Interview

“Not a rocket science but tricky”

Preparation
 Do research on your subject before the interview?
 Practice interviewing by asking question from yourself. It might be better if
you take help from one of your friend.
 Go alone for practice.
 Remember your education, training and experience—what you have done.
 Remember all the skills, abilities and talents you possess that will make you
an excellent employee.
 Study General books, newspaper etc.
 Assemble all necessary papers/documents.
 Keep in mind all your past experience of interviews, and try to avoid all the
mistakes you did before.

Some Questions
 Poor personal appearance.
 Lack of interest.
 Poor knowledge about your future and past experience.
 Poor eye contact with interviewer.
 Irrelevant answers to question.
 Inability to express self clearly; poor voice, poor diction, poor grammar.
 Lack of planning for career, no purpose or goals.
 Lack of confidence and poise, nervous, ill at ease.
 Making excuses.
 Lack of maturity.
 Errors in Application Form.
Your dressing and appearance
 All clothes should be neatly pressed. Try to wear new clothes.
 Clean, polished shoe.
 Clean and well-groomed hairstyle.
 Clean, trimmed fingernails.
 Empty pockets – no noisy coins.
 No gum, candy or cigarettes.
 On interview morning, give extra 30 minutes to your appearance.
Appearing before the interviewer / during interview
 Introduce yourself with friendly speeches.

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 Show interest in what the interviewer is saying, by nodding your head and
leaning toward him/her occasionally.
 Give positive answers to negative-based questions.
 Make frequent eye contact.
 Keep a smile on your face during the interview.
 Answer politely, and try to relax.
 Admit when you don’t know.
 Provide accurate information.
 Keep friendly environment with the interviewers.
 Listen carefully to the questions asked. Ask the interviewer to restate a
question if you are confused.
 Answer the questions in the language in which you are asked.
 Don’t try to be over confidant.
 Make positive statements.
Things to avoid
 Poor personal appearance.
 Lack of interest.
 Poor knowledge about your future and past experience.
 Poor eye contact with interviewer.
 Irrelevant answers to question.
 Inability to express self clearly; poor voice, poor diction, poor grammar.
 Lack of planning for career, no purpose or goals.
 Lack of confidence and poise, nervous, ill at ease.
 Making excuses.
 Lack of maturity.
 Errors in Application Form.
Closing
Thanks the interviewers for their time.
Say ‘Salam’ at leaving the chair.
Interview tips
Interviews are stressful!
There is no getting around it. If you are sincere about getting the job, an interview
can be stressful. They have something you want and your performance is what they
are looking at. However, there are ways to make it less stressful.
Keep in mind the purpose of the interview
The interviewer has seen your written credentials, probably through a resumé and
something tweaked their interest. They are checking you out to see if you “fit” with
the printed word as well as within the company. Remember that this is a chance for
you to check them out as well. Ask yourself if you can see yourself working with

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these people in this atmosphere.
Be prepared
Take your resumé and cover letter with you. Familiarize yourself with what you
have already told them about yourself. Verbally rehearse specific things you want
to say, skills you want them to notice, past accomplishments and so on. Try to put
these in a context of how you can add value and contribute to that organization.
The Basics
Wear appropriate clothes for the position. For example, don’t wear a three piece
suit to an interview as a mechanic.
Give yourself time to get there. If it is an unfamiliar place, ask other to help you
estimate the amount of time it will take you to travel to the interview. Being late is
not an option.
Take the cue from the interviewer on where to sit. Avoid couches and low slung
chairs if possible. Maintain good posture and remain attentive.
Smile as much as possible but keep it sincere.
Shake hands with everyone in the room and maintain strong eye contact. If it is a
committee of interviewers, remember to address all of them with your answer.
Ask questions. Have a few standard questions for the end of the interview but also
don’t be afraid to ask questions as they arise. Keep the interview conversational
and show that you are relaxed but attentive. For example, you can ask when they
hope to make a decision.
Unless the interviewer brings it up don’t ask about money. Try to divert any
specific requests for your salary needs. Reply that the job is the most important
element right now and salary details can be worked out if the fit is right.
Never say anything bad about a past employer or workplace. If you were fired or
left a position for personal reasons say just that. The fit was not right for either of
you and you felt it was time to leave or the company was going in a direction that
was different from your vision. Have some sort of answer verbally ready for a
question about past job experiences that may have been negative for you.
Be aware of body language. Arms crossed generally represent a closed person.
Thoughtful small talk at the beginning of an interview sets everyone at ease. The
secretary or receptionist who is sitting outside the interviewing office with you is
often consulted for his/her views on applicants. Be friendly and polite
and wait patiently to be called next.
Styles of Interview Questions

