Hired Or Fired?

Employing the best candidate for a job is always the end goal for any employer, therefore, the interview process is always a great way for both the employer and the applicant to acquire more information about each other, ultimately determining if you are a match. Personally, I do not have very much interview experience, therefore, being given this opportunity has better equipped me with relevant interview skills and experience for when it comes to applying for a PGCE and future teaching jobs. In 2019, the Department for Economy published the barometer report that stated, “it estimated an over-supply of about 140 teachers trained each year, for the next decade.”[1] Due to this oversaturation within the teaching sector it is paramount that I set myself aside from the competition by seeking essential interview experience that will ultimately make myself a more desirable candidate to employers.

Overall, I will be reflecting upon my own experience of applying to the role of a drama teacher at Lagan College during a simulated interview. I will do this by employing the six steps within ‘Gibbs’ Reflective Learning Cycle’ as a tool to convey a coherent description, to reflect upon my personal feelings, an evaluation and critical analysis of my overall performance, a concise conclusion, and a future action plan. This method of reflection along with peer feedback will enable me to illustrate how I successfully completed the simulated interview.

Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail

Hanne Keiling states in an article on the worldwide employment website, Indeed that “preparing for an interview primarily means taking time to thoughtfully consider your goals and qualifications relative to the position and employer.”[2] To accomplish this there were several steps that I took when preparing for my simulated interview. Once I had picked the job, I was wishing to apply to I carefully analysed the job description to ensure that I was an ideal candidate, fulfilling the criteria that had been established by the employer. Following this, I conducted relevant research into Lagan College and the Drama teacher role I was applying to and current education politics in Northern Ireland. I used the Lagan College Website and took advantage of being a past pupil to prepare answers on the school integrated ethos and day to day running of the college so that when posed with questions about the college I felt confident in my response. Utilising my prior knowledge and experience of Lagan College, relevant research into the role I was applying for and studying Lagan College’s employment criteria was paramount to any interview success I would see. Using the 3 P’s highlighted in the graphic above ‘Plan, Prepare and Perform’ equipped me with the best mentality for the simulated interview, before I even left my house that morning – I knew I carried out meticulous preparation, therefore I knew I would perform to the highest of my abilities in the interview.

Dress for Success

Conducting research, preparing questions, and analysing job descriptions is a great way to impress potential employers, however, what you wear to an interview illustrates your professionalism as soon as the employer’s set eyes on you. My central motivation was to set a good first impression for the interview panel, therefore, the night before my interview I prepared an outfit that I believe was both professional and comfortable, consequently making me feel more confident. Throughout my placement within Laurel Hill Community College, I developed what I like to call my ‘professional wardrobe’ that consists of role appropriate professional clothing – this made selecting my outfit for the interview considerably less stressful.

“Appearance messages are generally the first nonverbal messages received and can be used to develop judgments about people based on how they look, what they wear, and their level of attractiveness, among other things.”[3]

Interview Day

On the morning of the interview, I felt nervous, however, knowing that I had completed relevant preparation and felt comfortable in what I was wearing I was ready to face the panel. Although I felt nervous entering the interview, I did not want to express this to my future employers, instead, I appeared confident when entering the room. Elizabeth Kuhnke, states that “standing proud and strutting your stuff indicates that you’re ready and raring to go, while slumping your shoulders and shuffling your feet shows that you’re carrying a heavy load,”[4] therefore, upon entering the interview room I ensured my body language and posture was both confident, open, and calm, thus, reflecting confidence to the eyes of the panel. In addition to this throughout the interview I believe that my body language was confident, however, an aspect I believe I could have maintained more throughout was eye contact with the panel. It was noted in my peer evaluation form that my eye contact was mostly consistent, however, it failed when thinking of answers. I believe this was because as each member of the panel asked two questions each, I felt pressure to maintain the correct amount of eye contact with each individual. Upon completing this simulation, I have researched ways to overcome this, one of the methods is to “hold eye contact for about four to five seconds at a time”[5] before breaking your gaze. I will utilise this method in future interviews to improve this skill, ultimately making “your listener feel more connected to you and increase the likelihood that you will feel more comfortable when speaking.”[6]

Future Interview Action Plan

Upon reflection of my simulated interview, there are several aspects of my performance that I would aim to improve in preparation for any future interviews. Although I carried out extensive preparation there was one element that I did not consider, a question for the panel. Consequently, when I was asked if I had any questions, I simply froze, making me feel disappointed as I left a somewhat positive interview experience with feelings of frustration as I had missed this essential aspect of preparation. In addition to this when answering questions, I felt myself using filler words such as ‘um’ and ‘so’ that were diverting the panel’s attention away from my answers, which was noted in two of my peer feedback forms. This caused me to panic and, with an aim, to distract the panel away from this I quickened the pace of my speech to avoid using filler words. However, this diversion tactic, although at the time I found it to be effective, may be perceived by the panel that I was nervously rushing through answers.

Overall, this experience has equipped me with interview practice that will assist me in the future. Peer feedback, personal reflection and establishing a future action plan from this simulated interview, I would now feel confident and equipped to deal with a real-life interview scenario in a position much similar to the one I was applying for.

Footnotes

[1] Robbie Meredith, Northern Ireland Training Too Many Teachers (2022) <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49177327> [accessed 7 February 2022].

[2] Hanne Keiling, How to Prepare for an Interview (2022) <https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview> [accessed 7 February 2022].

[3] Gov.Uk, The Communication for Governance & Accountability Program (CommGAP (2022) <https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a08bb9ed915d622c000e61/CommGAP_Brochure.pdf#:~:text=The%20Communication%20for%20Governance%20%26%20Accountability%20Program%20%28CommGAP%29,of%20communication%20is%20critical%20to%20effective%20governance%20reform.> [accessed 7 February 2022].

[4] Elizabeth Kuhnke, Body Language: Learn How to Read Others and Communicate with Confidence (Hoboken: Capstone, 2016), p. 10.

[5] Arlin Cuncic, How to Overcome Eye Contact Anxiety (2021) <https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-i-maintain-good-eye-contact-3024392> [accessed 7 February 2022].

[6] Ibid.

Bibliography

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Cuncic, Arlin, How to Overcome Eye Contact Anxiety (2021) <https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-i-maintain-good-eye-contact-3024392> [accessed 7 February 2022]

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Kuhnke, Elizabeth, Body Language: Learn How to Read Others and Communicate with Confidence (Hoboken: Capstone, 2016)

Meredith, Robbie, Northern Ireland Training Too Many Teachers (2022) <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49177327> [accessed 7 February 2022]

Prakash, Alisha, Top 10 Unusual Job Interview Questions (2022) <https://www.today.com/money/top-10-unusual-job-interview-questions-2016-glassdoor-t83116> [accessed 7 February 2022]

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Work Bloom, Interview Preparation: Getting Ready for the Big Day (2021) <https://workbloom.com/interview/interview-preparation> [accessed 7 February 2022]