COMMUNICATION SKILLS 2

Pharos University in Alexandria

Fall 2021-2022
Topic 5: Types of interviews
As we mentioned before, the well written designed resume and cover letter are essential for the
21st century job opportunity. But no paper will be enough without being presentable in the
interview. Some experts see the interview like a blind date. Neither you nor the interviewers
know exactly what to expect.

You must do the following before any interview:

- Prepare well.
- Try to find out who the interviewers will be or at least who they are likely to be.
- Research this person's background to find a common interest like graduating from the
same university, working the same organization in the past, etc.
- Sleep Well.
- Appearance: a good appearance might not get you the job, but a bad appearance can
easily eliminate you from consideration. What kind of dress code do they have?
For men, a formal look is a suit, shirt, and tie. For women, a trouser suits or skirt and
jackets, or a dress with jackets. For men, a casual style, a jacket but no tie. For women,
trousers or skirt with a blouse, cardigan, or jacket.
- Appearance: Being overdressed or underdressed creates a poor impression. Make
sure your clothes are clean. Remember to your fingernails, teeth hair, shoes appear on a
proper way. A bag or briefcase should be of decent quality and in good condition.
- Appearance: Choose a suitable bag and remove any unnecessary things.
- Take a notebook, extra copies of your resume and a list of references. For each
reference, give a name, title, organization, phone number and email address, as well
as a short description of the relationship.
- Make eye contact and be positive. Think about cultural expectations, such as shaking
hands or not.
- Try to be formal and friendly.
- Think about your body language & use proper language (avoid using obvious for
example as it makes the interviewer look foolish.
- The recruiter wants to hear your personal contribution not your previous team
contribution.
 - Spend some time thinking about your employment history. This will help you answer
questions by providing examples from your own experience.
- End the interview positively by thanking the interviewers for their time. You may send a
follow up email the day after the interview. Thank the interviewers.
What you should do in your 1st interview in detail:
1- Research the Company.
Review the website for the company you are applying for and make sure to write down facts
you find interesting and questions you want answered by the interviewer in the company.
2- Good Non-Verbal Behavior.
 Keep eye contact with the interviewer during the interviewer.
 Make sure to always sit upright and be open with your body posture.
 Look interested in all the questions the interviewer is asking you.
3- Know all the Credentials of the Company and the Job you are Applying For.
Make sure to know all the aspects and qualifications of the job you are applying for. You
want to bring up any qualifications you have regarding what you think you can bring to the
table for the company in the interview.
4- Bring Extra Copies of your CV.
Make sure to bring extra resumes to the interview just in case the company needs another
copy. If you also have a portfolio, you can bring that as well to showcase some of your
previous work and achievements.
5- Speak with Energy and Provide True Details.
Make sure to always have a lot of positive energy and only provide true details about your
previous employment or achievements. DO NOT LIE about anything in your interview. The
company won't want to hire someone on false information. REMEMBER, you have 20 to 30
seconds to last a positive impression.
6- Concerning to “Dressing Part “.
To impress the company, you're interviewing with, you must dress accordingly. Wearing
business attire, suites, a nice dress, or a pantsuit if you are a girl, you want to avoid dressing
in your normal day clothes, including yoga pants. Always wear the appropriate attire, and
make sure to wear professional business attire as well as to practice good hygiene and present
yourself like you want the company to see you.
7- Review the Questions the Interviewers you may be asked. Write a list of questions that
could possibly be asked by the interviewer. You can practice your interviewing skills with a
friend.

Some Experts classify the interview questions. into three basic formats structured, unstructured,
and behavioral.

- A structured interview is where the hiring manager asks each applicant a standard set of
questions, such as, why you are a good candidate for a job, and so on. These questions
tend to feel quite formal, but the questions are easy to anticipate.
- An unstructured interview is where there are few standard questions, and the
interviewer is more conversational in style. Being more of a discussion of you and your
suitability for the role. For Example, tell me about yourself.
- A behavioral interview will be discussed later situations.
The Interview types:
1. One-On-One interview: In a one-on-one interview, the employer wants to see if the
jobseeker will fit in with the 1company, and how his/her skills complement the rest of the
department. The jobseeker's goal is to show that their qualifications will benefit the company.
2. Panel interviews: These consist of multiple interviewers who are usually sourced from
different parts of the organization. Objectives are likely to vary between members of the
panel and this will affect the flow of questioning. Establish eye contact with the member of
the panel asking the question and scan the other panel members during your response.
3. Behavioral interview: Is an interviewing technique that helps employers predict how a
candidate will perform on the job and fit into the organization. By finding out what actions
you took and/or how you reacted in past situations, the employer gets a sense for how you
will probably respond to circumstances in the position they are considering you for. The
STAR method can help you answer almost any question. STAR stands for, situation,
task, action, result.

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 - Briefly describe the situation, the context for what happened.
- Talk about the specific actions you took.
- End by talking about the results with quantifiable information.
For example, if an employer asks, "Do you work well with people from diverse cultures?"
your response will most likely be "yes." if the employer says, "Tell me about a time when
you had to work with people from diverse cultures," you will respond with a story about a
situation where this was the case.
Important notes while answering:
Your answers to behavioral interview questions need to be specific and detailed. Listen
carefully to what the interviewer asks to give an answer relevant to the question.
If you are unsure, ask for clarification. If you can use examples from either school or work.
If you are telling a story about something you have done, or talk about an event you should
involved in Structure
4. Audition Interview: For some positions, such as computer programmers or trainers,
companies want to see you in action before they make their decision. For this reason, they
might take you through a simulation or brief exercise in order to evaluate your skills.
5. Conference Interview: Using video-conference technology such as Skype or other software
to allow people from different locations to interview a candidate without traveling is
becoming more popular. Practice in front of a mirror or have a friend videotape you to help
ensure that you can effectively communicate via camera.
6. Phone interviews: Some employers prefer to conduct brief interviews via telephone with
potential candidates. There are two types of phone interviews (scheduled-and unscheduled)

