CEL2106

COMMUNICATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

SEMESTER 2, 2022-2023

CLASS MATERIAL 4
PREPARING FOR A JOB INTERVIEW
 Introduction

Congratulate yourself if you are called for an interview; however, be reminded that the
job application process has not ended. Your last task is to ace the interview session.
Securing job is the ultimate goal of a job interview. Therefore, it is important that you put
as much thought, planning and diligence in it as you did in writing your resume and job
application letter.

Discussion

Resume is like a ticket to enter an interview room. However, once you are in the
interview room, you are on your own. What would you do to impress the interviewer?

Preparing for a Job

Interview

Activity 1
Brainstorm the things you may want to do before you attend an interview session. Then,
share your findings with your classmates.

1
.
2
.
3
.
4
.
5
.
 Adapting to Different Interview Styles

Certain employers have their preferred styles of obtaining the information they need for
their hiring decision. Some employers may choose to utilise a combination of different
styles but if you have prepared well for the interview, you will be able to adapt to the
situation they present.

Activity 2

Discuss the features of the following types of interviews.

Types of Interviews Features

Face to face

Phone Screening

Stress

Panel

Group

Video/Skype

Casual
 Answering “Tell Me about Yourself” Interview Question

Open-ended question like “Tell me about yourself” is frequently asked at the beginning
of an interview to get the conversation started. Since it is often the first question to be
asked in an interview, it is your big chance to impress the interviewer.

Activity 3

A. What information should be included in answering “Tell me about yourself” question?

1
.
2
.
3
.

B. Construct your answer below.

Tell me about yourself

C. What are the things to avoid in answering “Tell Me about Yourself” interview question?

N Things to Avoid Justificati

o. on

1.

2.

3.

4.
 1.

Using Correct Tenses (Simple Present, Simple Past and Future Tense)

The use of correct tenses is essential when you answer questions during a job interview
especially when describing your skills, past experience, future goals, etc. Having a solid
understanding of this concept is critical when making a good impression, and it will help
ensure that your ideas are communicated clearly.

Activity 4

Fill in the blanks below using suitable tenses.

Hello. My name is Saif Mateen. Writing (1) (be) my passion and I enjoy writing

so much. My past experience as a content writer for a local magazine 2)

(grant) me a lot of valuable experience. In my previous jobs, my roles (3)

(be) basically managing the contents of the website and writing articles for

the magazine. Apart from that, I (4) (be, award) as the staff of the month

from January to May in 2018, and I believe that it is due to the good quality of my

writings. I

also remember when I (5) (be, give) multiple tasks by my supervisor to be

completed within a few days, I am grateful that I (6) (manage) to complete them

all with minimum corrections before deadline. Thus, I believe that I (7) (be) fit to

be your content writer as I am very committed and punctual in doing my work. In future, I
hope I (8) (gain) more experience and definitely contribute a lot to your

company in terms of quality writings.

Types of Interview Questions

As a candidate of job interview, you need to be fully prepared to answer various kinds of
questions.

Activity 5

Define the purpose of each type of questions below. Then, for each of the question
types, provide sample question and answer.

1. Credential Verification Question

Purpose

Sample 1:
Question

Answer

Sample 2
 Question

Answer

Sample 3:
Question

Answer

2. Experience Verification Question

Purpose

Sample 1:
Question

Answer
 Sample 2
Question

Answer

Sample 3:
Question

Answer

3. Opinion Question

Purpose

Sample 1:
Question

Answer
 Sample 2
Question

Answer

Sample 3:
Question

Answer

4. Behavioural Question

Purpose

Sample 1:
Question

Answer
 Sample 2
Question

Answer

Sample 3:
Question

Answer

Common Interview Questions

There are some interview questions that are commonly asked by the interviewer -
regardless of your industry, your experience level, and job type. To ace in the interview,
a candidate should be familiar with common questions and strategically craft good
answers for the questions.

Discussion

What are some common job interview questions that you are familiar with?

Activity 6
Fill in the table below with common interview questions you may think of. Exchange your
answers with your classmates.

N Question Answer
o.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
Answering Interview Questions using STAR method

The STAR method is very helpful especially in answering behavioural questions. You can
answer by describing the situation, task, action and result.

Activity 7

A. Fill in the table below with definition for the acronym below.

S Situati
on

T Task

A Action

R Result
B. Answer the following questions using the STAR method. Share your answers with
classmates.

