The structure of an interview

Understanding the structure that most employment interviews follow will help you prepare for the situations you’ll face. Employment interviews generally have four stages:

1. Opening and getting started
2. Questions the interviewer asks the interviewee
3. Questions the interviewee asks the interviewer
4. Closing.

The interview will typically last for thirty minutes.

Remember that your interview begins when you enter the reception area of the company. Be on time or even 5 to 10 minutes early. Greet the receptionist pleasantly and respectfully. Then confidently and clearly state your name, that you have an appointment, and who you want to see. Don’t chew gum, smoke, or engage in other activities that would be inappropriate and even offensive.

The opening is the time for mutual preliminary assessment and turning to each other. Even the beginning small talk leaves an impression. Start with enthusiastic attitude and a smile, introduce yourself to the interviewer, and use a firm and confident handshake. This is equally important for men and women. Do not put any materials on the interviewer’s desk or act as though you are scanning the person’s desk. Your posture should be natural but professional.

   As you settle into your seat and begin the small talk to start the interview, you can mention the surroundings or items you see in the room. Be observant; perhaps you can see something in the office that you can use for a brief conversation starter. For example, “I see by your diploma that you went to Utah State University.”

  Eventually, the conversation will turn to questions about you. Your preparation in the three areas of achievement, skills, and knowledge will help you in this portion of the interview. Answer the questions directly and with some detail. Provide more then a yes or no response.           

  At some point during the interview, the interviewer will likely ask you for questions. Ask some intelligent questions, based on your research, about the company or job. Ask the interviewer to explain the major products or services the organization provides. Ask about working conditions.          Although, you have interest in salary levels, discussion about them is a natural outgrowth of an offer. You are not at the stage yet where the company is making an offer. Similarly, you will not want to place too much emphasis on company benefits.      

  Observe nonverbal cues and be sensitive to the close. If the interviewer begins watching the clock or shows other signals of restlessness, then the interviewer shifts to stage 4. You and the interviewer are closing your interview. Don’t expect the immediate offer. As you close, shake hands confidently, thank the interviewer for his or her time, and end with a smile. You want your last impression to be strong and favorable. Ask when the company expects to reach a decision if the interviewer has not yet answered that question. Be sure to thank the receptionist on your way out.         

Notes to the text:

Posture - поза - поза

Cue – намек -   натяк   

4. Answer the questions :

ü What kind of specific information can you include in your interview?

ü What are some reasons why a firm is likely to reject an applicant based on the interview?  

ü What cues can you use to note the shift from one stage of an employment interview to the next?

ü What kind of questions an interviewer might ask an applicant during the interview?

ü What are some appropriate questions interviewees can ask during the job interview?

ü What are some inappropriate questions?

5. Look through the following questions. Divide them into groups. Give detailed answers:

With what kind of people do you lest get alone?

What do you consider your greatest strengths or assets?

What do you feel are your major weaknesses?

What led to your decision to choose your major?

Do you have any work experience?

Give some examples of your achievements that go well beyond the

absolute requirements of your curriculum?

How do you imagine an ideal work environment?

Tell about the most creative thing you’ve done. What was unique about

it?

In what areas are others most complementary of you?

What has been your single most significant career-related failure? Why?

What do you most value about your education? Why?

Which of your past jobs you enjoyed most of all and why?

How do you measure your personal success?

Tell me about your daily routine. How and when do you start the day?

Do you consider yourself to be more analytical or more creative?

Explain by providing concrete examples.

What do people do to make you dislike them?

How do you do planning? What influences your planning?

What would you most like to improve about yourself? Why?

Tell about situation when you wish you had done more planning. What

exactly happened?   

  How do you cope with people you dislike?

  In what ways do you consider your qualifications unique or distinctive

  from others applying to this position?

  What did you like least about your education?

  Which of your jobs was most challenging? Least challenging?

  What are you long-term career objectives?

  What have you done to improve relationship with people you dislike?

  What do your group-mates most admire or value about you?

  Which skills do you lack to succeed in a job?

  How you see yourself in ten years?

  What do you believe are most important principles needed to achieve

  job success?

  What have been the results of your effort to improve your relationship

  with the people you dislike?

  What type of work do you find most rewarding and stimulating?

  Which of your personal traits and characteristics sometimes get in the

  way of your relationship with others?

  What type of work do you find less satisfying?

Start the conversation with the Head of Personnel Department of a large company conducting the interview.

Imaging you are conducting an interview/participating as an interviewee. Dramatize a situation together with your group-mattes.

UNIT 7

TEST

1.Choose the right answer:

1. The letter remains one of the most ______ ways of conveying information.

a) out of date b) effective c) speedy

2. The most important quality to cultivate for writing letters is _____ .

a) empathy b) emphasis c) efficiency

3. Good messages call for _____ plan for structuring ideas.

a) inductive b) deductive c) neutral

4. Communicating bad news call for _____ plan for structuring ideas.

a) indirect b) direct c) neutral

5. Business letters today usually use one of the _____ letter styles.

a) two b) unlimited c) three

6. The best way to get information about available job is to _____ .

a) communicate with friends    b) word-of-mouth recommendation

c) read advertisement

7. The _____ is usually the best source of blue-collar jobs, clerical employees and lower-level administrative employees.

a) local newspapers b) national daily newspapers c) journal  

8. The resume presents _____ your assets.

a) both b) particularly c) only

9. The resume is _____ tools that you will use to communicate your qualifications to potential employers.

a) the only b) one of several c) the first

10.The resume has a specific purpose: _____ .

a) the create enough interest in you b) to grant you a job

c) to make you a preposition

11._____ resume is useful to emphasize the steady and systematic development of an individual’s education or work experience.

a) A chronological b) A functional c) A targeted

12. Applicants should first present their _____ qualifications.

a) all b) relevant c) strongest

13.Traditionally, resumes have been _____ long.

a) unlimited b) three-to-five pages c) one page

14. In the interview, you will prove your _____ to the organization.

a) desire to work b) potential worth c) expectations for bonuses

 15. Employment interviews generally have _____ stages.

a) limited number of b) unlimited number of c) four

16. _____ the immediate offer.  

a) Don’t expect b) Expect c) Ask for

17. During _____ interview applicants have to demonstrate how they can cope in actual business situation.

a) panel b) “deep-end” c)  one-to-one

18. Your purpose in the application letter is _____ .

a) get you a job offer b) to get you an interview c) to get bonuses

19. Your application letter must be_____ .

a) neat, polite b)  purposeful, accurate c) all of these

20. In an unsolicited situation, you are _____ the search.

a) initiating b) answering  c) discussing