“So…Tell Us About Yourself!”

And just like that every thought that has ever possessed my brain magically disappears…

What is it about facing multiple strangers in a professional environment that forces any ounce of common sense to depart from our minds? Surely talking about ourselves would be the easiest possible topic we could have inflicted upon us, yet when tackling this question in an interview, my mind immediately went to “well I have two cats…”

Yes, cats: apparently my two fluffy felines carry more importance in an interview setting for Ulidia Integrated College than my years of experience, skills and passion for teaching. Perhaps the interviewers were cat people and found my answer charming and unique?

Probably not. 

If anything highlights the importance of thinking before you speak, let it be my answer to possibly one of the most asked questions in a job interview. 

 In this blog, I will reflect upon my experience with the simulated interviews using Gibb’s reflective cycle.

Crowe Associates Ltd   https://www.crowe-associates.co.uk/coaching-tools/gibbs-reflective-cycle/

The Preparation- Where to Begin?

As a musician, the art of improvisation is one which I am proud to have developed in recent years. Despite my ability to bluff my way through most situations in day-to-day life, I must express the importance of successfully preparing before a job interview, regardless of how qualified or experienced one may be. From conversations with my fellow musical friends, I discovered that our laid-back attitudes towards researching for our desired careers turned into simply not knowing enough about the workplace. When asked, “what is it about our school specifically that attracts you for the position of Head of Music?”, I was immediately taken aback: I was expecting to answer questions about myself. Fortunately, I remembered reading information about the skills and qualities of a desired candidate in the job description. Emphasis towards commitment to extra-curricular activities was mentioned; I was able to speak in detail about my work with conducting in a choir in my current part-time job in a music school, as well as my passion towards helping a music department to thrive with opportunities for the children to pursue music in a variety of ways. However, I could have included more detail about the school and reasoning behind my application. Skim reading over the job description for five minutes, the night before the interview, is not enough to have confidence that this is a job that I want for myself. Ceri Roderick & Stephan Lucks discuss in “You’re Hired” that an interview is a two-way conversation, “Think of an interview as a meeting where both sides share information and come to a mutual decision about ‘fit’.”(Roderick and Lucks 2010 p.46) I failed to realise the importance of ensuring that this Head of Year position was a job that I would prosper in.

Upon reflection, I know I should have spent more time before the interview to research the job and gain a wider knowledge of the role, as well as the school itself; do I want to be in a workplace such as Ulidia Integrated College? Does it have a good reputation for job satisfaction with teachers? I should have known the answers to these questions in the days leading up to the interview, demonstrating full understanding of the role I had applied to. “The most common reason why a candidate would fail a job interview is a lack of understanding of the role” (Fennell 2022). In the future, when preparing for an interview, I will go beyond using the job description as the height of my research. I will attempt to network with current and past teachers of the school and ask them questions regarding their personal experiences. I will also spend time researching the school online, making notes of school trips, pupil achievements and successful exam results which I can mention in the interview, displaying my understanding of what is expected of a teacher. 

The Big Day…

I woke up that fateful morning in a bundle of nerves and excitement. The performer within me was determined to make a good impression but I couldn’t shake my anxiety. I decided to treat myself to a Starbucks to alleviate some stress, specifically a caramel Frappuccino. This quickly became a mistake; as a singer how could I forget the golden rule before any performance? 

Under no circumstance should dairy be consumed 12 hours before singing.

I wasn’t planning to serenade my panel, but the advice evidently applied to speaking, as well as singing, as my throat became clogged with cream and my words became muffled. I now had the additional worry of speaking clearly when answering questions, which Martin John Yate claims to be important etiquette “speak clearly, careful not to mumble or shout

In the case of dry throat, stop to take a drink of water”. (Yate, 2014) With help of the STAR technique, I confidently delivered my answers, taking care to speak slowly and carefully, despite my dairy-related disadvantage.

Enterprise https://careersblog.enterprise.ie/tips-on-using-the-star-technique-to-answer-job-interview-questions/

 Looking back, I should have taken a bottle of water into the interview, to help clear my throat but also buy some time before answering questions. I would often start speaking immediately after a question was asked even when unsure of what to say. This made some of my answers appear sloppy and unprepared which in future I would like to avoid. If I had water, I could have taken a sip before answering a question, allowing for additional time to prepare an answer. For my next interview I will ensure to have a bottle and stay clear of the Frappuccinos.

Nathan Davidson  https://www.ranker.com/list/job-interview-memes/nathandavidson

As I look to the future, I can begin to imagine the multitude of interviews I will face in my career. This experience has provided me with an insight into the reality of preparing for and partaking in an interview, which is invaluable as I enter the world of work.

Word count: 984

Crowe Associates Ltd (n.d) Gibbs Reflective cycle. Available at: https://www.crowe-associates.co.uk/coaching-tools/gibbs-reflective-cycle/(Accessed: 12 February 2022).

Enterprise, 2022. Tips on using the STAR technique to answer job interview questions. Available at: https://careersblog.enterprise.ie/tips-on-using-the-star-technique-to-answer-job-interview-questions/(Accessed: 18 February 2022).

Fennel, A (2022) Job interview statistics. Available at: https://jobdescription-library.com/job-interview-statistics(Accessed: 12 February 2022).

Know Your Meme, 2022. Cats- Job Interview.Available at:  (Accessed: February 2022).

Prospects (2021) Teaching interview questions. Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/teacher-training-and-education/teaching-interview-questions(Accessed: 10 February 2022)

Roderick, C. and Lucks, S. (2010) You’re hired! : interview answers : impressive answers to tough questions. Richmond: Trotman

Yate, M. J. (2021) Great answers to tough interview questions. Eleventh edition. London: KoganPage