Topik : An Interview

Capaian Pembelajaran Topik: Mahasiswa mampu memilih topik perbincangan dalam

pewawancaraan dan menyusun pertanyaan- pertanyaan untuk mewawancarai dalam bahasa
Inggris.
Sub Topik : What is an interview
What is the Definition of Interview? can be crafted as a gentle conversation between two people
or more where questions are asked to a person to get the required responses or answers.
What is meant by interview? The interview is a process of communication or interaction in
which the subject or interviewee gives the needed information verbally in face-to-face situation.
Although the interview is generally associated with a kind of counseling.
“Interview is a selection procedure designed to predict future job performance based on
applicants’ oral responses to oral inquiries.”
 People involved in an interview: Usually two groups or two individuals sit facing each
other in an interview. The person asking questions is the interviewer and the person
answering the questions is the interviewee.
 An interview is essentially a structured conversation where one participant asks
questions, and the other provides answers. ... In common parlance, the word " ..
 Interview can be used effectively to collect useful information about individuals in many
research situations.
 An interview is a face-to-face conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee,
where the interviewer seeks replies from the interviewee for choosing a potential human
resource.
According to The Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary, interview defined as :
a. A formal meeting at which somebody is asked questions to see if they are suitable for a
particular job or course of study of college/university.
b. Private meeting between people where questions are asked and answered.
c. To ask somebody about their life, opinions, especially on radio or television or for the
newspaper or magazine.
d. To give an interview is to agree to answer questions.
Basically, an interview is a conversation between two people (the interviewer and the
interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the
interviewee.
The word interview can have different meanings. For example a reporter interviews a celebrity
for television. This kind of interviews can be one-on-one but usually when it comes to television
there are many reporters from different channels.
There are also job interviews which a person has to go through in order to get a job he wants. Job
interviews are usually face-to-face interviews and include paperwork.

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During an interview you can expect to be asked questions about your educational background,
previous work experiences and questions relating to your personal characteristics and goal. But
what happens after that? It depends on what interview style your interviewer prefers.
If the interview is for a job, its purposes are to find if the candidate has the right attitude and fits
the requirement and company culture; and to find the best candidate to fill a vacancy.
The interview is the most critical component of the entire selection process.
It serves as the primary means to collect additional information on an applicant. It serves as the
basis for assessing an applicant’s job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is designed to
decide if an individual should be interviewed further, hired, or eliminated from consideration.
Objectives of Interview: Let us find out what are the objectives or goals of an interview.
1. It helps to verify the information provided by the candidate. It helps to ascertain the
accuracy of the provided facts and information about the candidate. What the candidate
has written in the resume are the main points. What other additional skill set does he
have? All these are known by conducting interviews.
2. It not only gives the interviewer information about the candidate’s technical knowledge
but also gives an insight into his much needed creative and analytical skills. Helps in
establishing the mutual relation between the employee and the company.
3. It is useful for the candidate so that he comes to know about his profession, the type of
work that is expected from him and he gets to know about the company. An interview is
beneficial for the interviewer and the interviewee as individuals, because both of them
gain experience, both professionally and personally.
4. It helps the candidate assess his skills and know where he lacks and the places where he
needs improvement. The interview also helps the company build its credentials and
image among the employment seeking candidates.

Types of Interviews:

Based on
Based on Based on Based on
the
the count the judging Based on
facilities
of people planning the the task
or
involved involved abilities
settings
Behavioral-
Personal A structured Telephonic Apprenticeship
based
interview interview interview interview
interview
Problem-
Group Unstructured Online Evaluation
solving
interview interview interview interview
interview

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 Based on
Based on Based on Based on
the
the count the judging Based on
facilities
of people planning the the task
or
involved involved abilities
settings
Panel Depth Job Fair Promotion
interview interview interview interview
Stress Lunch Counseling
interview interview interview
Disciplinary
Tea interview
interview
Persuasive
interview

