Interview Experience and Making Presentations - Research Paper Example

? Interview Experience and Making Presentations Interview Experience and Making Presentations A. Describe an interview you have had (or know about) that went very well. This could be a job interview, a research interview, a news interview, etc. Explain the circumstances, and speculate as to why it was a successful interview. The process of doing a job interview is regarded as one of the most critical processes in job search. People engage in interviews with ultimate caution, and this translates into a nervous breakdown at times. Interview processes are also done for other issues but job interviews top the list in my most memorable engagements. My first encounter with such a practice was successful due to certain aspects. I went for the job interview with high hopes but I was also extremely cautious not to end up unsuccessful. My application targeted the post of a data entry clerk in a research firm. It was my first part-time job search, and it was extremely significant to me. Basically, the interview embodied a strategic conversation that stemmed out of purpose. My goals included proving to the prospective employer that I certainly had the skills, background, and the relevant ability required for the job. These qualities help an individual in assuring the employer that she/he can fully fit into the company and its core culture (Allen, 2011). My experience was quite challenging, but the results were impressive since I was accepted into the company. I answered the questions comfortably and portrayed other personality attributes that were instrumental. Exemplary interpersonal and communication skills were evident, as well as confidence and enthusiasm among others. The interview was successful due to the fact that I was able to answer the questions in the best way. This can be attributed to the issue of merit, but it was also influenced by extensive research about the company. I carried out some research about the company prior to the interview; thus, I had relevant knowledge on the interviewer’s expectations. I may comfortably state that this was the biggest reason as to why I got employed. However, it is pertinent to note that other issues also contributed towards the achievement. This can be exemplified by my ability to volunteer crucial personal information about my strengths and weaknesses also enhanced my quest. B. Describe an interview you have had (or know about) that did not go well. Speculate as to what went wrong. Explain how the interview could have been successful. My second experience was also a job interview and it characterized most aspects that relate to such practices. In this case, I was also targeting a part time job in a manufacturing company during the holidays. I was confident that I would be successful since I had already participated in a similar exercise in the past. The professional part of the conversation was evident, and I managed to convince the interviewer that I had great interest in a supervisor’s job. I proved to the interviewer that I was the right person for the job through my intense knowledge of the company. This knowledge resulted from research about the company and general knowledge obtained from previous stints in school. My dress code depicted the image of a successful and ambitious person, and it unequivocally propelled my chances to greater heights. I answered the questions in the best way possible and maintained my composure throughout the interview. However, there are aspects that I failed to consider during the interview, and they specifically led to complications and disqualification in the long run. There was no doubt that I did merit for the job, but these smaller aspects that I failed to observe changed the entire scene. Apparently, a successful interviewee should not mention the weaknesses of his/her previous employer (Donald, 2002). After my first part time job I had problems with my former employer concerning salary issues. During my second interview, I raised these issues hoping that my prospective employer would consider my plight in terms of a favorable salary. This led to a more intensified discussion on the issue of salary, and it changed the course and shape of the interview. Salary discussions should be avoided when conducting an interview as the experts say (Donald, 2002). The interviewer was not comfortable with the discussion, and it is probably the reason as to why I failed in the interview. I may attribute the failure to the fact that I was over-confident and felt that my previous experiences were enough to sail me through. I strongly believe that the salary question changed the interviewer’s perception concerning my credibility since all other issues were handled effectively. Additionally, I also enquired about other incentives like bonuses without knowing that they would harm my integrity. In simpler terms, the misguided need to find a prospective employer that would be better than the previous one enhanced failure in the interview. The interview could have been successful if I avoided the salary question. C. Describe a presentation you have made. This can be in a job, profession, or college course. Presentations appear more frequently in classroom discussions; thus, I have experienced them on several occasions. One of my most memorable presentations happened in the classroom, and it touched on a previously tested topic. It touched on the effects on abortion on mental health. The aim of the presentation was to prove to the teacher that I actually understood