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\n\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Job interviews are hard and I\u2019m a chatty person who doesn\u2019t mind speaking in front of others. However, once you add the pressure of the professionalism and a job being on the line, even I get nervous and worry I\u2019ll choke on my words.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In February, my classmates and I took part in simulated interviews to help us prepare for the not so distant future of graduating university and searching for a job. (Scary!) In this post I\u2019m going to be reflecting on my experience during the stimulated interviews using Bound et al\u2019s Model of Reflection. This model looks at the experience, reflecting on the situation and consequently the learning outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The experience element of Bound et al\u2019s Reflective model relates to behaviour, ideas and feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To prepare for the interview day we had been asked to research a job we would like to apply for. This part really excited me! I knew straight away I wanted to look at radio roles as through my involvement in Queens Radio I have gained a real passion for radio presenting and producing content for social media platforms.\u00a0As Head of Music at the station I’ve gained vital experience in on-air broadcasting along with interviewing local artists. The image bellow is a behind the scenes shot of me interviewing local musician Lauren Ann as part of a series of TikToks and reels highlighting the talent in Belfast. I love working with smaller musicians and helping give them a platform to find new fans so making this a career would be very rewarding for me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I found what could possibly be a dream job for me! A social media and video content producer for Global in Glasgow, Scotland. Not only would this job fulfil my love of music and social media but also my love for Scotland. Yes, you did read that right! Ever since I went to a Gerry Cinnamon gig at Hampden Park in Glasgow in 2022, I have been obsessed with the country. This job certainly triggered an excitement in me, all of my interests blending into the one role.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPreparation is everything, whether you are applying for a job or work experience. Know your local radio and TV station and study their websites in detail. Be familiar with the output and the style. Know about the area \u2013 its industry, people, politics and stories.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Alexander and Stewart, 12-13).\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Of course, not living in Scotland I felt it was crucial I was able to provide in depth knowledge of the Glasgow music scene and culture at any relevant opportunity in my interview. I researched what kind of content Global\u2019s stations in Glasgow were already posting on their socials and searching for a gap in their current content.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Having previous experience in job interviews for retail jobs I have become very comfortable using the STAR technique. STAR stands for situation, task, action and results and through using the STAR techniques you can ensure your answers are coherent and structured. I find this method helps me gather my thoughts in my head before I attempt to communicate them.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPeople are often far more employable than they first realise. It is quite difficult to assess how employable you really are unless you spend a bit of time thinking about your past experiences. Most of us just don\u2019t do this, unless we have to\u201d.<\/em><\/strong> (Gregory, 40)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reflecting on the simulated interviews I feel I could have talked more of my experiences relevant to the role. My only piece of negative feedback was I described more of my interests than experience and I think this was as Gregory suggests I didn\u2019t consider how employable and relevant my experiences are. I could have brought up an interview I did with Tom Walker who is a Scottish singer songwriter who has millions of monthly listeners. This would have been relevant to the Global job as Tom is Scottish, so a local talent and it shows my ability to work with well-known personalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, I was pleased that the interviewing panel commented on my knowledge of the role and company.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStrong knowledge of job and company \u2013 good research and strong projection of what job consists of.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In my answers I included things like TRNSMT festival and how important it is for creating content both with bands and artists performing but also with the crowd. I talked about videos like finish the lyric challenges and an idea I had about showing audiences how to buy sustainable festival outfits. DF Concerts the promotor for TRNSMT last year had a partnership with Zero Waste Scotland at the festival to inform concert goers of how they can help to reduce their impact on the planet. I discussed how it would be beneficial for Global to collaborate with the important meaning of shopping second hand but also how popular it currently is on social media sites like TikTok.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cConnect your answers back to your skills and accomplishments. With any question you answer, it is important that you connect your background to that job by supplying examples of solutions and results you\u2019ve achieved. Use every chance to deal with the requirements listed in the job description.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> (Foresight)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n I used Foresight\u2019s advice effectively in my interview as in the preparation stages of the stimulated interview I ensured I was familiar with what it was exactly that the employers were looking for in the ideal candidate. Something I\u2019ve always been scared of when looking at job specifications is the experience segment. I\u2019ve always thought how I could possibly have relevant experience as a student when I could be going up for a job against someone who\u2019s been in the industry for years. However, through the simulated interview process I was forced to reflect on the work I\u2019ve done in the past and found I actually do have relevant experience as simple as my own TikTok page.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the interviewing panel opened with the question, \u201cTell us about your TikTok account, the content you create and how you\u2019ve grown your platform?\u201d I\u2019ll admit I was quite startled. I never really consider my account anything other than an account on the app like the millions of other users. However, after a depth breathe and a scroll down my page in my head, I was able to navigate this question with confidence (fake it to you make it, right?). I told the panel of a recent successful video I created to Noah Kahan\u2019s song \u2018Homesick<\/em>\u2019 featuring Sam Fender. Sam Fender\u2019s verse is all about where he grew up in Newcastle and at the time when the song was released a trend on TikTok was to ‘define you had to be there to experience it’. I had a lightbulb moment with this, I created a video to the song showing my ‘you had to be there to experience moment’ as Sam Fender\u2019s hometown gig in St. James Park. The video reached 107.5k views, created a trend of people showing their photos and videos of the night to that sound and Sam Fender himself commented. I explained to the interviewers how important it would be for Global to get \u201ceasy views\u201d on TikTok through tailoring trending content which gets very high engagement levels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The simulated interviews were a vital experience in allowing me to identify what my strengths and weaknesses are in the interview process. I must admit I actually enjoyed my interview; I was talking about a lot of things I enjoy and ultimately, I felt confident doing so. Before taking part in the simulated interviews I would have said I didn\u2019t have enough experience to apply for a \u201creal\u201d job, but this process allowed me to see what relevant examples I have. I definitely feel a lot more prepared and even excited about future job interviews. This process taught me that interviews don\u2019t have to be scary and when you find a job you\u2019re genuinely excited by it becomes easy to be passionate and talk confidently about the area it is in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n D. Boud, R. Keogh, D. Walker (Eds.), Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning, Kogan Page, London (1985)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Foresight, Derek, Job Interview: The Ultimate Guide to Prepare, Impress, Do Research, and Answer Every Question Right.\u00a0Italy,\u00a0Efalon Acies,\u00a02020.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gregory, Georgina, et al.\u00a0Careers in Media and Film : The Essential Guide<\/em>, SAGE Publications, Limited, 2008.\u00a0ProQuest Ebook Central<\/em>,\u00a0https:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/qub\/detail.action?docID=420885<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ray Alexander, Peter Stewart.Broadcast Journalism: Techniques of Radio and Television News<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1] https:\/\/images.app.goo.gl\/vF2aEe8SBUjgN5Lq7<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2024\/03\/image-42.png\")
\nExperience<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
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Reflection<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/figure>\nOutcomes<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Works Cited (MLA)<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Images<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n