1. Based on the count of people involved

1. One-to-one interview (Personal interview):
It is the most common among the interview types, it involves the interviewer asking questions
maybe both technical and general to the interviewee to investigate how fit the candidate is for the
job.
Example: Posts in small organizations and mid-level and high-level jobs in big organizations.
2. Group interview:
This involves multiple candidates and they are given a topic for discussion. They are assessed on
their conversational ability and how satisfactorily they are able to have their own views and
make others believe in them. Here, the best among the lot gets selected.
Example: Fresher posts and mid-level sales posts.
3. Panel interview (Committee Interview):
The interviewers here are a group from among the company people who are in a senior position
and usually, the panel interview is when the candidate is supposed to make a presentation. But
many-a-times it could be for the job interview as well.
Example: Mid-level and high-level jobs.
2. Based on the Planning Involved:
a. Structured interview (Formal interview or guided interview): Here in the traditional form
of an interview, the questions asked are all in a standard format and the same is used for
all the candidates. This is to assess the ability of all the candidates impartially. E: Entry-
level jobs for fresher.

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b. Unstructured interview (Informal interview or conversational interview): This is the
opposite of a structured interview. Here the interviewer has a definite idea in mind about
the questions to be asked, but it doesn’t follow a certain format. The interviewer may
deviate and a conversation type interview follows. Ex: Mid-level job interview for
managerial position
3. Based on Judging the Abilities:
a. Behavioral-based interview: The interviewee is asked questions about past work
experiences and how it was dealt with in a particular situation. This helps the interviewer
understand the candidate’s future performance based on his past experiences. The
probing maybe in detail to assess the candidate’s behaviour and responses and this
determines the candidate’s future job prospects. Ex: Interview for managerial positions,
executive posts.
b. Problem-solving interview (Task-Oriented interview): Here the interviewer is more
concerned about problem-solving abilities be it technical, managerial, creative or
analytical skills. This is the most common among the interview patterns and it may
involve either writing and answering a questionnaire set or answering the technical
questions orally. Ex: Interviews for Software recruitments, technical industries, and
managerial positions.
c. Depth interview (In-depth interview): When you need to ascertain everything about the
interviewee right from life history, academic qualifications, work experiences, hobbies,
and interests; you conduct the depth interview. Here the interviewer has a clear idea
about the questions he will be asking but once the question is asked, he allows the
conversation to flow and is more of a listener. This interview takes time and more of a
friendly approach of the interviewer towards the interviewee. Ex: For executive posts.
d. Stress interview: Very rare, but such interviews are conducted to see how the candidate
will be able to react in stressful situations and to assess if he will be able to handle the
crisis at his job. Tactics involved include:
 Completely ignore the candidate by maybe, making a phone call in the middle of
the interview.
 Or some other tactic like continuously interrupting the candidate when he answers
the questions.
 Trying to enforce your point of view forcefully even if he disagrees.
 Asking a whole lot of questions all at once.
 Interrupting him by asking another question not related to his answer. Ex: For
banker jobs.
4. Based on the Facilities or Settings:
a. Telephonic interview: This interview is conducted over the phone and its main objective
is to narrow down the probable list of candidates so that only the most eligible ones
finally get shortlisted. This is done in the initial stages and before the personal interview.
Also when the candidate is far-off, the company first conducts a telephonic interview and
if satisfied then arranges the travel expenses for a one-to-one interview. Ex: Interview for
entry-level jobs.
b. Online interview (Video interview or Skype interview):