the topic in the most effective way. Secondly, just like any other presentation, I was supposed to present a report that possessed a human element to my fellow students. Ideally, presentations are classified as reports that do posses an extra element that is referred to as human. Other elements that were being tested by teacher also included communicative abilities and the confidence to stand in front of other students in a bid to teach them what I heard learnt. I prepared for the presentation some weeks before the day, and this improved my skills in the same. This was done through reciting the presentation to fellow students in the classroom. The presentation itself had four elements that were addressed properly. I structured the content in accordance with what the students and the teacher expected. In other words, the contents reflected previous classroom sessions that were easily absorbed by the audience. The structure consisted of a logical introduction, body, and ending that was also easily understandable. In order to achieve this, I had to be careful not to lose my audience by wandering from the focal point of the presentation. Packaging of the presentation was also done in the best way, especially during the preparations. This ensured that the audience remained at my mercy. I took control of the situation through the human element and everything went according to plan. B. What did you do that was most effective in the presentation? To what do you attribute this effectiveness? The kind of success attributed to this presentation primarily stemmed from my ability to control the audience (Reynolds, 2008). A combination of the four elements and other attributes that relate to the aspect of the human element were also instrumental in the success observed. In the human element; voice, tone, and personality traits were generally observed. Different tones for different situations also featured in the presentation, and this proved to be a strategy for success (Grant, 2002). Additionally, body language also featured as an important tool. This was done using suggestive body language and facial expressions that enabled other students to understand my presentation. C. What did you do that was least effective in the presentation? To what do you attribute this lack of effectiveness? The presentation was also characterized by ups downs due to the failure to observe other core aspects. In other words, it turned into a tricky affair because I failed to take care of important issues. The presentation was marred by some uncertainties, especially because the ending and questions section did not necessarily meet the expectations of the audience. I delivered a highly informative presentation that reflected most of the things we had learnt in class. However, it was evident that some aspects were beyond my knowledge, but I still incorporated them in the presentation. For instance, the statistics and proof for the relationship between mental health and abortion were lacking. At the beginning, everything went according to the plan until I started explaining issues that I had not researched properly. At this point, my body language depicted pure irrelevance and the audience could easily note that I was not prepared. I, however, managed to get back on my feet on several occasions, but this was obviously a setback. Additionally, the presentation included visuals that were meant to enhance how the audience understood the topic. In the real sense, these visuals complicated the situation, as opposed to enhancing the process of comprehension. I used graphs and other visuals that were not clear to the viewers. Slides are meant to be engaging and easily understandable (Duarte, 2008). My presentation, however, consisted of visuals that were hard to understand and they were also smaller than the expected size. I had to provide the audience with excuses hoping that they would bear with the situation. In the process, the main topic was evaded; thus, my presentation lacked authority and direction at some point. The presentation did not meet my expectations due to the fact that I incorporated complex aspects that never made any difference. This enhanced the failure of the human element due to tension and nervousness. In the long run, my body language failed to relate with my vocal elements. The biggest part of the failure can be attributed to the inability to answer questions that were asked at the end of the session. The audience predominantly asked questions to satisfy curiosities that had been raised by prior faults during the presentation (Gwinn, 2007). D. What did you learn from this week's reading and lectures that you will apply when you next make a formal presentation? This week’s lectures taught me about the need to remain relevant and how to control the audience. This can be done through embracing the above-named elements. Additionally, I learnt that it is also important to refer hard questions to more qualified people other than struggling with questions that would cause a setback. References Allen, E. (2011). Essentials of intentional interviewing. New York: Cengage Learning. Donald, E. (2002). Essentials of interviewing. New York: Wiley. Duarte, N. (2008). Slideology. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media. Grant, R. (2002). Voice power: Using your voice to captivate, persuade, and command attention. New York: AMACOM. Gwinn, A. (2007). Business reports - investigations and presentations. Philadelphia: Saunders Press. Reynolds, G. (2008). Presentation. Berkeley, CA: New Riders. Read More