interviewers time since it enables the interviewer to get to know the communication skills of the candidate and enthusiastic towards the applied job vacancy. 

Then lecturer stated how to prepare for a Telephone Interview. They are,

• Need to check for the availability
• Check for a suitable place without any disturbances
• Better dress up formal
• Sit in a proper place without like relaxing on a bed etc.
• Prepare the documents and keep it in a way that easy to use.
• Interviewee can make a good impression by the way they answer to the questions that directed from them.

Then the lecture discussed what to consider before confirming and to face to an interview.

• Check the availability

• Confirm the candidate attendance. Ask the place, time, whom going to meet
  and required documents to bring

• Try to go little bit earlier

• Make a good first impression

There can be instances a person will get two interviews at the same time. If a person face such problem there are two options that candidate can do. 

• Inform one of the companies that called for the interview that by specifying that candidate have another interview and unable to make it. This depict in some ways that the company get to know that candidate have some demand form other companies as well.

• Let the company know that candidate unable to make it due to unavoidable circumstances and ask for another date and time if available. This depict that candidate owns some enthusiasm for the job.

Then Lecturer mention that candidate can be successful in an interview based on mainly three things. How good the impression is made followed by the type of answers that candidate give for the questions that shoots from interviewer. And both above factors possible if the candidate know their capabilities and how to utilize it.

Before concluding lecture, lecture spoke about consequences of better background preparation for an interview.

Background preparation for an Interview:

• Check for the organization profile

• Talk to some people who are currently working to the company. From that can get to know procedures of the company and will helpful to prepare for the interview.

• Try to do a Google search in order to aware of the changes that organization has done, new owner etc.

• Try to read annual reports of the company and find out what kind of issues/problems company has etc.

• Analyze the job - How to fulfill the requirements, do a quick match.

• Need to come up with potential questions that will be asked in the interview and prepared with answers for the questions.

As final word for the today's lecture, lecturer said more the level of preparation for an interview, applicant will get more chance of been selected for an job.    

Reality of the Lecture:

From this lecture I was able to gain different aspects of Interview and the background which related to it. According my understandability main outcome is of the interview is to mirror or picture the knowledge, qualification and experience that a particular applicant owns to its interviewer. In order to accomplish that objective applicant can focus into the main dimensions of interview as discussed in today lecture by fine tuning unwanted information will heading to make a good impression in interviewers mind. In my perspective this enables me to confidently face to any interview since I know the factors to be consider and focus on before go into an interview as well as to get through successfully from the challenge.