There are a number of styles that interviewers choose in order to assess a

candidate. Questions can be situational, informational and behavioral.
Informational questions are straight information about you or your past
experiences as listed in your resumé. They help the employer clarify things and are
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a chance for you to expand on the information you gave them in the written
resumé.
Situational questions are used so the employer can get an idea of how you would
react in a given situation at work. They usually start with “Let’s say you are…” or
“Imagine that…” or, “What would you do if….”
Behavioral questions are used to help the interviewer get an indication of how you
may act in the job for which you are applying—future job performance. They often
begin with “Can you tell me of a particular incident in your past work experience
where you were responsible for…”
How To Answer
Always expand your answers. Avoid answering with only “yes” or “no.” The
interviewer is looking for you to include the following:
What situation or task were you involved in?
Describe the situation at work. Be specific about your role in that situation.
What action did you take within that situation?
Tell the interviewer what you did to make that situation better; to solve the
problem.
What was the result of your action?
Outline all of the positive outcomes that resulted from your action.
The Introduction Questions
 Why are you a good fit for this job and our school district?
 What makes you qualified for this teaching position?
 Why did you become a teacher?
 Name three words that describe you?
 What is your philosophy on teaching?
 What separates you from other teaching candidates?
 What was the most important thing you learned from your overall student
teaching experience?
 Describe your student teaching experience.
 Where do you see yourself in ten years?
 What are your three greatest strengths?
 Name three of your weaknesses.
 What is the most satisfying thing about teaching?
 What is the biggest challenge in teaching?
 What is the scariest thing about teaching?
 What part of teaching do you look the most forward to?
 What is the difference between a good teacher and an outstanding teacher?
 What are your interests outside of teaching?
 Do you belong to any social networking websites (Facebook, etc.)?
 What do you feel is wrong with public education?
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 Are you a flexible person?
 How would one of your students describe you?
 How do you integrate technology into your lessons?
 How do you allow students to express their creativity in your class?
 What do you do if the whole class is “not getting it”?
 How closely do you follow your lesson plan?
 Describe the most effective teaching techniques.
 Is it ok for a classroom to be noisy?
 How much homework do you assign and how often do you assign it?
 How would you deal with an angry parent if they called you?
 How do you communicate with parents on a regular basis?
 How do you keep parents aware of their son’s or daughter’s grades?
 How would you react if a parent complained about your class?
 What would you tell a parent if he or she was concerned about their kid’s
grades?
 How do you manage students with different reading abilities?
 What does a model classroom look like to you?
 How do you avoid misbehavior altogether?
 What was the most difficult child you have ever dealt with?
 Would you create a behavior modification plan for ongoing misbehavior?
 What is the most challenging behavioral situation you have ever dealt with?
How did you react?
 What are your classroom rules?
 What are your qualifications in this field?
 What inspired you to become a lecturer?
 Have you instructed college courses previously?
 How do you prepare your lectures?
 What were the responsibilities you had in your prior role?
 What strategies do you use to maintain student engagement during lectures?
 Describe some approaches you take to stay aware of new trends and
developments in your field?

