11- Job Interviewing. Getting Down To Basics
A job interview is your chance to show an employer what he or she will get if you’re hired. That is why it is essential to be well prepared for the job interview. There exist five basic types of interviews:
The Screening Interview
This is usually an interview with someone in human resources. It may take place in person or on the telephone. He or she will have a copy of your resume in hand and will try to verify the information on it. The human resources representative will want to find out if you meet the minimum qualifications for the job and, if you do, you will be passed on to the next step.
The Selection Interview
The selection interview is the step in the process which makes people the most anxious. The employer knows you are qualified to do the job. While you may have the skills to perform the tasks that are required by the job in question, the employer needs to know if you have the personality necessary to “fit in.” Someone who can’t interact well with management and co-workers may disrupt the functioning of an entire department. This ultimately can affect the company’s bottom line.
The Group Interview
In the group interview, several job candidates are interviewed at once. The interviewer or interviewers are trying to separate the leaders from the followers. The interviewer may also be trying to find out if you are a “team player.” The type of personality the employer is looking for determines the outcome of this interview. There is nothing more to do than act naturally.
The Panel Interview
The candidate is interviewed by several people at once. It can be quite intimidating as questions are fired at you. You should try to remain calm and establish rapport with each member of the panel. Make eye contact with each member of the panel as you answer his or her question.
The Stress Interview
It is not a very nice way to be introduced to the company that may end up being your future employer. It is, however, a technique sometimes used to weed out those that cannot handle adversity.
The interviewer may try to artificially introduce stress into the interview by asking questions so quickly that the candidate doesn’t have time to answer each one. The interviewer may also ask weird questions, not to determine what the job candidate answers, but how he or she answers.
Quiz 1 (How to encourage)
• Q1 Well .......! This is a very good piece of work.
(a) made (b) done (c) finished (d) taken
• Q2 I must congratulate you on your efforts. ....... it up!
(a) Continue (b) Take (c) Keep (d) Hold
• Q3 Don't give up whatever you do. I'm sure you'll ....... it in the end.
(a) acquire (b) get (c) put (d) make
• Q4 I'll ....... by you no matter what happens.
(a) stand (b) keep (c) lean (d) support
• Q5 I'm sure if you ......., you'll succeed.
(a) pursue (b) proceed (c) propel (d) persevere
• Q6 You've clearly got ....... and it's obvious that you'll get to the top.
(a) control (b) power (c) talent (d) strength
• Q7 I've watched a lot of young people try to make a success of it, but you're the only one I really ....... in.
(a) think (b) trust (c) hold (d) believe
• Q8 I see no ....... why you shouldn't be accepted as an employee.
(a) cause (b) sense (c) reason (d) doubt
• Q9 Never ....... up. That's a good philosophy.
(a) give (b) do (c) take (d) try
• Q10 You mustn't ever be ....... off by a few setbacks.
(a) taken (b) held (c) put (d) pushed
Quiz 2 (At the Computer)
• Q1 Without the right software I'm afraid you can't ....... that particular program.
(a) reach (b) access (c) obtain (d) find
• Q2 The aim of the office manager is to ....... enough room on the building plans so that each employee can have space for a personal computer.
(a) arrange (b) accord (c) allocate (d) organize
• Q3 Remember that before you leave your workstation, always ....... your computer.
(a) shut out (b) shut up (c) shut in (d) shut down
• Q4 It's quite easy if you want to find folders and files on the computer, all you do is click here and it immediately starts ........
(a) seeking (b) searching (c) looking (d) checking
• Q5 I have tried and tried again and again and no matter what I do it still shows "error" — I just can't ....... what's wrong.
(a) look out (b) check out (c) figure out (d) bring out
• Q6 I spent hours writing that report and checking all the
information was correct and then without thinking I pressed the ....... button.
(a) 'destroy' (b) 'delete' (c) 'deface' (d) 'deny'
• Q7 It's a really clever piece of software because it enables you to ....... on your screen all the information in columns.
(a) illustrate (b) depict (c) display (d) delineate
• Q8 Unfortunately this program is not ....... with the operating system on my computer.
(a) amicable (b) compatible (c) adaptable (d) amenable
• Q9 When you see that particular symbol on the screen, you have to take that as a ....... that something is wrong.
(a) indicating (b) checking (c) briefing (d) warning
• Q10 With this program you can always check your spelling and grammar and if you don't want to accept what it shows, you simply press ........
(a) 'ignore' (b) 'quit' (c) 'leave' (d) 'forget'
Answers:A1(b) done
A2 (c) Keep
A3 (d) make
A4 (a) stand
A5 (d) persevere
A6 (c) talent
A7 (d) believe
A8 (c) reason
A9 (a) give
A10 (c) put
A1(b) access
A2 (c) allocate
A3 (d) shut down
A4 (b) searching
A5 (c) figure out
A6 (b) 'delete'
A7 (c) display
A8 (b) compatible
A9 (d) warning
A10 (a) 'ignore'