Interviews: The Dreaded Conversation  

On Thursday 2^nd February 2023, we conducted stimulated interviews where classmates acted as a panel for a job of your choice. As I want to pursue a career in teaching, I found a job advertisement for a teacher of English in an integrated school in Belfast. 

Preparation:

In preparation for my interview, I began by going through the job description to fully understand what the panel where looking for. I matched key terms in said description with factors in my CV that I knew would make me the best candidate for the job, for example “good communication skills”- I knew that I would be able to discuss this section in depth as communicating to the public is something I have been doing in various jobs I have had for years such as retail supervisor for five years and my teaching placements in various schools. I also wanted to draw upon external sources and be well equipped in knowledge about society that would be beneficial to the interview (these will be addressed in the Interview section). I also researched the curriculum in Northern Ireland in the English department, both literature and language. Due to my experience in schools teaching English, I found I was able to prepare first hand information for scenario questions.

Interview

On interview day, I found that it was important to remain calm before entering. By remaining calm and relaxed, I was able to keep my train of thought and have clear and concise answers to the panels questions. I found that the panel wanted to find out a lot about me before they began to ask about job specific questions. I found that this really allowed me to settle into the interview and build a strong rapport with the panel. It also allowed me to begin to understand how the panel ask their questions and what they want to hear from me. I found that they reacted well when my answers contained specifics such as when I was asked how I would deal with a situation where a student struck another student during one of my lessons. Here I was able to draw upon real experiences- during my placement an incident of bullying occurred mid lesson and I had to deescalate the situation by removing the student who was conducting the bullying from the classroom, speak with the victim student and set work for the class in order to keep the class going. The panel seemed to really understand the concept of these decisions and seemed impressed by my quick thinking. 

As well as this, as previously mentioned, I wanted to demonstrate an external knowledge. The opportunity for this arose when I was asked “why I wanted to be a teacher in Northern Ireland”. Here I was able to use a quote from BBC News that stated that “there were 237 suicides in Northern Ireland [in 2022, which was] 18 more than 2020”^[1] I used this quote to demonstrate how through being a teacher who supports and develops their students, not just provide the curriculum, students will see school as a safe space for them to talk. The panel seemed to be very impressed with my ability you use quotes and use it to support my reasons for their questions. Through this, the panel could see that I have a strong passion for teaching and will continue to do my external and internal research to keep up to date in current affairs.

Reflection 

Upon reflection, I have found a number of positives with my interview along with a number of aspects that need worked on. My ability to address all members of the panel was commented on as they all felt involved in the conversation, not just the individual who asked the question. The panel also noted my enthusiasm and passion came through very strong in my interview which allowed them to share that passion and that excitement as they listened to me. They found that I spoke very naturally and with a high level of maturity. My answers were focussed and didn’t stray from the question; I had the ability to elaborate and bring it back to the root of the question. 

Although I had many positives, the panel did note that at times my voice was quite quiet which meant at times they couldn’t always hear what I was saying. I understand that naturally I would be a very loud individual, so in interviews, I become very self aware and try my best to keep my voice down. In this instance, I brought my voice down too much which brought me down in the interview. I also tend to shake my leg in serious settings which the panel picked up as distracting. The shakes are a nervous trait and habit that happens regularly and I do tend to forget that I am doing it. The panel said that at times their eyes were drawn to that which made them believe I was nervous and doubted whether or not I had the confidence to carry out the job to a professional level – although they could see from my expertise that I am comfortable in the classroom. 

Overall, I do believe that my interview was very successful and a very positive learning curve for myself in preparation for PGCE and post graduate courses in the near future. I feel a lot more confident with the interview process and what is required of me as an interviewee. 

Being a Panel Member

As well as being an interviewee, we also had to be on the panel for our classmates. This really allowed me to see what the interviewers will want to see when I am being interviewed. I also learnt a lot from my fellow classmates; what they did well, where they struggled and how I can overcome these in my own interview. This was hugely beneficial for me prior to my own interview. 

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^[1] Death from suicide rise in Northern Ireland (30 Nov 2022) <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-63806309> 

Images

1. https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/job-interview
2. https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/prepared.html
3. [Job Description] – https://www.nijobs.com/job/teacher-of-english/hazelwood-intergrated-college-job99638979?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=organic
4. http://clipart-library.com/self-reflection-cliparts.html