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 Subjective Question
 What is sociology?
 How does sociology differ from other social sciences?
This question is an opportunity to show your knowledge of the field and how it
differs from other social sciences. You can answer this question by defining
sociology, explaining what makes it unique and comparing it to other social
sciences.
 What do you find most interesting about the sociology field of science?
 Can you explain what a sociological perspective is?
This question is a great way to test your knowledge of sociology and how it can be
applied in the workplace. When answering this question, you should define what a
sociological perspective is and explain why it’s important for professionals who
work in the field of sociology.
 Can you describe to me what the socialisation process is?
 Is it possible to study society without studying the individual members
of that society? Why or why not?
This question is a great way to test your knowledge of sociology and how it relates
to other disciplines. It also helps the interviewer determine whether you have an
understanding of the importance of studying individuals in relation to society as a
whole.
 Does sociology aim to improve society? If yes, how and why?
This question is a great way to assess your knowledge of sociology and how it can
be applied in the real world. It also helps employers understand if you have an
altruistic mindset or are more interested in personal gain.
 Can you give me some examples of how sociology can be applied in real
life situations?
This question is a great way to show the interviewer that you have practical
knowledge of how sociology can be applied in your everyday life. When
answering this question, it’s important to provide examples that are relevant to the
position you’re applying for and demonstrate your ability to apply sociological
concepts to real-world situations.
 What are the main areas of focus for sociologists?
This question can help an interviewer determine if you have a basic understanding
of the field. It also helps them see how your skills and experience align with what
employers are looking for in their candidates. When answering this question, it can
be helpful to list several areas that you feel are important to sociologists.
 What are the differences between microsociology and macrosociology?
Which one do you think is more important in today’s day and age?

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This question is a great way to test your knowledge of sociology and how it applies
in the real world. It also allows you to show that you understand which skills are
more important than others when working as a sociologist.
 Can you explain to me what positivism is?
 Can you explain the difference between positivism and anti-positivism?
 What are some sociological theories?
 What are some common issues faced when working with people from
diverse backgrounds?
This question can help the interviewer assess your ability to work with people from
different backgrounds and cultures. Use examples of how you’ve helped diverse
groups collaborate or communicate effectively in the past.

 What are your views on the importance of religion in society?

 What are your thoughts about the impact of globalization and
technology on modern societies?
 What are the different components of culture?
 How social relations affect the individual relationship with one another?
 What are the different agencies of socializations?
 What are the different stereotypes used to define group relations?
 What are the laws required by civilization?
 Define anticipatory socialization?
 What is the “conflict theory” in sociology?
 What are the different types of deviance that exist?
 What is the difference between tertiary and secondary deviance?
 What is the place of Marx, Comte, Spencer, Durkheim, Mead and
Weber in the development of sociology?
Karl Marx was the first major proponent of the conflict perspective. He believed
that inequality between classes causes conflict between groups of people and that
society must change in order to fulfill the needs of all the people.Auguste Comte
was the French scientist who gave sociology its name and promoted the scientific
study of society. Herbert Spencer extended his work developing the idea that
society was an organic whole that could be studied much like the human body- the
beginnings of structural-functionalism.Emile Durkheim also promoted sociology
as a science and strucutural -functionalism as a perspective with his emphasis on
social facts explaining other social facts -for example in his classic study ,Suicide.
George Herbert Mead focused on how we use symbols, including language and
how our use of symbols influences our social dev elopement and social life.Max
Weber's analysis of the major dynamics of society and social change provides the
foundations for much of the sociological theory and research of our time. His study
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'The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism' was an important study of the
roots of the industrial Revolution which was sweeping the world in his day.
 What is the scientific method and how can it be applied to the study of
sociology?
The scientific method involves eight basic steps:
a) Observation of an event that stimulates thinking.
b) Defining or classifying the terms or events being considered.
c) Formulating the research issue or hypothesis.
d) Generating a theory or proposition - a general statement that serves as a
potential answer to the research question.
e) Creating a research design in order to test whether the theory or proposition is
valid.
f) Collecting data-working through the research design to make observations.
g) Analyzing the data
h) Making conclusions and evaluating the theory.

 What are some of the challenges and ethical issues in the study of
sociology?
Sociology faces the challenge of working with human beings and their social
groupings because people have rights that limit what we can do with them while
we are studying them. Sociological subjects can give us important information but
their information can be distorted. Sociologists must decide whether their own
views will influence their research and theory development, either believing that
knowledge is neutral or that value neutrality is either naïve or a rationalization for
the fact that one is working for the elite because most sociological research is
funded by and disproportionately available to powerful elites.