Part B: Communication Barriers - things that make communication fail

Interviews can fall prey to communication barriers - things that get in the way of the flow of information. 

These could include technology freezing if you are using video conferencing software, language barriers - perhaps the interviewer is deaf and uses New Zealand Sign Language; how would that change the interview?, perhaps the interviewee is so nervous that they can't say much more than a very short answer. 

It's important to think about these communication barriers ahead of time so that you can overcome them. For example, New Zealand Sign Language could be sorted with an interpreter, a shy person could benefit from having a support person in the room with them. 

Read these tips on how to overcome communication barriers and these ones as well.

Task: Identify 5 or 6 potential communication barriers that could happen during your interview and say how they could be fixed.

Part C: Needs in an interview

Why do an interview?  Well, because you need information. If you're the interviewer, you need information if the person you're interviewing has the skills to do the job, will fit in at your workplace, and is willing to learn new things. An interviewee has similar needs. They might like to know how much they will be paid, what further training is on offer, which days they will be expected to work.

TASK: Brainstorm all the potential needs of the interviewer and then do the same for the interviewee

Part D: Expectations in an interview

Just like there are needs in an interview, there are expectations of how the interviewer and the interviewee will both behave. Below is a Monty Python (a very old comedy group from the UK) parody sketch which shows how NOT to behave in an interview. There is also another video on what you, the interviewee, should do.

Task: Once you have watched the videos, write 5  rules for how the interviewer should behave and 5 rules for how the interviewee  should behave. 

Part E: Examples

Check out these examples of  interviews so that you can see how interviewers structure their interviews, use their questions to get the interviewee to participate, build rapport and overcome potential communication barriers so that you understand what will happen. You might like to get someone to ask you questions at home as practice as well so that you feel prepared.

Section Four: Summary

• An interview's main job is to get information - both the interviewer and the interviewee NEED to get information out of the interview.

• To prepare for an interview, research some common interview questions and think about how you would answer them.

• In an interview, there are certain ways to behave. Both the interviewer and the interviewee have these EXPECTATIONS of how people will behave.

• A great interview allows the interviewee to participate and ask their own questions - so have some ready

• It is important to think about potential communication barriers and how they can be overcome

• Interviewees will have to slightly behave and react differently depending on whether they have a one to one interview or a panel interview.

Section Five: Assessment

• You will be assigned your own copy of the written assessment in the Google Classroom. 

• You need to plan and prepare for the interview and then do the interview (we can do this on Google Meet or face to face depending on where school is at .  Just email your teacher when you are ready to complete your interview)