Scheduled means receiving calls by mail or via LinkedIn. Scheduled calls are more popular
in crisis such as (COVID19) In your first phone call interview you should do this:
 Take it seriously as in person interview.
 Do some research before interview.
 Listen carefully to answer perfectly.
A- Do not dominate the conversation.
B- Speak slowly to avoid words as “Ah. At. But”.
C- Introduce yourself and your experience briefly.
 When the recruiter asking you about the time, you have the right to refuse politely the
call. if you are busy or in wrong time.
  If you have any questions, feel free to ask the recruiter.
 Ask about the dress code if the recruiter not mentioned.
 Smile even though it cannot be seen.

1- Stress interview:
This method of interview is rare and involves the interviewer baiting you to see your
response. The aim is to highlight your weaknesses and see how you react under
pressure. Tactics can vary from constant interruptions and odd silences to provoking and
challenging interrogation-type questions used to push you to your limits.2

How to rehearse your answers for standard question?

Be brief, be precise, be memorable

Examples of standard questions:

1. Tell me about yourself?

This is often asked to start the interview. Prepare an answer without over viewing your
resume; use the job description to prepare your answer. For example, I first became
interested in environmental issues because I were a volunteer at UN responsible for an
environmental campaign. It concentrates on stopping the use of plastics. (1 to 2 Mins
max.)
2. What is your greatest strength?
 Be Humble.
 Talk about a quality relevant to the job. Remember STAR: situation, task, action,
results.
3. What is your greatest weakness?
 Do not answer by I do not know. It is important to demonstrate self-awareness.
 Choose a weakness that is not directly relevant to the job.
4. Tell me about your greatest accomplishments.
 Speak about your achievements in an engaging story remembering STAR.
 Use active verbs like I persuaded.
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  Do not forget to end with a quantifiable result.
5. What motivates you?
 Again, demonstrate self-awareness and connect it to your achievements.
 Talk about motivation in terms of contributing to the company and to client
satisfaction.
 Avoid talking about motivation in terms of salary.
6. Why should we hire you?
 Match your strength to the job description.
 Think about why you would do well in this job.
 Think about why you would fit in well in this organization. Your research about the
company, will help you at that moment of preparation.
7. Why do you want to work for us?
 Talk not about what you want, but about what they want then match the two.
8. Where do you see yourself in 3, 5, 10 years?
 Again, talk about your contribution to the employer rather than the employer’s
contribution to you. Break it into short term goals like in the next 2-3 years and then
how do you want to build on that.
 Do not talk about being promoted.
 Talk about how you hope to develop as a professional and take on additional
responsibilities at that organization.
9. Why do you want to leave your current role?
 Speak to the future, not the past.
 Be positive. Never say anything negative about your current employer or job.
 Speak about how you value the experience you gained. Talk about what you want to
do and relate that to the job you are applying for.
10. Describe your leadership style.
 Be self-aware of your leadership style.
 Give an example, situation, task, action, result. Talk about how your leadership style
adapt according to the situation, and team member. For example, an technical expert
and sales man.
11. What would your colleagues say about you?
  Talk about collaboration and your contribution to the team.
12. Can you explain why you have a gap in your employment?
 Be honest and confident about the reasons behind the gap.
 Talk about how you made the most of that time, and how it puts you in a position to
best prepare for your next job. For example, weak skills in competitive job mark.
13. What do you like to do in your free time?
 Sometimes it is used to ask forbidden questions like "Are you married? Do you have
children?" etc.
 Relate your answer to the job as possible instead of taking about your personal life.
 An activity that shows health, stamina, and commitment is always welcome,
something like swimming or cycling. Do not mention something that distract from
work.
 Be enthusiastic, but do not take up too much time talking about it.
 Do not talk about anything inappropriate or about issues that can be divisive, such as
politics.
14. What are your salary expectations?
 Do some research in advance to understand how much the mainstream salaries are.
 Provide a range rather than a specific number.
15. Do you have any questions for me?
 Respond positively or you will seem uninterested.
 Ask questions that show you have been paying attention. Like an aspect of the job or
the challenges.
 Avoid questions related to salary and benefits.

Remember the wording of the questions might differ, but the reasons behind them are universal.
Practice in any form.

Examples of nonstandard and behavioral questions:

Behavioral questions:

1. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.

 Here, the hiring manager wants to know how you resolve errors.
  Be honest and emphasize how you learned from your mistake.
2. Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult person.
 Here, you need to explain how you resolved a people problem to everyone's
satisfaction. For example, a talented technical specialist who lacked customer-facing
skills.
3. Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone at work.
 Talk about your ability to resolve problems collaboratively or compromise
4. Tell me about a time you had to handle pressure.
 Here he/she are testing your capabilities to manage stressful situations.
 Talk about a situation that demonstrates how well you can handle pressure.
5. Tell me about a time you had to work in a new sphere.
 This question examines your adaptability.
 Use the Star Method.

Non-Standard questions: is check the applicant reaction towards the unexpected.

 Show logical thinking or a sense of humor.

 Remember, some questions serve as icebreakers to help interviewees relax at the
beginning of interviews.
 Nonstandard questions can be a creativity indication.
 Some nonstandard logic questions test your ability to be reasonable.

Application:

- A real Interview for every student with standard, nonstandard and behavioral question.