LIFE SKILLS &VALUE EDUCATION – Class—XII -UNIT – 8  Interview Skills

Before the interview:

dress of Success

If you don’t own any professional clothing (jeans and t-shirts usually do not fall into this category), then it’s time to invest in some grown-up clothing. While some companies, especially start-ups, are a little less buttoned-up than, say, a bank or legal firm, it may be useful to discern your potential company’s dress code before your interview.

If your job interview is online via Zoom or a similar platform, make sure to avoid strong patterns that might be distracting on video and keep your outfit professional—even if you don’t think they will see what you are wearing from head-to-toe.

Arrive Early

If you are not sure where the interview location is, go there before the day of the interview, find your parking options, and make sure you know where to go. On the day of the interview, make sure you leave in plenty of time to get there, not just on time but early.

Key Takeaways : Interview Skills for Class 12

• Whether you are interviewing in-person or online, do your research on the company ahead of time and be prepared to speak confidently about why you are a good fit for the job.
• Practice for your interview with a friend, mentor, professor, or family member. If you have a virtual interview, practice using an online tool to get comfortable with a video format.
• Always write a follow-up thank you email or card after your interview.
• If you are asked to conduct a virtual interview, make sure you are set up for a smooth technical experience. Check your camera and audio before the interview begins.
• Even if you don’t get the job, a great interview and a well-written thank-you note may impress the interviewer, who may consider you for other jobs in the future.

Research the Company

Whether you interview in-person or not, you need to do your research. Most companies have a website with plenty of background information about the founders, company history, company mission statement, and so on.

Spend an hour reading through the company website and search for press releases, news items, and articles related to the business. Try to figure out where you would fit into the company and what skills you should highlight. Being able to talk confidently about the company and your potential role is a good way to show the interviewer that you want to work for them.

Research Potential Questions They May Ask You

Once you do your research on the company you want to work at, do some research into the potential questions they may ask you during the interview. Use Glassdoor.com to help you. The website allows you to type the name of your potential company and find questions asked to other candidates who have gone through the interview process. You can even see the outcome of their interviews.

Remember Your Resume

Even if you snagged the job interview via your LinkedIn profile, bring a hard copy of your resume, just in case someone asks for it. Make sure it is up-to-date, polished, and easy to read. If no one asks for it, ask the interviewer if they would like a copy of it at the end of the interview.

During the Interview

Unless you are asked to use their first names, address your interviewer with their last name. Don’t interrupt. Shake hands. Pull out those manners and use them, including maintaining good posture and positive body language. Stand up straight, walk tall and sit up straight in your chair.

If you are on a virtual interview, make sure to keep your backdrop professional, clear off any clutter in the way of the video, and don’t eat or drink during it.

Make sure not to overshare in an interview and never speak badly of a former colleague, professor, or teacher.

Always Tell the Truth

Never lie during a job interview. Even if something is embarrassing or potentially problematic, when asked, you should answer honestly. But make sure not to share more than necessary. A few personal comments are OK, but they want to know if you can do the job and be a safer, better choice than the other students.

Be an Interview Extrovert

Even if you’re an introvert, pretend to be an extrovert and adopt an extrovert persona for an hour or talk about yourself comfortably. Likewise, if you’re an extrovert, don’t overshare. Keep it professional.

Make Eye Contact

Making good eye contact is a skill, and sometimes it is difficult for young people to do it with confidence. Eye contact shows an employer that you are sincere, confident, and trustworthy. As a student interviewing for a job, you may not bring years of experience to the table. Still, you bring ambition, fresh perspective, willingness to work hard, and plenty of other valuable assets. Keep that in mind, and you can handle yourself with both courtesy and confidence.

After the Interview

Send a thank-you email right away after the interview. Keep it short and sincere and grammatically correct. Thank the interviewer for their time and reiterate that you are interested in the opportunity. You might not have felt it, but you were also evaluating the company and interviewing them, so let them know you are still interested. If you are worried about what to write in your email, try using a follow-up email template and get advice on writing it from experts.

REMEMBER-

• Reach venue before time
• While waiting read magazines
• Behave professionally in waiting area
• Take permission to enter interview room
• Take permission to sit
• Switch off mobile
• Don’t tap feet
• Don’t put bag on interviewer’s table
• Wait for 5-10 seconds before answering questions
• Listen questions carefully
• Don’t lie/ give wrong answers
• Don’t criticize previous employer
• Write correct hobbies
• Thank the interviewer

ACTIVITIES (MIXED BAG)

Adla Badli (Impromptu Debate)

 It will be same as a debate activity.  Topics will be given to students and they will choose sides accordingly but on the day of activity the teacher will reverse the sides and will give some time to prepare.

This sudden change in sides will make children uneasy but they will also try to think differently for the changed sides.

Ask yourself (Self-made Questions)

 An activity can be organised in which students have to prepare questions other than the textbooks questions. This exercise will help children to think differently for creating questions. Teacher will see if the questions are original or not.

Gap Fill In

 Give paper and pen to students and after showing a picture ask them to write on the top of the paper what is happening in the picture. Then ask them to write at the bottom what you believe is happening in the picture. In the space remaining blank write down what are the steps you take to come to the conclusion.

 Cross-Questioning

 This is the extended version of ask yourself. In this children will present their questions in front of the class and his/her peers will cross question him/her, like why this question, how this can happen etc. This will encourage critical thinking in both the students who ask the question and who reply.

Two is Enough

 Give children two shapes i.e. rectangle, triangle and ask them to draw one thing using those shapes only. For ex. they can draw a car, an animal, a flower etc. This will enhance the thinking power of the children and as a consequence will also improve their innovative skills.

Student’s Class

Ask students to organise a class themselves in which they will choose the topic, present the topic, frame questions and activity related to the topic etc. This activity will encourage conversations among children about how to organise the class and they will also learn the importance of maintaining the decorum of the class.

Shuffle Give students group activities and use a chit system for dividing the students into groups. This random distribution of students will make most of the students uncomfortable but this is the challenge. Students should be flexible enough to work with anybody in various conditions.

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