One thing about final year of university, is that a good interview does not shy away from you. From PGCE interviews to that interview for a J1 Visa to America, you get thrown into it. It must be one of the scariest things to have to do, but I suppose it is not as easy as clicking your fingers to get to where you want to be. As Charles Briggs said, “interviews currently form a crucial facet of the process of generating notions of both the public and political sphere” (2) suggesting how important an interview is in being a steppingstone for many points in one’s life. During this module we were given the opportunity to take part in simulated interviews. We were separated into different groups to do them. The group I was put in were with girls I have never spoken to, and I found this very successful as we were going into it without any expectations. To begin, we had to search for a job advertisement that we thought suited us and send it to each group member, so they could have questions prepared. I looked for something that related to my career aspirations. When I was sent the advertisements from my peers, I surmised a variety of questions so the interviewee would get the best possible experience.
Schön’s Model
Simulated interviews, integrated with Donald Schön’s model of reflective practice, offered a powerful insight into enhancing learning and development in the professional world. Schön’s model emphasises the importance of reflective thinking in clarifying your skills and adapting to the real world through interviewing for jobs and careers. Using Schön’s model and amalgamating it into simulated interviews, a structured framework was provided for me to reflect on my experience and learn from it.
Schön’s model consists of two main concepts: ‘reflection in action’ and ‘reflection on action.’ By applying these concepts to interview skills it involves a dynamic process of thinking and learning during the interview, and then afterward reflecting on your performance. There were a variety of different benefits to using this model throughout the process as it promoted the idea for continuous improvement, self-awareness, and adaptability.
The First Step To Getting My Dream Job…
My own advertisement was for a teaching position in Belfast, as I would like to pursue a teaching career in the future and have applied for a variety of PGCE courses in the UK for September 2024. This simulated interview was great practice for my upcoming PGCE interviews. During my interview, I was engaged and aware of what I was relaying. I actively listened to each question with intent and paused between each to fully understand what I was being asked. My intention was to highlight my passion for teaching and my desire to continue my love for my degree into the teaching profession. Schön’s model helped me to take my time and I was able to reflect on my interview during the process. Towle stated that, “a research approach to the solution of a problem enables the practitioner to learn through experience and to convey what he [or she] learns” (Papell and Skolnik 21) showing how individuals can learn through experience and communicate their findings, which in turn will benefit them in different fields. Towle is showing that a culture of continuous improvement happens through Schön’s model.
I benefitted from pre-interview preparation. By talking to people that had been through interviews and sat on interview panels, I had good knowledge of the main things I needed to do during mine. The STAR technique was introduced to me at the beginning of this module, and it helped me to structure my responses in an effective way. This technique allowed me to come across as professional and well prepared to the panel. As I read through the job description, I could see the school was lacking in a well-being class, and I was keen to mention that I could add this to the list of extra-curricular activities. Maybe my yoga skills would impress the panel?
I practiced my interview preparation in an oral situation, a couple of days before the interview I asked my friend to question me. It went well but it was also hard to remember that this was an informal setting and the simulated interview was going to be in front of a panel of girls I did not know.
The Big Moment…
The day of the interview came and as you do on a day like that, I had nerves dripping off me. I get sweaty palms when I am nervous and it was mornings like that, that I wish I wasn’t one of those people.
As I began my interview, I was sure to keep strong eye contact all the way through and show interest in what was being asked. When I was asked a question that I wasn’t completely sure of, I was able to pause and collect my thoughts. The best way to act is not to rush and to answer every question to my best ability. The reflective nature of Schön’s model is also a good way of understanding questions. Looking at the panel and seeing how they react to my answers was an effective way of making this clear, this is also why eye contact is so important. I will not lie and say I could answer every question with ease, a couple threw me off a little bit. What I learned from this though, is that there is always going to be obstacles and you must take your time and answer it the best you can, the panel does not expect you to be perfect.
