BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material

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BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material

The word interview’ has been derived from the French word ‘Entre Voir’. It suggests a meeting between two persons to get a view of each other. They meet each other to get certain information through questions. The interview is an important part of the organisation’s activities. Interviews are conducted for various reasons, including a selection of personnel for employment. The various objectives of the interview are as follows:

1. Interviews concerning employment are conducted for the selection of suitable persons for jobs in the organisation. These interviews are generally based on educational qualifications and experience. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
2. Corporates/Companies conduct interviews for periodic appraisal of their employees.
3. Exit interviews are conducted to find out the reasons for leaving the organisation.
4. Company Personnel is interviewed to get information about the behaviour of employees, working conditions, managerial efficiency etc.
5. Journalists and media personnel conduct interviews with particular persons to convey their ideas and views to the masses.
6. Higher education/professional institutes interview the applicants for admission to certain courses.

Characteristics of an Interview

Generally, Interviews are conducted to fulfil various objectives, and there are some characteristics common to all interviews:

1. The interview is conducted to fulfil a particular objective and both the parties, i.e., the interviewer and the person appearing for the interview are well aware of this objective. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
2. Prior preparation or prior practice of this event is necessary for both parties.
3. All interviews are pre-determined.
4. It is necessary to have a small number of both parties, but generally, a person appearing for an interview has to face more than one interviewer. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
5. There is a clear exchange of communication, but this communicated information may or may not be kept confidential.

Types of Interviews. Interviews are classified into eight types:

1. Employment related,
2. Orientation related,
3. Counselling related,
4. Work performance or Appraisal related,
5. Complaints related,
6. Modifications related,
7. Exit related,
8. Collection of information related.

Structure of Interview. In such an event there is a well-defined structure of the interview. We may say that Interview is a formal communication event, and its objective and outcome is known to both parties. Both parties have to be careful in following! situations: (i) Opening, (ii) The body/middle, (iii) Closing.

For all the above three situations, effective communication skills are necessary, which are as follows:

(i) Opening/start

(a) Introduction

(b) Statement of objective

(c) To strike a rapport with the interviewee and make him relaxed.

(d) To make the atmosphere comfortable and relaxed.

(ii) Middle or the Body

(a) Objective of the exchange of communication.

(b) Point-wise discussion

(c) To listen carefully with patience.

(d) Eye-contact

(e) To answer the questions carefully, without hesitation

(f) To concentrate on the subject matter

(g) Beware of barriers

(h) To provide an explanation, if necessary.

(iii) Closing

(a) To give the last touch to the discussion

(b) To give an opinion

(c) Avoid abrupt closing of the interview

(d) To close the interview with favourable comments

(e) Thanking for the interview

(f) To confirm the necessity of such an interview.

How to Conduct an Interview. The following points are necessary for the successful conduct of an interview:

1. Firstly, the interviewer should make a plan for the whole event.
2. Generally, the interviewer gets impatient to give answers, so it is necessary to create an amicable and relaxed atmosphere. If the interviewer is impatient and desperate he would not be in a position to concentrate on the subject. Therefore, the interviewer should create a friendly atmosphere by first asking about the interviewer and his family background, and then only start asking questions on the concerned subject. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
3. The interviewer should not ask irrelevant questions. Asking questions related to the subject matter creates a favourable atmosphere.
4. Some interviewers are in the habit of talking too much as if their objective is not to know about the interviewee but to give him information and direction. When the interview is with the objective of giving information then it is all right, otherwise, the interviewer must give ample time to the interviewee for his answers. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
5. The interviewer should conduct the whole interview as per the predetermined plan.
6. Some interviews are unsuccessful just because the interviewee does not listen carefully and patiently, and creates unnecessary obstructions. If the interviewee listens carefully then the interviewee feels comfortable and will like to provide more useful information.
7. In single-person interviews, eye contact is very important. To smile, to mod on approval of others’ views, to express consent smilingly, etc. as and when appropriate, are helpful gestures. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
8. The interviewer must respect the feelings and emotions of the interviewee.
9. The interviewer should collect all the possible information during the interview.
10. The principle of ‘Be concise should be followed in the whole process. Discussion should not be allowed to go out of control Arguments and counter-arguments should be properly monitored. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)

Directions for Successful Interviews

Directions for giving an interview are as follows:

1. Ready for interview. The candidate should have all the relevant information about the post or position, for which he has applied. He should also have information about the nature of the organisation, its history and its present activities. He should be well-versed with the knowledge of the concerned subject. Such information and knowledge will impress the interviewer.
2. Appearance. The appearance of a person is a part of communicating a message. Formal dress is necessary for a formal interview.
3. Effective use of body language. During the interview, eye contact shows the active participation of the interviewee. Interviewees should sit with a balanced posture and be full of self-confidence. Such body language makes a favourable atmosphere.
4. The complete and correct answer to every question. The candidate should listen to the question carefully and should give his answer patiently and as complete and correct as possible. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
5. In case the candidate is not in a position to give the correct answer, he should not lose his confidence. But giving a fake answer might be harmful. One must be honest in giving answers. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
6. The candidate should be polite, it creates a favourable atmosphere.
7. Candidates should give a precise answer, and avoid unnecessary talking. Interviewers are supposed to be more knowledgeable and they are always in search of smart, brilliant and suitable candidates. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
8. Avoid criticism and particularly do not criticise your earlier employer or organisation.
9. Express gratitude to interviewers as it makes the interview favourable.
10. The interviewee should not hesitate to ask for information related to the organisation, as this shows his interest in the post and in the organisation. It shows his self-dependence also. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)