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  This interview may be was done by instant messaging, online chats, email or
through videos. This involves the interviewer asking questions just like in a
personal interview.
 This is done based on situations like if the interviewee resides far-off or if the
interview at the appointed time gets cancelled due to valid reasons.
 Also, it is more convenient for the interviewer that he can fix the interview at his
spare time and convey the message to the candidate a few hours before or so.
 This helps as the interviewer doesn’t need to inform the candidate many days in
advance. Ex: Interview for mid-level posts.
c. Job Fair Interview (Career Fair interview): Here the interviewer does a mini-interview to
know the qualifications and the technical knowledge. Then basic technical questions are
asked to know if the candidate can proceed further for the main interview. This is a very
short interview to net only the potential candidates. Ex: Interviews for fresher jobs held at
the college campus.
d. Lunch interview: This interview is more of a conversational interview mainly designed so
that the interviewer gets to know more about the candidate. This also helps the
interviewer to assess how the candidate conducts himself in a less-formal environment
and how he presents himself. Ex: Interview for managerial and sales posts.
e. Tea interview: This is the same as a lunch interview but only that it differs in the time
limit. Here the interviewee gets less time to prove himself. The interviewer here has a
structured format for questioning since there is a time limit. Ex: Interview for positions in
the fashion and glamour industry and sales posts.
5. Based on the Task:
a. Apprenticeship interview: Here the candidate is a novice and the interview is a very
formal one with general questions and some skill related questions being asked. Ex:
Interview for training programs in organizations.
b. Evaluation interview: In this interview, a fixed set of questions are asked and a scoring
system evaluates the points scored. This type of interview negates the scope of the
personal bias of the interviewer. Ex: Interview in corporate organizations
c. Promotion interview: This is for an employee of the company seeking a higher position
for career enhancement purposes. Ex: Interviews in mid-level posts.
d. Counselling interview: When employees are called and their problems and solutions are
discussed within the organization, such meeting type interviews are called counselling
interviews. Ex: Interviews in big organizations
e. Disciplinary interview: Here an individual or number of employees or sometimes the
employee union is interviewed for their misconduct or non-performance. This is more
sort of a meeting between the manager and the employees to get the problem resolved.
Ex: Interviews in big companies.
f. Persuasive interview: The interviewee here has to persuade the interviewer to accept his
point of view as in case of an employee persuading his manager to implement some
changes in the policy or a sales manager persisting on selling a product. Ex: Interviews in
mid-level managerial posts
Guidelines for Effective Interviewing:
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The job of an interviewer spans from preparing the right set of questions to assessing the answers
of the candidates and then finally selecting the best candidate for the job. So then what are the
guidelines for effective interviewing for interviewers or employers?
1. Know the candidate beforehand: Review the bio-data clearly before the interview
process. Know the candidate, his qualifications, his experiences, and his skill sets. This
will give you an idea of the line of questions to be asked to the candidate.
2. Jot down questions both the technical and non-technical ones: Note down all the
questions you need to ask so that they help you in getting an assessment of the candidate.
Ask questions related to the role and responsibilities the post needs and see if the
candidate is ready to assume the roles responsibly.
3. Prepare an outline of the interview: Know how you will go about the process of
interviewing the candidates. Make a structured plan so that you are able to review the
candidate properly.
4. Be a responsible interviewer: See to it that you ask appropriate questions. How you
behave and conduct yourself while asking questions is as important as the interviewee
answering his questions.
5. Assess the candidate thoroughly: Whether it is the technical skills or creative skills,
assess the candidate and seek all relevant information. Look at their conversational skills
and how convincing they are.
6. Allow the candidate to speak: Your job of talking is limited to asking questions. So listen
and don’t talk or interrupt in between. Thus you will be able to gather all the relevant and
required information from the candidate.
7. Be professional and ask job-related questions: You don’t want to miss on a potential
candidate by being too professional or being too personal. Be polite and draw a line
between being professional and personal. Let all your questions be related to the job so
that the candidate will feel at ease to answer the questions.
8. Do a follow up:mAfter the interview, do let the candidates know of their job status. That
way you extend your professional courtesy and help in building the credentials of your
company.
Types of Interview : There are several types of the interview;
1. Unstructured (Nondirective) Interview.
2. Structured (Directive) Interview.
3. Situational Interview.
4. Behavioral Interview.
5. Job-related Interview.
6. Stress Interview.
7. Panel Interview (Board Interview).
8. One-On-One Interview.
9. Mass Interview (Group Interview),
10. Phone Interview

