Page 56 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

The job application interview 45

Preparation

After the initial excitement about the invitation for an interview has faded away, the
following question quickly arises: ‘What do I do now?’ People are often rather nervous
about the application interview: a definite performance has to be given in approximately
45 minutes. There is no chance for an improved version. Support from others is no longer
possible. Moreover, the personal confrontation with the selector or selection committee
often feels threatening. Applicants have to reveal themselves at such an interview, while
the selector/selection committee remains in a safe and more powerful position.
Moreover, people often do not know exactly what to expect from an application
interview. They sometimes do not know how to prepare themselves for it appropriately.
This is a pity because thorough preparation is essential for good development of the
conversation. The most important part of preparation is to think about the relationship
between your personal capacities on the one hand and the requirements of the job for
which you are applying on the other. This link should form the red thread through the
entire conversation.

General advice
We first give some general advice about the preparation of the application interview:

1 Do not leave preparation to the last minute.
2 Try to orient yourself as well as possible. It is useful to form a clear picture of the
organization. You can make use of annual reports, personnel magazines, etc. You may
also call the company and ask for information. Points to take note of are:
• What is the position of the job within the organization?
• What does the company do exactly?
• What is the hierarchical structure?
• What is the organizational culture?
• How is the organization doing? Are there any problems?
• How large is the organization?
• Who will be your colleagues? There are of course many other questions to be thought
of. With each answer you can check whether or not you like the organization—the
more it matches your own wishes the better.

3 Anticipate possible questions.
4 Make notes of the information you have collected. You can take these notes along to
the application interview.
5 Try to imagine what kind of person the company would like to see in the job you are
applying for.
6 Contact the people you would like as a reference if you haven’t already done so when
writing the application letter.