MOCK INTERVIEW

A mock interview refers to creating a real situation of an interview; which means having a dress rehearsal of a real interview. Thus, the mock interview is a sample of a real interview. By organising mock interviews we try to know how the real interview is performed. In other words, to understand the actual interview, a mock interview is organised or conducted. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)

Conditions. The following are the condition for conducting a mock interview.

1. Selecting a proper place is the first phase of a mock interview. The place should be comfortable where no disturbance is possible. The place should have a waiting room where interviewees can wait with ease and comfort. Some journals, magazines, and newspapers may be provided in the waiting room so that interviewees can pass their time with ease. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)
2. After selecting a suitable place for a mock interview, the second phase is to make preparations for this interview keeping the following points in mind:

(i) When the mock interview is to be conducted?

(ii) When it is to be notified?

(iii) What shall be the time limit?

(iv) Who will take the interview?

(v) What type of questions have to be asked?

(vi) How are we going to preserve the answers given for use in the future?

(vii) How are we going to compare this mock interview with the actual interview?

3. The list of interviewers should be prepared in advance along with information about the place and time and also about the probable questions to be asked. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)

Conduct Mock Interview

To organise a mock interview for selecting candidates for some work/post in an organisation by a selection committee, the following steps are taken:

Suppose, the interviewer is Prof. Sanjay Tiwari, the subject- expert and the interviewee is Dr Ashish Mishra, a candidate for the post.

Various Steps of Mock Interview

First step. Before starting the mock interview, the interviewee i.e., Dr Ashish Mishra will be asked to fill in a proforma in which he will give information about his educational qualification, experience, hobbies etc. This is known as a Job Interview Profile. As Dr Ashish Mishra is a candidate for the post of Asstt. Professor in Commerce, his job Interview Profile will include the post applied for, candidate’s name, educational qualifications, experience, place/address and personal information, hobbies and expected salary. This is the minimum information that has to be included in the profile. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)

Second step. The second step begins when Dr Mishra enters for an interview in the room specified for the purpose. To create a comfortable atmosphere, some general topics are discussed with Dr Mishra, so that direct contact is established between the interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer, i.e., Prof. Sanjay Tiwari Communicates to Dr Ashish Mishra about the objective and structure of the interview, along with the time limit. Then Prof. Tiwari starts asking questions. The questions generally asked may be classified as follows:

(i) Open questions

(ii) Closed questions

(iii) Probing questions

(iv) Solution-related questions

(v) Link questions

(vi) Examples

Prof. Sanjay Tiwari (Subject Expert). Have you gone through our advertisement? (Open question)

Dr Ashish Mishra. Yes, Sir. Prof. Tiwari (Subject Expert). What is the ultimate aim you wish to achieve in your teaching career? (Open Question)

Dr Mishra. Sir, I wish to become an ideal and reputed Professor.

Prof. Tiwari. I understand you wish to become an ideal and reputed professor. But what will be your special contribution to achieving this position? (Probing Question)

Dr Mishra. I promise, I will honestly perform my duties as a teacher with dedication and will make my students aware of the latest changes related to the subject.

Prof. Tiwari. If some student comes late to your class, how will treat him? (Solution Related Question)

Dr Mishra. First of all, I will try to know the reason for his late- coming, and then I will try to motivate him to be punctual in the class in future.

Prof. Tiwari. It is clear that as a teacher you wish to be a motivator also. But, how your experience will help in the learning-teaching system of our educational institute? (Link Question)

Dr Mishra. My past teaching experience has made me aware of students’ behaviour. So, on the basis of my past experience, I will create interest among the students in learning and thereby I will try to get better results for them in the examinations. I will also try to maintain students’ discipline and thus will make efforts to see that your institution achieves excellence.

Third step. The third step in a mock interview is related to the interests and behaviour of the interviewer. To make the atmosphere comfortable for an interview, the interviewer should show his interest in the candidate with a smiling face and should nod his head when he is satisfied with the answers of the candidate. Thus, the candidate i.e., the interviewee does not get discouraged and communication continues smoothly. (BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material)

Fourth step. In the end, the subject expert summarises the interview as follows.

Prof. Tiwari. (Subject Expert) Am I correct in concluding that you will prove to be an ideal teacher for our students?

Dr Mishra. Yes, sir, you are correct,

Last step. The last step of the mock interview is its closing.

Prof. Tiwari (Subject Expert). O.K. Dr Ashish Mishra, Thank you. We will soon inform you about our decision.

Dr Mishra. Many thanks to you, sir.

BCom Interview Skills Notes Study Material