Reflecting After The Chaos…
The ability to reflect on experiences and work on themselves based on feedback, enhances how to act in the professional workplace. For me, the most meaningful element of the simulated interview was being able to reflect on what I had said and how I was then going to improve on that in my upcoming interviews. Mc Millan and Weyers states that critical thinking is, ‘incisive, seeing through complexity and obscurity. Logical, deploying evidence towards a clear position’(4) clearly showing that critical thinking underscores the importance of analytical and thoughtful reasoning in navigating your situations such as interviews. These interviews were a way to show that thinking logically can be continually improved. After reading Koven’s article on interviews, it was evident to me that, “interviews are best understood as speech events: participants should use language and other signs systems in spatiotemporally, socially situated interactions in ways that reflect and create those interactions.” (3) I was therefore mindful when giving feedback to my peers because I wanted them to benefit from what I had to say, so they knew it was a two-way conversation. I found it interesting hearing each other’s opinions because it was less intimidating than a real interview panel, but insightful to see different points of view from people at the same level as you.
After my simulated interview I thought about what I had succeeded in and what could be improved on in the future. One thing was obvious, I struggle to talk about my strengths in detail. The fact of the matter is that I can name strengths, but I find it hard to elaborate on them. As I looked at the feedback from my peers, I was happy with their responses as they claimed I had answered clearly and kept good eye contact throughout. They also highlighted the areas in which I needed to improve on, which I took very well. I believe that constructive criticism is very important especially in situations like an interview.
If I was to return and do the same simulated interview again, I would be aware of improvements that I would need to make such as keeping consistent with my body language, facial expressions, and all together presentation of myself. The skills I have learned from my simulated interviews will be useful when I begin my career as an English teacher. These reflective practices and strategies will help me when I am teaching, as Green reiterates how a teacher rises above challenges by, “working through and reflecting upon these events and challenges that you will develop” (1) and “the purpose behind this reflection is for teachers to ensure that they are doing all they can to improve the quality of their teaching.” (32)
Conclusion
This module has enabled me to go outside of my comfort zone, in a time when it was crucial to do so. I may be finished with the simulated interview, but it is only the beginning of my encounters with interview panels. I will always remember the skills I learned during this module, and I will use them in every interview situation, may that be for a job in Tesco or may that for a Principal post. It is so important to be original and to show an employer that you have something that no other candidate does. This task was successful in the sense that I identified my strengths and weaknesses when I wouldn’t have if I had not taken this module.
Bibliography
Briggs, Charles. “Interview.” Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, vol. 9, no. 1/2, 1999, pp. 137–40. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43102448. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.
Green, Andrew. Becoming a Reflective English Teacher, McGraw-Hill Education, 2011.ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qub/detail.action?docID=744150.
McMillan, Kathleen and Weyers, Johnathan. How to Improve your Critical Thinking & Reflective Skills, Pearson Education UK, 2013.ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qub/detail.action?docID=5248200.
Koven, Michèle. “Interviewing: Practice, Ideology, Genre, and Intertextuality.” Annual Review of Anthropology, vol. 43, 2014, pp. 499–520. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43049588. Accessed 5 Mar. 2024.
Papell, Catherine P., and Louise Skolnik. “THE REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER: A CONTEMPORARY PARADIGM’S RELEVANCE FOR SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION.” Journal of Social Work Education, vol. 28, no. 1, 1992, pp. 18–26. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23042778. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024.
Images
Artinspiring. “Male English Teacher. Stock Vector. Illustration of Occupation – 102467138.” Dreamstime, 25 Oct. 2017, www.dreamstime.com/male-english-teacher-classroom-chalkboard-male-english-teacher-image102467138. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024.
John. “Making Eye Contact in Zoom.” John The Computer Man, johnthecomputerman.co.uk/making-eye-contact-in-zoom/. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024.
Robinson, Katie, et al. “All about Yoga: Poses, Types, Benefits, and More.” EverydayHealth.Com, www.everydayhealth.com/yoga/. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024.
Sheryl Third, RECE; ECE.C. “3.3 Donald Schon.” Reflective Practice in Early Years Education, Fanshawe College Pressbooks, 11 May 2022, ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/reflectivepracticeinearlyyears/chapter/3-3-donald-schon/. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024.
“Using the Star Method for Your next Behavioral Interview (Worksheet Included).” MIT, 30 Aug. 2023, capd.mit.edu/resources/the-star-method-for-behavioral-interviews/. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024.