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 Unstructured (Nondirective) Interview : An unstructured interviews, there is generally no
set format to follow so that the interview can take various directions. The lack of
structure allows the interviewer to ask follow-up questions and pursue points of interest
as they develop. An unstructured interview is an interview where probing, open-ended
questions are asked. It involves a procedure where different questions may be asked to
different applicants.
 Structured (Directive) Interview. In structured interviews, the interviewer lists the
questions and acceptable responses in advance and may even rate and score possible
answers for appropriateness. An interview consisting of a series of job-related questions
asked consistently of each applicant for a particular job is known as a structured
interview. A structured interview typically contains four types of questions.
 Situational questions: Pose a hypothetical job situation to determine what the applicant
would do in that situation.
 Job knowledge questions: Probe the applicant’s job-related knowledge.
 Job-sample simulation questions: Involve situations where an applicant may be required
to perform a sample task from the job.
 Worker requirements questions: Seek to determine the applicant’s willingness to conform
to the job requirements.
 Situational Interview, you ask the candidate what his or her behavior would be in a given
situation. Candidates are interviewed about what actions they would take in various job-
related situations. Situational interviews ask interviewees to describe how they would
react to a hypothetical situation today or tomorrow.
 Behavioral Interview, you ask applicants to describe how they reacted to actual situations
in the past.
 Candidates are asked what actions they have taken in prior job situations similar to
situations they may encounter on the job. The interviewers are then scored using a
scoring guide constructed by job experts.
 This structured interview uses questions designed to probe the candidate’s past behavior
in specific situations. This technique involves asking all interviewees standardized
questions about how they handled past situations similar to situations they may encounter
on the job.
 The interviewer may also ask discretionary probing questions for details of the situation,
the interviewee’s behavior, and the outcome. The interviewee’s responses are then scored
with behaviorally anchored rating scales.
 Job-related Interview, the interviewer asks applicants questions about relevant past
experiences. It is a series of job-related questions that focus on relevant past job-related
behaviors. The questions here don’t revolve around hypothetical or actual situations or
scenarios. Instead, the interviewer asks job-related questions such as, “Which courses did
you like best in business school?”
 Stress Interview, the interviewer seeks to make the applicant uncomfortable with
occasionally rude questions. The aim is supposedly to spot sensitive applicants and those
with low or high stress tolerance. Stress interviews may help unearth hypersensitive

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 applicants who might overreact to mild criticism with anger and abuse. It intentionally
creates anxiety to determine how an applicant will react to stress on the job.
 Panel Interview (Board Interview) also known as a board interview, is an interview
conducted by a team of interviewers, who interview each candidate and then combine
their ratings into a final score.
 Here one candidate is interviewed by several representatives of the firm. This technique
entails the job candidate giving oral responses to job-related questions asked by a panel
of interviewers.
 Each panel member then rates each interviewee on such dimensions as work history,
motivation, creative thinking, and presentation.
 The scoring procedure for oral interview boards has typically been subjective; thus, it
would be subject to the personal biases of those individuals sitting on the board. This
technique may not be feasible for jobs in which there are a large number of applicants
that must be interviewed.
 One-On-One Interview, one interviewer meets one candidate. In a typical employment
interview, the applicant meets one-on-one with an interviewer. As the interview may be a
highly emotional occasion for the applicant, meeting alone with the interviewer is often
less threatening.
 Mass Interview (Group Interview) is a relatively new technique in the west and almost
unknown. It is a procedure for the discovery of leadership. Several job applicants are
placed in a leaderless discussion, and interviewers sit in the background to observe and
evaluate the performance of the candidates. In a mass/group interview, a panel interviews
several candidates simultaneously. The panel poses a problem and then watches to see
which candidate takes the lead in formulating an answer.
 Phone Interview Employers do some interviews entirely by These can actually be more
accurate than face-to-face interviews for judging an applicant’s conscientiousness,
intelligence, and interpersonal skills. Here, neither party needs to worry about appearance
or handshakes, so each can focus on substantive answers. Or perhaps candidates –
somewhat surprised by an unexpected call from the recruiter – give more spontaneous
answers.
How Can Interviews Be Administered?
Interviews can also be administered in various ways that are discussed below:
 Personal Interview. Personal Interview is interviews are one-on-one; in which the
candidate meets privately with a single interviewer. Often a well-qualified candidate will
pass through a series of such interviews, first with a member of the human resources
department, then with the manager in whose unit there is a job opening, and finally
perhaps with the manager’s superior. The rest of this section focuses primarily on the
one-on-one scenario
 Unstructured Sequential Interview. It is an interview in which each interviewer forms an
independent opinion after asking different questions.

