Interview Reflection
Interviewing people is one of the best ways how to obtain information because it is first-hand, clear, and there are opportunities to expand the conversation through asking questions and taking down notes. I selected one of our campus recruiters to ask how to conduct a good interview with potential candidates. Through this interview, I found several interesting facts that helped me understand the process even better.
The interviewee was very kind to give tips on the do’s and don’ts of interviewing. This was beneficial for me because I wanted to learn eagerly on how to do the interview process as much as I can. I not only wanted to do well on this activity but I also wanted to gain information for future reference. One of the advices that the interviewee gave was to always remember that we have to protect ourselves and the company to not get sued by potential recruits. It is good to start with small talk but the topics of sports and politics are not considered as best subjects for small talk since many people have strong opinions regarding these topics and the “small talk” might lead to negative, unforeseen things like a heated argument. It is also advisable to talk about simpler things because there are those who are too nervous on being interviewed and they might get intimidated by such topics and might turn out doing not so good on the interview itself.
There was a point in the interview, however, where I felt that I did not agree with the interviewee’s opinions. I started to question his guidance because I believed that not all of what he was saying are applicable to the interviewing process. It might be because we had different methods of interviewing. Still, I agreed with him when he said that I should focus on the interviewee at all times and not deviate in things that are off topic or to people who are not concerned with the interview.
We both agreed that the whole interview process is not an easy task. To candidates, it may seem that the interviewer is not at all nervous or that everything is going smoothly but there are times when the opposite of these things happen. Interviewers are required to have an agenda so that the conversation will go smoothly and that the whole purpose of the interview is met. It is also a must that interviewers show that they are in control of the situation because once the control is lost, it might be hard to get it back and the interview might become a failure. A failed interview in the interviewer’s part might result to a loss for the company.
My interview lasted for 30 minutes and I believe that it was the most meaningful interview I have ever done. I was able to learn new things that I will be able to apply and use in the future. There was an exchange of information and I was glad that it turned out to be a two-way conversation where the two of us had the opportunity to listen to each other’s ideas and opinions. Again, I do not believe that interviewing people is easy. However, if a person knows what tasks to accomplish, what information to obtain, and how to focus on the subject, then it will turn out to be a fun experience to look forward to.
If I have the chance to interview another person in the future, I will make sure to be prepared by making a more detailed agenda and plan ahead of time so that I can anticipate some of the questions to be asked. This interview experience was a fairly easy one because I was interviewing a person whom I personally know and that conversing with him would not be awkward and difficult because of that fact. I realized that in the future, things might be different because I have to interview strangers who would apply as potential candidates and that each person is different from the others in terms of their personality and attitude. It is therefore important to never generalize and to open my mind so that it would be easier for me to understand and interact with others.
