Interviewing is the process of asking questions to an individual so as to find out if that individual is suitable for the job position they are interested in. The common type of interviewing is the behavioral interviewing which is used to get insights into how the potential employee is capable of handling particular situations at the place of work (Innes, 2016). Among other things, the interviewer will be observing the interviewee’s body language and responses and how the candidate is specific in their behaviors and thoughts. The candidate should be able to provide specific examples while elaborating on the questions posed to them. For instance, the interviewer would wish to know an example of a particular circumstance, what the interviewee did and how the interviewee managed to arrive at a positive outcome. Also, the interviewer is keen to assess the confidence level and vocal quality of the interviewee while answering questions. All these characteristics form an effective communication during the interview.
Learning about interviewing builds on my previous knowledge, personal expectations, and experiences in regards to interviewing as I get to know how best to handle an interview especially the behavioral type of interview. This includes preparation for the interviewing questions, researching extensively about the company so as to know what skills the employer is seeking and being capable of including specific examples and points into the responses (Mackay, 2015). The most important is being confident and having excellent vocal quality.
The peer feedback disclosed that I generally performed well in the interviewing process. My body language was rated ‘good’ in terms of effectiveness in communication and I was good in giving specific examples to questions asking about specific circumstances. However, my peer feedback indicates that I did not do well in providing responses to the questions asked by the interviewer. Also, felt that my vocal quality was adequate meaning that I did not use the right tone, clarity, pace, and expression while communicating to the interviewer.
According to the self-assessment I performed on my strengths and weaknesses I realized the peer assessment was in contrast to the results I found. Through the self-assessment, I found out that I had built my confidence by reviewing my background and had become more aware of what I could contribute to the employer as an interviewee. Therefore, while answering questions, I was more confident which might have affected my vocal quality. In addition to that, I was able to properly coordinate my body language for effective communication during the interview. I believe that I gave my response in a forthcoming and natural way (Ryan, 2016). I was also able to be specific about thoughts and behaviors while in the interview as I had anticipated questions to be asked in the interview and had prepared adequately on how to handle the questions. Generally, the self-assessment revealed that I was excellent in body language, response, specificity but poor in vocal quality.
Basing on the learning outcome from the interviewing topic and from the peer feedback received I will take appropriate action concerning my behavior during the interview. Following this topic and the feedback I would carry out a thorough and continuous Self-assessment exercise so as to refine my interviewing behavior and identify the areas which need to be improved (Ryan, 2016). I will emphasize on my strengths such as specificity concerning my thoughts and behavior by enhancing the types of examples I provide to the questions asked. This can be done through more research concern the company and what exactly the interviewer requires from the candidate (Innes, 2016).
Also, I will focus on the type of message my body language sends to the interviewee. The body language should align with the actual spoken words. Thus, I will carry out a systematic preparation for an interview by making sure that I downplay some of the inappropriate body languages which came out during the interview. Despite having confidence, during the interview, it overshadowed my focal qualities. Hence, I will control my level of confidence so that I bring out the best in the quality of my vocals such as better clarity, tone and vocal expression. Although I did not find any fault in the manner I responded to questions, I will carry out more research on the company and other vital issues concerning interviewing so that I improve on the response to questions. I will focus more on connecting my knowledge, behavior, confidence, vocal quality, specificity to the needs of the interviewer.
Reflective Response to Assessment Center Feedback
A leadership group discussion is a critical conversation concerning a particular topic or a range of topics in a group where all members participate in the exchange of opinions and ideas. An effective group discussion considers as many as possible ideas to accomplish its purpose. The leadership of such as group is less directive and more facilitative (Conyne, 2013). The leader is supposed to provide encouragement and support to the team members, take control and provide focus to the members of the group when required. The leadership should have a positive team working characteristics such as the tendency to show a greater concern towards others than to self and encourages the members of a team to build on their ideas (Adams & Galanes, 2012). In addition, he or she listens to other peoples’ ideas and provides appropriate feedback and is regularly contributing to issues in the group. Finally, he or she has to be flexible and not oppose other members’ opinions. The leader should also have excellent problem-solving skills such as identification of significant information and key issues as well as the potential consequences of a decision.
This learning relates to the personal experience I had in relation to Leadership group discussion. We were provided with two activities where I had to lead my team in making some decisions leading to positive outcomes. These were deciding what to pick for the survival of the team from a plane which had an emergency landing and choosing the group most suitable for receiving the Oztel Inc ltd Corporate citizenship award.
The peer feedback is given shows that I have an average score when it comes to leadership, team working and problem-solving. I was to a very large extent able to take control and provide focus to the members of the group when required (McCloud, 2016). For instance, for their survival, I was able to lead them to pick a swiss army knife, first aid box, two large bottles of factor 12 sunscreen, a mobile phone with GPS full charged, opaque plastic sheeting, a guide to the plant species in America and a pack of 24 anti-malaria tablets. In regards to team working, to a very large extent had the tendency to show greater concern towards others than to self and listening to other peoples’ ideas and provide appropriate feedback and regularly contributing to issues in the group. In the activity two, I was able to lead them to choose the brotherhood of St. Peter as they had a proven track record for compassionate works. However, with the average score, I have the opportunity to improve my leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
In addition, I was able to encourage the members of a team to build on their ideas and was flexible and did not oppose other members’ opinions (Adams & Galanes, 2012). Lastly, concerning problem-solving I was to a large extent able to identify key issues and information, potential side effects, think objectively, seek more insight into a problem and addressed conflicts in the group amicably. Generally, according to the peer feedback when it comes to Leadership group discussion I was average.
Based on the insights concerning the leadership group discussions, the peer feedback and the personal research conducted I plan to improve my leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving techniques. I plan on ensuring that I perfect each of the aspects of the leadership, teamwork and problem-solving techniques through the establishment of a vision and mission to the teams and tasks (McCloud, 2016). I would them strive to build trust with the team members and begin practicing my leadership skills and encouraging team members to be right in every aspect of the group they engage in. this will help the team win together and be able to achieve every objective they set out to do.
To build a team environment I would encourage team members to embrace effective communication and have enthusiasm for everything they do (Conyne, 2013). Hence, I would not wish to change the way I performed my leadership, teamwork and problem-solving role but would wish to enhance the roles have more the team members more involved in the decision making and other roles in the team.
References
Adams, K. L., & Galanes, G. J. (2012). Looseleaf for Effective Group Discussion: Theory and Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Conyne, R. K. (2013). Group Work Leadership: An Introduction for Helpers. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Innes, J. (2016). The Interview Book: How to prepare and perform at your best in any interview. London: Pearson Education Limited.
Mackay, A.-L. (2015). The Four Mindsets: How to Influence, Motivate and Lead High-Performance Teams. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
McCloud, A. (2016). Leadership: Motivation: Team Building: 3 Books in 1: Become a Great Leader, Ignite Your Inner Drive and Build a Winning Team. online: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Ryan, L. (2016). Reinvention Roadmap: Break the Rules to Get the Job You Want and Career You Deserve. Dallas: BenBella Books,.
