A post by Julie Voce<\/b>, Head of Digital Education, and Mimi Weiss Johnson<\/b>, Senior Educational Technologist, City, University of London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the last post of this series, we talked about how to prepare for an interview<\/a>. In this fourth entry we focus on some considerations for the interview itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full series of posts are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s interview day and you\u2019ve done your preparation , here are some tips for the interview:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: How do you engage with key stakeholders on a project?<\/em> You might hate where you are currently working, but don\u2019t let that show in the interview. The last thing we want to see is a disgruntled employee complaining about their current employer as it can take up a lot of time and often means you do not end up answering the question properly. Always be positive in your answers, show your enthusiasm for the role and the place you could be working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: Can you tell us about a time where you contributed to the development of a learning technology service?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The question asked for \u2018a time\u2019 not several times, so do listen carefully. Generally, we are looking for one solid example to answer each question. One common problem is that people quickly launch into a list of examples, without going into any of them in detail. To resolve this issue, you may find it useful to take a short pause after the question is asked, reflect on what was requested, and then formulate an answer. This isn’t a speed dating exercise so don’t rush it! If you don\u2019t like silence, then you can fill the time with a short statement, such as \u201cthat\u2019s a good question\u201d<\/em> or \u201cgive me a moment to think about that.\u201d<\/em> Finally, whilst you may have prepared responses or examples, do make sure they are tailored to the question being asked. For example, you might anticipate a question on teamwork, but if the panel asks you about a team that didn\u2019t work well together, don\u2019t recite a pre-prepared response about a team that DID work well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three main types of follow-up questions that are designed to probe further into the response you have given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is nothing wrong with taking a note of the question you have been asked or asking for it to be repeated. Often interviewers give you a multi-part question, so writing it down or asking them to repeat the question makes it easier to ensure you cover what they have asked. At the end of your response, you could always ask the panel to repeat the question again to make sure you have covered everything. Or ask the panel if they feel you have covered everything. Noting down the questions can also be useful for your own post-interview reflection or used to help you prepare for future interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we implemented Blackboard, we ran training sessions with academics.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless you are the Queen, avoid the use of \u2018we\u2019. We don\u2019t want to hear about your colleague\u2019s role, we want to hear about yours. After all, we are hoping to hire you! As with your personal statement, use \u2018I\u2019 to talk about what you did and when you have worked with colleagues, demonstrate how you contributed, e.g. what was your role? How did you divide up the work? Did you lead on anything? Reflect on what you did well or what you learned from the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve done all the preparation, so don\u2019t feel shy about using your notes in the interview. It shows that you have prepared and provides you with a useful reminder of your examples. One advantage of online interviews is that you have access to your notes electronically, but do not feel scared to bring a device with you to an in-person interview. If you take this approach, it is advisable to tell the panel that you have notes and will be referring to them. Put your notes into short bullet points so you use them as an aide-memoire rather than a script. \u201cIPR, opt-in vs opt-out and moral rights.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t assume that we know what you are talking about. You may find that someone on the panel is not a Learning Technologist, for example, we usually include someone from outside of the team, such as an academic, a librarian or someone from IT. They are not necessarily going to have an in-depth knowledge of what a Learning Technologist does, so make sure you describe your work in enough detail for everyone to understand. For example, if we ask you to describe some of the issues with lecture capture, explain what each of these means and why they are an issue. Also, make sure you expand acronyms and abbreviations and use generic names for things like your virtual learning environment or teaching and learning unit, where they don\u2019t have a commonly recognised name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “And you know what happened with the migration project!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In our experience, internal candidates often make the fatal mistake of not giving us enough information, as they assume we already know about it. We probably do know what happened with the migration project, however in an interview, we must treat internal candidates the same as external ones, so explain everything as if you don\u2019t know us. If you don\u2019t tell us in the interview, then we can\u2019t score you on it, even if we know you can do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q: How do you keep up to date with what\u2019s going on in the sector?<\/em> It’s great that you use Twitter, but could you tell us what it is about Twitter that is useful? Most questions are inviting you to provide detail, so one word or just a list of things isn\u2019t going to be enough. Excluding any presentation, we usually have around 40 minutes to get through about 8-10 questions. Interviews are often held on the same day with only a small gap between them. Try to be succinct in your answers, but don\u2019t be too brief, hence the Twitter example which was not sufficient. Not saying enough is often just as bad as saying too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The interview will follow the same protocol as the shortlisting. Recruiters have an interview record form where they have the questions listed attached to the criteria from the person specification. You may see recruiters typing or writing quickly so that they can add notes about your answer and provide you with a score. Do not be alarmed by this as it is a standard procedure. The interview record form provides a mechanism to assess all candidates against the same criteria fairly and help to remove bias. After the interview, these are used to provide candidates with feedback before being sent to Human Resources for safekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bring some water with you and try to relax. We understand you will be nervous, some of the panel may be nervous too! You are not alone in wanting the interview to go well. The recruitment process takes a lot of time and effort, so we also want things to go well. Our questions are designed to make sure that we have explored everything we need in order to make a decision as to whether you are the right candidate for our role. We aren\u2019t trying to trip you up or ask you trick questions, we are just interested in exploring your skills and experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hopefully, the interview went well and you are eagerly awaiting a phone call from the panel. Remember, the interview is your opportunity to demonstrate why we should employ you, so make the most of the time you have and by following these steps you will have maximised your chances of showing the panel that you are suitable for the role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the final blog post, we will provide some advice for what to do after the interview, things you might want to consider if you are offered the job and some tips for starting your new role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With thanks to our City Digital Education colleagues Taqveem Ahmed, Kathryn Drumm and Olivia Fox for their advice and feedback.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n This post, and all posts in the series, have been written by Dr Julie Voce, Head of Digital Education, and Mimi Weiss Johnson, Senior Educational Technologist, City, University of London.<\/p>\n\n\nThe big day!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Be positive and enthusiastic.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A: There’s just no point, where I work, they never listen to me anyway…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nProvide ONE really good example.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
As recommended in the second post – Your application<\/a>, structure your response using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique<\/a> to ensure you provide a clear example detailing the situation, the tasks that you undertook, the actions that you followed and the result of your actions. Using this technique takes the panel on a journey through the lifecycle of your example and should cover the areas the panel are looking for. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBe prepared for the follow-up.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Have I answered the question?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Avoid the Royal \u2018we\u2019.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
I have notes and I\u2019m not afraid to use them.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
With some examples, you might also find it useful to bring along a visual to demonstrate what you are talking about. We would love to see a handout you have developed or a new reporting template, but bear in mind the most we will have is a quick glance at what you are showing us.<\/p>\n\n\n\nUse plain English.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The perils of the internal candidate.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t talk too much, or too little.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A: Twitter!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t be alarmed by rigorous note taking from the panel.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Finally, remember to breathe!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n