How to ace a job interview

Students access the ReachOut.com article How to ace a job interview, which describes five tips for interview success. Work through the following activities to apply each tip.

Tip 1: Dress to impress

• Using the internet, students use an online shopping site to select an outfit they would wear to an interview. Give the students a budget (say, $50).

• Students create a visual representation of their outfit. They may include information about the reasons they have selected their outfit.

• Encourage students to share their selections. Ask them to think about:

  • Is their outfit age appropriate?

  • What sort of shoes should they wear?

  • What sort of accessories would be appropriate (e.g. hats, jewellery, bag)?

  • Why did they choose this outfit?

Ask students:

• Why is being on time important?

• How can you ensure you will be on time?

• If you are late, what might this indicate to the employer?

• Appoint two students to be scribes.

• Students write possible interview questions on the board, calling on the rest of the class for ideas. They may research possible questions if they can’t think of any. These will be revisited.

• Explain to students the CAR technique for answering questions:

  • Context: Describe a situation from your past as a relevant example of a particular skill. Choose an example that clearly demonstrates the quality or skill the employer is asking about.

  • Action: Explain what action you took. Be specific, rather than making vague statements, and outline your steps.

  • Result: Detail the outcome of your action.

• Students use questions from the board and talk through possible responses.

• Ask students to introduce themselves to the person they are sitting next to and to shake their hand firmly. Explain that this shows confidence.

• Discuss the importance of taking a deep breath in focusing the mind and calming the nerves.

• Ask students what other strategies they could use.

• Move students so they are sitting in pairs facing each other.

• The student facing the board selects a question to ask their partner. Give the responder two minutes to answer.

• Ask students if they heard any answers they thought were useful and are willing to share with the class.

• Rotate students and repeat the process.