REFLECTION

What did we discuss on Monday, March 30th 2015?

Week 6Wednesday, April 1st 2015

INTERVIEW SKILLS

At the end of this session, students should be able to:

analyze the frequently asked questions (FAQ) during one-to-one interview session

choose appropriate tenses in describing about own education, experience and skills

prepare for job interview

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Open2. Closed3. Problem-solving 4. Probing

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

What are these?

~Open questions – Elicits an in-depth and thoughtful response from the interviewee and makes him/ her do the talking, may illustrate the interviewee’s ideas, opinions and expertise.

~Closed questions – Used only to verify and clarify specific information such as those written in the CV/ cover letter.

~Problem solving questions – Assesses the interviewee’s ability to think logically through a work-related issue.

~Probing questions – Asks more specific questions such as to request details, examples and clarification of previously asked question.

Ok

BAD

I’m fine, thank you. And you?

GOOD

GOOD vs. BAD RESPONSES

Your company is better than the company I’m currently working at.

BAD

Your company offers more challenges, such as opportunities in dealing with foreign workers.

GOOD

How are you today?

Why do you choose us?

3 General knowledge, situations, problem-solving questions

AREA 3

YOU: Skills, knowledge, interests, ambitions (résumé)

AREA 1

1

THE ORGANIZATION: History, products, circles

AREA 2

2

POSSIBLE FOCUS

How are you today?

etc.. ect.. etc

What do you think of the weather lately?

How did you reach here? By car? Bus?

Did you have any trouble finding us?

Would you summarize your education for us?

Is this your first job interview?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Examples of Opening / Warm Up Questions

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.How do you answer this question?

Search the web. Find some tips in answering this question!

Work with a partner. Write your feedback on http://padlet.com/nik_a_nik_a/CompulsoryQuest

COMPULSORY QUESTION in Assessment 3

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.How do you answer this question?

TIPS: • May include 4 sentences:1) Your education2) Interest3) Main accomplishment 4) Strength related to the post• NOT about your personal life

TIPS!

• Go to http://www.mycareerquizzes.com/job-interview-test

• Answer the questions.

Online activity

• Get into a team of three.• Search the web. Find out examples of interview

questions and the possible answers to the questions (3 examples for each team).

• Prepare for a 3-minutes presentation.• Create a page in your wiki entitled ‘Interview

Questions’.• Upload the presentation in your wiki.• Present your findings.

Interview questions

Questions about the candidate

•How would you/ your friends. Colleagues describe you?•How do you determine or evaluate success?•What are your strengths and/ or weaknesses?•What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?•What do you look for in a job?•What led you to choose your field/ major of study?

Questions about the job and the organization

•Why do you want this job?•Can you work independently/ under pressure/ in a team?•How do you feel about travel/ overtime?•What do you know about our organization?•Why do you want to work for our organization?• What criteria are you using to evaluate the organization for which you hope to work for?

Questions about skills and knowledge

•How has the university experience prepared you for this career?•What would be your contribution to the organization? •What have you learnt from participation in extra-curricular activities at school and/ or university?•Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and those under him.•What would you do if you have arranged to meet someone after work and your employer asks you to stay late?•What major challenges have you encountered and how did you deal with them?

Questions about ambition

•What do you hope to be doing in 5 years’ time?•Would you consider yourself suitable to enter management?•What would you like to accomplish in this job?•What are your short term and long term goals?• What are the most important rewards you expect from your career?•Do you have any plans for continued study?

Questions about interests and hobbies

•What do you do in your free time?•How long have you been interested in this sport/ hobby?•Are you attending any part-time classes at present?•Are there any courses you wish to attend?•What is the name of the book that you are currently reading?•What type of in house training would you suggest for the staff of this organization?

Situations/ problem-solving questions (Group Discussions)

• You are offered a job overseas, which means a golden opportunity for you to be successful. But you have to leave your family behind. Would you accept it? Why? Why not?

• You are offered a high salary but a longer working hours. Do you choose to stay at the current company or take up the offer?

• The new job that awaits you requires a large amount of time to be spent on traveling but many benefits to your family for example, annual holiday trips, insurance coverage and fees paid for your children’s international school. However, it means less time with family. Would you accept the job offer?

• Your parents’ dream is to see you working at multinational company but you’d prefer working for national company. How do you solve this dilemma?

For the Interviewees – YOU!

During the interview Below are some questions you might like to ask:

1. What would be the primary duties initially? 2. How would you describe the management style of this

organization as a whole?3. What is the most difficult or challenging part of this job?4. What growth opportunities are there in the organization?5. When can I expect to hear from you?

For the Interviewees – YOU!

After the Interview ~ A “thank you” note: You may want to send a follow-up ‘thank you” letter to the interviewer. This shows interest and keeps your name fresh in their mind.

LANGUAGE TO USE: Education

Your education took place in the past. So, use PAST TENSES:- I attended the Universiti Malaysia Pahang from 2010 to 2015.- I graduated with a degree in Project Management.

If you are currently a student, use PRESENT TENSES:- I am currently studying at Universiti Malaysia Pahang and I

will graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering in December.- I am studying English at the MARA Community College.

LANGUAGE TO USE: Experience

Work experience- exactly what you did and how well you accomplished the tasks.

Use PRESENT PERFECT or PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS. This signals that you are still performing these tasks at your current job, for example:

- IBM has employed me for the last 2 years as a salesperson.- I have been designing the tower for the past 3 months.

LANGUAGE TO USE: Experience

Use PAST TENSES to signal that you are no longer working for that company, for example:

- I was employed by Indah Water from 2010 to 2011 as a clerk.- I worked as an air traffic controller at MAS for a year.

LANGUAGE TO USE: Skills and strength

Skills and strength should have been ‘with’ you so use PRESENT TENSES, but when giving examples, use PAST TENSES, for example:

- I am a good leader and enjoy teamwork. I was given a task to lead a project in Sabah last year and I managed to assign roles appropriately to my group members. Everyone enjoyed their tasks.

- I am a critical thinker. When I did my industrial attachment at Spear Co., I managed to provide alternative solution in responding to customer complaints. As a result, the number of complaints reduced.

• Stage 1: One-to-one (3 questions including Tell Me About Yourself)

• Stage 2: Group discussion (10 minutes)

ASSESSMENT 3

THANK YOU

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!