My second interview

Job interviews are not something I would consider myself well versed in, as this mock interview between myself and my peers was to be my second job interview to that of an interview for a EuroSpar. This had left me feeling quite nervous and as I had unfortunately missed the breakout group meeting due to placement, I was feeling a little under prepared. I will be using Gibb’s reflective model (The University of Edinburgh, 2020) to analyse my thoughts, feelings, and processes throughout this experience.

Description

We had been paired into groups of four to partake in simulated job interviews with each other so that we would be able to get some experience of what a job interview would be like in our chosen fields, as it was most likely something we did not have experience of yet. We were told to use the STAR method in our interviews, which works as follows:

“Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.

Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.

Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.

Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.” (Boogard, 2022)

We were able to choose our own job that we would like to be interviewed for, and so I chose the role of a Studio Engineer as that is a job I would love to have in the future, and so I sent a job description into our teams group so that the peers in my group would be able to gather some questions for me, and I for them.

An interview is a chance for an employer to see if you’re the right person for the job. It’s also a chance for you to make sure the job and company are the right fit for you.

National Careers Service

Feelings

As I stated in the introduction, I was feeling nervous for this due to my lack of interviews before this and feeling underprepared due to missing the breakout group. This led me to start researching tips and tricks for interviewing alongside trying to work the STAR technique into my way of answering the questions. Through my research I found that I had to be well presented, formal, be able to talk myself up which is something I tend to struggle with and come to the interview with examples of different experiences I’ve had in the job I’m applying for (National Careers Service, n.d.). this helped me feel a bit better and somewhat more confident in my abilities and able to go into this interview with the knowledge of what I need to do.

Evaluation

The interview went very well as I was able to answer all the questions I was asked with great detail as I had prepared for the questions I thought would be asked. I was in with some form of baseline as just before me myself and my peers had interviewed someone who was also wanting to be a studio engineer; however they had changed the questions more than I had anticipated, however they felt I was able to answer these questions very well. They have given me comments such as “Sublime, understood the questions. Provided details, even when unprompted.” in reference to the content of my answers. However, my interview was not perfect as they felt I did not use the STAR technique enough, which I would have to agree with as I found it difficult to use this technique while in the interview scenario.

Analysis

This is something that has greatly helped my confidence in how I interview and also my eligibility I have for the job I would like to do, as I had a lot of experience I was able to translate into the interview and that would also translate into the job I want to do. I feel that my use of the STAR technique was lacking as it was something I have not have any practice with, and so taking it straight from reading about it to doing it was going to be a big undertaking and something I should have considered beforehand.

Conclusion

From these interviews, I have learnt that coming prepared is essential. In future interviews, I will also need to remember to properly research the business I am going in to so I am able to reference why I want to work for them in particular. Although I felt underprepared initially, I made the decision to do research and make sure I properly prepared in the best way I could which really paid off.

Action Plan

In the future, I will need to make sure I do just as much research for the next actual job interview I have, if not more so that I am well prepared for it and am able to make a good impression of myself. I will also need to make sure that I practice using the STAR method in any way I can, whether that means I have to have more practice interviews with friends or family  so that I make sure I can really nail down hitting all of the points of STAR.

Bibliography

Boogard, K., 2022. the muse. [Online] 
Available at: https://www.themuse.com/advice/star-interview-method
[Accessed 24 feb 2023].

National Careers Service, n.d. National Careers Service. [Online] 
Available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice/interview-advice
[Accessed 24 feb 2023].

The University of Edinburgh, 2020. The University of Edinburgh. [Online] 
Available at: https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle
[Accessed 23 feb 2023].