Interviews

Interviewing

The interviewing process is one that is often met with anxiousness and anticipation. Preparing for an interview is like studying for a test, you can attempt to be ready for what questions you anticipate will be asked, but there is always the chance that you’ll miss something. I have been through multiple interviews, though only a few in my professional life. Being that I am still in school, my professional life coincides with scholastic learning. Before graduate school, the entirety of my job experiences were what I refer to as “summer jobs,” mindless jobs that earn me money, not a career and nothing that I feel like matters. Graduate school has opened up the doorway into the professional world, introducing assistantship positions and additional jobs that will lead into more permanent employment opportunities. There is a huge difference in interviewing for a summer job and a professional job, where specific skills are required.

For this assignment, I swapped interviews with my brother, a freshman in college. He will soon be entering the professional world, and though he knows his major, an exact professional direction has yet to be established so I figured he could use the practice. He indulged me by pretending that he wanted be a sales-rep for my organization. Being a business major, this wasn't too far of a stretch for him. These questions were ones that I have myself been asked and questions that were part of the recommended question list. I focused on experience level and his goals for the future. If he receives this job, how does he feel it will assist him in his long-term and short-term goals? I asked about his strengths and weakness. His strengths were easier for him to list, which shows confidence and allows me to anticipate what he can bring to the position, but he struggled to come up with weaknesses. Without knowledge of weakness, he is unable to know where he needs improvement, which does not let me, as the interviewer, know where he will have shortcomings until it may be too late. If hired, I would not know where to provide him extra assistance so he can learn from others. If his weaknesses are more personal, such as laziness or an inability to get along with others, it will affect his work and his colleagues. It was a different experience to be the interviewer rather than the interviewee. I rather like it better, because the pressure is alleviated from my shoulders. I did notice the importance of how questions were phrased and the importance of making him feel comfortable. From personal experience, I think that if the interviewee is comfortable, his/her personality will show through more, despite rehearsed answers, allowing the interviewer to perceive a more honest look at his/her character.

Having been on the interviewee side more than once, this part of the assignment was nothing new. Without the pressure of reality it made answering questions much easier, not only because I have given them before, but because I didn’t feel like they had to be perfect. My brother asked questions similar to the questions I asked him. The hardest one to answer, despite the practice scenario was the “long-term goal” question. I feel like if I honestly say, that I do not plan on being in this particular position forever, I will be taking something away from the offered job and detract from my appeal as a potential employee. For the jobs I have interviewed for, thus far, this has not been such a problem because it is obvious the position is only temporary and for instructional and experience purposes, but when interviewing for a real and permanent position, I am afraid of looking too flighty.

Overall, this assignment was a good one, useful for practicing my own skills and understanding the viewpoint of the interviewer. It is not their purpose to be intimidating, but to find the best fit for their offered position.