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  Structured Sequential Interview. It is an interview in which each interviewer rates the
candidates on a standard evaluation form. The top-level manager then reviews and
compares the evaluations before deciding who to hire.
 The group interview; Several candidates are interviewed at once.. Generally, they can
discuss job-related matters among themselves while one or more observers rate their
performance. This type of interview is usually considered most appropriate in selecting
managers; it can also be used with gropes of current employees to evaluate their potential
for supervisory roles.
 Panel Interview. One candidate meets with a panel of two or more representatives of the
firm. One panelist may act as a chairperson, but each of the firm’s representatives
participates in the questioning and discussion. This format allows the interviewers to
coordinate their efforts and follow up with each other’s questions.
 Computer-assisted Interview. The applicant is presented with a series of questions on a
video screen to which he/she responds by pressing the appropriate key on a keyboard.
Preliminary experience suggests that the procedure is faster than face-to-face interviews,
that applicants are more candid, and overcomes the lack of consistency between
interviewers.
Obviously, this approach cannot assess emotional responses or interpersonal skills. But it
has promise as a helpful additional tool in the selection process.
Because of programming and development costs, it appears to be the most practical
choice when fairly large candidates are interviewed for a given job.

WORDS AND PHRASES USES IN INTERVIEWED

Draw attention to your education and qualifications, or any formal training you may have
received:

 I graduated from (university/college etc) in (the year)… 

 I studied at (university/college)… 
 I got a diploma in…. and then went on to study...
 I did a Management course in 2018 and this helped me to...
 I am a qualified...
 I have an IELTS certificate with a score of (number)…
1. Focus on your work experience and your career so far:
 I worked for (company name) as a (job role)…
 I worked in (sector) for (period of time)…
 I was promoted to (job role)…
 I was responsible for...
 I am good at multi-tasking/working under pressure/working to a deadline…
 My strengths are/my strength is communicating well/my ability to solve problems…
 I have worked for several companies including….
 I have …….years’ experience in… 
 I have a proven track record in…
2. Describe your best features and what motivates you:

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 I am hardworking/ organised/decisive/patient/easy going/a team
player/committed/focused/proactive and methodical.
 I am proud of...
 I perform well under pressure.
 I am self-motivated.
 I take pride in my work.
 I’m good at problem-solving.
3. Use intensifiers to make stronger statements:
 I am very organised and extremely focused.
 I am really good at showing initiative/presenting information/problem-solving/controlling
budgets/achieving objectives/motivating colleagues/meeting deadlines/creating ideas.
 I have very good people skills/management skills/organisational skills
4. Make sure you highlight your language skills:
 I have effective communication skills in English, both verbally and in writing.
 I’ve been using English in my professional life for the past ……years.
 I’ve got a good grasp of the specialised English needed in this post/industry.
 I’ve been working in an English-speaking environment for the past……years.
 I’m a confident speaker of English/I feel comfortable speaking English.
5. Include any technical expertise or projects that might be relevant to the role:
 I am very proud of (the last project I was involved in) because...
 I have (say how many years) experience working in (the sector)...
 I have worked in (sector) for...
 I developed some important skills when I (what role or function did you do)...
6. If appropriate, talk about your background, where you are from, and where you grew up:
 I was born in (country) and grew up in (country).
 I relocated/moved to (country) when I was (age).
 I speak (number) languages.
 I currently live in (country/city/ town).
 I currently live in (country/city) however I would consider relocating if the company
required me to do so.
7. If you are asked questions that test your technical skills, the STAR approach will help
keep you focused on your answer.  STAR stands for: Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Here are some examples of expressions you can use with the STAR approach.
a. Situation:
 When I worked for...I sold/set up/ created/implemented/controlled/managed/ designed...
 A good example that comes to mind is...
 I worked in the...department for (period of time) and had to
manage/oversee/control/create/ liaise
with/prepare/provide/organise/support/lead/review...
 I have several years’ experience in...
 I have worked in (sector) for (period of time)...
 As I mentioned earlier, I have a diploma in... and I am a qualified...
 I perform well under pressure which was one of the main reasons why I was asked to...
b. Task:
 As part of my role as a (job) I also had to (what)…
 I was asked to...

