Job Interview: The Sahara College Narowal

Job Interview
"GIVE ME SIX HOURS TO CHOP DOWN A TREE, AND I WILL SPEND THE FIRST FOUR SHARPENING THE
AX.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
ABDUL QUDDOOS
THE SAHARA COLLEGE NAROWAL

Interview:
 a meeting at which information is obtained from a person

Job interview
 a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions in order to find out if they
are suitable for a post of employment
 Getting an interview is an achievement in itself. Only a small proportion of
applicants are selected for interview (often about 10%) so you have already made
a positive impression to have got to this stage!
The purpose of the interview
 Firstly, it is for the interviewer to see if you match the requirements of the job.
These will naturally vary with different jobs but are likely to include:
 Your personal qualities
 How well you express yourself
 Your motivation and enthusiasm
 The recruiters will already have an indication of these from your initial application
but now the interview will assess you in person.
 It is also your chance to meet somebody from the organisation and assess them: are
they offering what you want?
 There aren't any right or wrong answers to interview questions: how you come
across is as important as what you say. Be yourself – if you have to put on a
completely false act to get through the interview, is this really the right job for you?
Preparation for the interview
 Preparation is the key ingredient for interview success. Careful planning and
preparation will make sure that your interview goes smoothly and will also help to
calm your nerves!
 Research very carefully the career area for which you are applying.
 Remind yourself why you are interested in this career, and this employer:
enthusiasm is important.
 Re-read your application form as if you were the interviewer. Try and anticipate
the questions they will ask. Think about any awkward points that might be picked up
on, and how you will handle them.
 Prepare some questions to ask the interviewer.
 Plan how you will get to the interview. Leave plenty of time in case of traffic jams
ot delayed trains
 Dress neatly and smartly.
 Take a small, neat notepad and pen to write down important information the interviewer
may tell you, and after the interview, the questions you were asked, so you can work out
better answers to any you missed.
 Research the employer - here are some things you may be able to find out from the
employers web site or via Google.
 What is the size of the organization?
 How long has it been in business?
 What are its products and/or services?
 What sort of reputation or public image does it have?
 Who are its main competitors?
 Where is it based? Single or multiple locations? UK or multinational?
 What is the organizational structure like?
 What are its future plans and prospects?
 What is the organizational culture?
 What types of training, development and appraisal are offered?
Arriving for the interview
 Try to arrive ten or fifteen minutes early. The time spent waiting in the
reception area can be very useful if there are publications about the employer or
their field of work to read. Be polite to everyone you meet, including
receptionists, porters and security staff.
 First impressions: These are very important - they set the tone for the rest of the
interview. A survey of 273 managers by Monster.co.uk found that interviewers
take on average less than 7 minutes to decide if a candidate is right for the
role.
Factors influencing whether an interviewee is viewed as
employable were
 A candidate’s timekeeping (96% of managers agree this is
influential)
 Level of a candidate’s interview preparation (93%)
 Ability to hold eye contact (82%)
 Personal appearance (73%)
(two thirds of employers said they were put off by tattoos)
 Quality of banter or small talk (60%)
 Strength of handshake (55%)
 The five most important factors interviewers considered when hiring were:
 Work experience (36%)
 First impressions of the candidate (24%)
 Education (12%)
 Professional qualifications (10%)
 References (9%)
 According to a survey of 1000 recruiters by Fly Research three quarters of
interviws are lost within three minutes of entering the room.
 Research by Springbett found that 85% of interviews were decided in the first two
to three minutes: 25% of interviewers were put off by a weak handshake or lack
of eye contact
 24% by poor body language
 18% by poor posture (e.g. slumped shoulders suggests lack of confidence) or
presence
 Only 20% waited until the middle of the interview to test a candidate on their
knowledge of the industry and aptitude for the job
 According to research selectors make snap judgments about your trustworthiness,
attractiveness, likability, competitiveness and aggressiveness and spend the rest of
the interview confirming or denying these opinions.
 Shake hands firmly and warmly, but wait to be invited to sit down. Handshakes
are also commonly given at the end of the interview. Handshakes originated as a
way for knights to show that they didn't have concealed weapons. A firm
handshake is perceived to communicate sociability, friendliness and dominance:
normally desirable qualities in candidates whereas weak handshakes may
communicate, introversion, shyness and neuroticism. Also as the handshake is at
the start of the interview, it can set a positive tone for the rest of the encounter.
In practice interviews with 98 students, those who gave a firm handshake were
more likely to be offered jobs. Women who gave a firm handshake were
perceived more positively than men who gave a firm handshake.
 Smile and keep up good eye contact with the interviewer.
 You may be offered tea or coffee. If you feel this will help you to relax, then fine,
but otherwise it is quite OK to refuse politely.
 Try to relax - don't perch on the edge of your chair, but don't slouch either.
 Speak clearly and not too fast. Give yourself a moment to think about your replies.
 Don't fidget and try to avoid meaningless phrases like "you know", "I mean", etc.
 Smile!
 Be prepared to shake hands firmly, but don't break the interviewers wrist. Similarly
a (weak) handshake will suggest a weak character.
 Wait to be invited to sit down.
 Try to relax - don’t sit on the edge of your chair and don't lean too far back: sit up
reasonably straight and still.
 Don't sit with your arms crossed
 Keep up good eye contact with the interviewer (according to research this
apparently is especially important for men)
 Speak clearly but not too fast: a deeper calm voice suggests authority, whereas as
excitable high-pitched voice suggests a nervous personality.
 Head nodding to show agreement can help, especially for female candidates.
 Postural echo (mirroring the interviewer's posture) can show empathy and
agreement but needs to be done very subtly or it might backfire if the interviewer
notices that you are doing this!
Interesting facts:
 Different cultures have different interpersonal distances. In European culture 30

inches is about the acceptable limit - closer than this and you may feel that your
body space has been invaded making you uncomfortable. In other cultures such as
that of Arabia the acceptable distance is much closer whereas in the USA it is
slightly more than in Europe. This can least to perceptions of impoliteness and
rudeness in interactions between different cultural groups.
 In one US embassy party in Arabia it was noticed that the Americans were nearly
all standing with their backs against a wall when talking to Arabic guests - every
time the Arabic guests had tried to get closer to maintain the normal body space
for their culture, the Americans had backed away - this had continued until they
were against the walls!
 Researchers at Goldsmith's College found that female students who gave
sidelong glances, gazed at the floor, fiddled with their hands, touched their hair,
nodded their heads vigorously and kept answers to questions short were more
likely to be offered jobs.
 Men who faced the interviewer head-on, boasted about their success, didn't nod
their heads too much and gave long answers to questions did better.
 This was based on 60 students applying for jobs with leading companies. The
study hoped to help interviewers to avoid unconscious discrimination due to
sexual stereotypes.

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Job Interview

THE SAHARA COLLEGE NAROWAL

 a meeting at which information is obtained from a person

 Different cultures have different interpersonal distances. In European culture 30

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