User – MedApp
ID - 180607
Title- Interview Technique

I can’t find the other half, will look for it, but here is a copy of something an old teacher gave me with regard to interview technique. (He said I could use it). You may say you already knew that but there you go. Besides it shows you – be nice to your teachers and they’ll give you this sort of stuff, show your motivation and desire to kick ass in the interview, it’ll help for your interview too. 

Humour
 Is one supposed to be very serious at interviews or? Being fairly serious and earnest will not go against you, providing you do not keep a stony face when the interview cracks a joke. But some sign of a sense of humour can work very much in your favour. No one can tell you how to go about this, of course, as it obviously depends on the opportunity given. Forced humour out of context will not be received very favourably and nor will excessive flippancy. So it is a question of your own judgement as to whether or not you inject an occasional flash of wit into the proceedings; if done in the appropriate way, it works very well.  

Talking
If an interview is being conducted well you should not really need to assert yourself in terms of the amount of talking you do, as you will be doing most of it anyway. If it is being conducted badly, with a lot of closed questions, this gives you less scope to talk. We shall look at the basic aspects of asserting yourself when talking A very basic one is speaking up. An amazing number of candidates (probably through anxiety) speak so quietly and softly the interviewer has difficulty catching all they say. You really must speak in a clear, audible and as confident a voice as possible Remember enthusiasm: let it show in your voice. You cannot assert yourself very effectively if you speak in monotone, or in a nervous, hasty babble. You can do too much talking sometimes and this is something to guard against. Do not let your answers ramble on too long. Again this is something you have to judge for yourselves, but a look at the interviewers face can sometimes give you a clue! The other point to bring here, although it has little to do with assertive behaviour as such, is your accent. If you have a strong regional or even national accent then it may cross your mind that it could be better to disguise it as best you can. It is true that interviewers react badly to accent different from their own, but generally one has too much on one’s mind to try and talk in a different manner in an interview. So be yourself with the exceptiononly if someone who just does not seem to understand what you are saying, in which case you may need to speak a little more slowly.  

Checking and clarifying
Some interviewers are very reluctant to interrupt an interviewer, and generally this is quite right. However if the interviewer has clearly misunderstood what you have said in an answer you should make that clear. you can say something like, ‘I’m sorry, that’s really not what I meant.’If you do not understand what the interviewer has asked, you should seek clarification rather then to attempt to answer to what you think they might be asking. All you have to do is say something like ‘I don’t quite get the meaning,’ or ‘I’m not quite sure I understand the question.’

 Arguing with the interviewer
Interviewees often wonder whether it is wise to agree with an interviewer, still less to argue. Well it can go either way. Most interviewers want applicants to be politely attentive and agreeable, but a few like to provoke applicants to see if they are able to look after themselves under stress. In general it is best to avoid firm expressions of disagreement with interviewers, except where they get you to express your views on a topic and then present an opposing argument. This is quite common, the interviewer aiming to see how well you can argue a case and support your viewpoint. He may not himself actually believe the opposing views he puts to you, but he will play the devil’s advocate if necessary. However, most changes are more like debates then arguments and the interviewer will remain friendly and business like and there is little danger of mistaking this kind of exchange for one where the interviewer tries to provoke you and attack your views in a more personal way. (In which case you may hear phrases like ‘you don’t mean to tell me that…’ ‘You are not seriously suggesting that…’ ‘you seem to have made a bit of a mess of that…’) a few interviewers use sarcasm as a way of provoking the candidate, a lamentable strategy.So in general, do not look for arguments , but if one is ‘offered’ you should remain cool, defend your point of view in an agreeable way and be willing to acknowledge some sense in opposing views without actually accepting them. 

Volunteering and seeking information
If you have prepared properly, you will know what information you want the interviewer to have about you at the end of the interview – the good points you have identified. Some of these will come out naturally in the course of a good interview, but the rest you need to feed in yourself. Answer the questions in such a way that you can work into them, the points you have decided to get across. You can also do a little general steering of the discussion. For example if you are asked whether you go to the theatre, you are really much keener and knowledgeable about the cinema, you may just answer no and hope the interviewer asks you about films. You can answer ‘no, my interests are much more in the cinema; I go there quite a lot’. The interviewer will follow up there. Do not miss of this kind for volunteering information on your strengths, and if no opportunity arises inrespect of some of them, then you might be able to create it For example, if you have some experience of working with computers that you feel is relavent to your application but has not come out in the interview, you could introduce it by asking the question like ‘Are there any oppurtunites for work in the computer field – I’ve already had some experience of that and enjoyed it.’ The questions candidates are normally asked at the end of the interview offer a considerable opportunity to present any further information this way. 

Finally!
Do not voluntarily offer information on what you see as your weaker aspects. Apart from a tendancy for some interbiewers to give such negative points undue weight in their assessment, your idea of what is unsatisfactory may be at odds with the general standard of work (or whatever) in that area; in other words, you may be better then you think. 

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