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c. Action:
 I held a meeting with...
 I created a...
 I liaised with...
 I designed...
d. Result:
 I successfully managed/controlled/ created…
 We won the contract/the tender/the award…
 I was able to resolve the situation/find solutions/negotiate a better…/move from …….
to……
 We won a new contract/the pitch…
 We achieved our sales targets/the desired result…
8. Demonstrate you can solve a problem:  
 A good example that comes to mind is...
 In my role as…. I was responsible for...
 Due to (the situation e.g. COVID 19) our company was under a lot of pressure to
implement new health and safety measures.
 Our team was under pressure to meet new deadlines.
 I was asked to...
 I was able to turn the situation around.
 I organised/arranged/implemented...
 Even though it wasn’t possible there was still a positive outcome.
 Fortunately...
 Finally...
 I was able to turn the situation around.
 By motivating/creating/implementing/showing initiative...
 I was able to get the team back on track.
 However, it was difficult/ it was a challenge because (we had limited resources).
9. It is always a good idea to give examples of how you use your skills in a work setting:
 I was involved in several projects…
 I have managed a large number of projects over the years….
 I set up several new systems.
 I was responsible for implementing the new safety measures…
 This involved……
 I was asked to….
 It was challenging/difficult, however the end result was …. (something positive)…
 I am very/really proud of how well it turned out…
 I am very proud of the end result.
 We achieved the desired result/we achieved the result we wanted.
 We achieved our a
10. You may be asked to talk about how you’d like to develop and where you see yourself in
the future:
 I would like to take on more responsibility.
 I’m looking to further my career.
 I would like to further my career, so opportunities for professional development would be
important to me.

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  I would like to add to my skill set, so training would be important to me…
 Training is very important to me because….
11. Some interviewers may want to know what other interests you have outside of work.
Here are a few suggestions:
 I like/love going to art galleries/museums…
 I like/love playing football/tennis…
 I watch a lot of...
 I like to keep fit and active so I…
 I am a volunteer for (organisation)...This organisation is responsible for…
 The reason why I love/like...is because...
 I play the piano/the guitar/the trumpet and my favourite musician/composer is…
 Every weekend/summer/winter I go to…
12. Finally, ask the interviewer questions to find out if the job and the company is the right
one for you. You could ask:
 Where do you see the company in 5 years?
 Can you describe the working culture of the organisation?
 Can you tell me more about the team I would be working in?
 What training programmes are available to your employees?
 What do you enjoy most about working here?
 When are you hoping for someone to fill this position?
 What are the next steps in the interview process?  

Describing your personality : As they sit down with candidates, the interviewer (your potential
boss) is looking to find out if the interviewee (you) will or won’t fit in well with their existing
team. So now’s the time to show them who you are and why you’re a great person to work with.
Here are some adjectives to use:

 Easy-going: a relaxed person who is easy to get along with

 Hard-working: someone who works well and isn’t lazy
 Committed: a person who is loyal to a project or person
 Trustworthy: someone who you can rely on
 Honest: someone who tells the truth
 Focused: someone who is not easily distracted
 Methodical: a person who pays attention to details and works in a logical way
 Proactive: someone who takes steps to complete tasks without supervision
You can say:  I’m (easy-going), or I’m a/an easy-going person/employee/worker.
If you’d like to add punch, use an intensifier like very, extremely, really. (“I’m
very trustworthy,” “I’m an extremely focused employee.”)

Describing your strengths: Your interviewer will also want to know what you’re good at. Why?
Because the job you’re applying for requires certain skills – so now’s the time to explain what
you can do well! Some positive traits and skills managers look for include:

 Organization
 The ability to multitask
 Perform to a deadline

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 Solve problems
 Communicate well
 Work in an international environment and with people from all over the world
 Speak foreign languages
 Enthusiasm
Consider using these powerful words and phrases in an interview: I can, I will.
Phrases like “I can contribute…” and “I will offer my strengths in this way…”
show that you are positive and confident in the gifts and talents you bring to a
company. .
 I look forward to. ...
 Respect. ...Opportunity. ...
 Experience. ...
 Skills. ...
 Goals. ...
 Flexible.

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