1. Give me a specific example of a time when you had to solve a challenging

problem.

2. Describe a time when you were not able to meet the set deadline. How did
you handle it?

3. Describe a situation in which you had to convince someone to see things your
way.

R
 Language Focus: Subject Verb Agreement

During a job interview, you should present a professional image. Your outfit represents
something about you when meeting face-to-face, and your writing represents you in
your absence. However, grammatical mistakes in speaking will give a negative
impression to your potential employers. Subject-verb agreement is one of the most
common errors that people make.

Discussion

What do you understand about Subject Verb Agreement (SVA)? With a partner,
discuss some important rules of SVA.

Activity 8

Identify and correct Subject Verb Agreement errors in the conversations below.

Interviewer: What do you know about us?

Interviewee: I see that your company have been in business for over thirty years with

an excellent reputation for reliable employee records management software,

specialising in systems which can handle both unionised and non-union employees

effectively. Your clients includes the top companies in this state. You have offices in the

three largest cities in the state, and you seem to be consistently growing.

Interviewer: Why did you apply for this position?

Interviewee: I’ve heard great things about the work environment here from a few

colleagues. When I saw the job posting, it seem to match my skills very closely. For
example, in the job description, you require somebody who are an expert in Java

programming. This is what I focused on in my previous position. I consider myself an

expert in Java and it’s a skill I hope to continue specialising in.

Interviewer: Why are you looking to leave your current company?

Interviewee: I’m looking for more leadership opportunities. I’ve been at my company for

four years and have really enjoyed the experience, but I believe in order to take the next

step in my career, it would be helpful to join a larger organisation and uses what I’ve

learned in the past to lead more projects. That’s why this Project Manager role excite

me.

Interviewer: Why should we hire you?

Interviewee: Well, I have all of the skills and experience that you’re looking for and I’m

confident that I would be a superstar in these role. I have the 6 years of programming

experience you’re looking for, a track record of successful projects, and proven

expertise in agile development processes. At the same time, I have developed my

communication skills from working directly with senior managers, which mean I am well

prepared to work on high-profile and cross-department projects. I have the experience

to start contributing from day one and I am truly excited about the prospect of getting

started.
 Forming Appropriate Questions to Ask the Interviewers

Discussion

Can an interviewee ask questions during a job interview?

Is it necessary for the interviewee to ask questions to the interviewers during the
interview?

Activity 9

List 10 possible questions to ask the interviewers.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
 Being Polite in Asking Questions to Interviewers

Discussion

What is the difference between the usage of ‘can’, ‘could’ and ‘would you mind’ in
asking questions? Which one is considered more polite?

Activity 10

Compare the questions below and choose which one is more polite.

1 Can you tell how much I will earn?

.
If you don’t mind, could you tell me how much I would earn?

2 May I know how the working environment is here?

.
Is the working environment stressful here?

3 When will I know the result of this interview?

.
Would you mind if I ask when I will be informed about the result?

4 Could you explain to me about the benefits offered here?

.
What are the benefits of working here?
 Job Interview

Etiquette Activity 11

Discuss the etiquette in a job interview according to the features below. Demonstrate any
necessary features to class.

Feature Etiquet
te

Waiting for the

interview

Entering the room

Sitting in the
interview
room

Maintaining gesture
and posture during
the interview

Leaving the interview

room
 Professional Grooming

Discussion

Why is it very important for interviewees to dress up appropriately for job interview?

Activity 12

Discuss with your classmates what is appropriate to be worn to attend a job interview
according to the features listed below.

Feature Ma Fema
le le

Hair,
Facial
Hair &
Scarf

Shirt &
Dress

Shoes

Accessorie
s (Tie, Belt,
Brooches,
Jewellery &
etc)
 Conducting a Mock

Interview Activity 13

Conduct a mock interview by following the instructions below.

1. Group yourselves into four or five members.

2. Each group prepares a set of interview questions to ask (you may extract
questions from Activity 5).
3. Find a pair group to conduct this activity.
4. In every pair group, take turn of which group should be interviewing or
interviewed first.
5. Choose the best candidate that you would like to hire from your pair group after
the interview. Provide justifications of choosing him or her.
6. Consider the candidates’ etiquettes and language proficiency as well apart from their
answers.
7. Instructor gives overall comments after the activity.