This is the latest in our series of School Entrance Tests‘ school interview, Oxbridge interview and Rob Williams Assessment‘s job interview kills series.
Our school Interview skills
Preparing for a school interview is not to be taken lightly. It is quite serious, and every student should be aware of the few facts that the teachers and school authorities look into the students as they will be representing the brand in the future. Not just the academic part but the way the children are carrying themselves is also taken into account.
The discussion below will be based on certain tips and tricks that will come in handy while facing a school interview. Being prepared for the answers will not be enough, you will have to stand out and seem different from other students by demonstrating certain positive and personal traits. For displaying your qualities in the right way, here is how you can do it;
Our School Interview tips
Dressing well – the right kind of dressing can change your appearance, and even though this is the oldest trick in the book, it still works to date. If someone is new to the school interviewing process, researching what kinds of costumes and dresses are accepted in such interviews will get the job done. Before even becoming a student, one should be dressing like one, and visually demonstrating the skills of a good student will make you a strong candidate and better your chances of selection.
Being on time- It is also important to note that you’re always on time. It is always better to be two to three hours earlier than all-time than being late by even a minute. In such interviews, the student’s punctuality is always taken into account, and being present at the right time can impact your profile. Any possible delays caused due to commuting from a long distance is also to be taken into account and time to travel should also be considered.
Researching about the school– before you even appear for the interview, it is important to understand and research the institution in advance. It would be best to spend a reasonable amount of time studying and understanding how old the school is, its alumni list, etc. Knowing about the school will also allow you to formulate a list of questions that will be important for the school and showcase your interests.
School Interview skills
Being alert– another important tip is being conscious about the surroundings and what is happening in the interview. It is easy to become nervous and have those stomach butterflies before the interview.
To counter all of this, some good habits will be required, such as getting a good night’s sleep for a number of frequent nights before the interview. Being well-rested and having a healthy breakfast will ensure that the person is ready for the interview.
Showcasing maturity and social skills– To be honest, maturity cannot be showcased. Rather, it will reflect in his or her answers and responses. However, maturity can be depicted by specific small actions, such as switching off the cell phone before stepping into the interview, not using terms like ‘um’ before the interview, making eye contact, etc.
Being genuine– it is very important to be as natural as possible. The interviewers will quickly understand if you are being truthful, as it is their job to know if a person is being genuine.
School Interview tips
Being polite– even though you might be aware of all the answers, it is crucial to understand that good behaviour and gentle responses go a long way. It is always important to be polite with the people who are interviewing you, no matter what. Some common physical traits also depict politeness in behaviour, such as addressing the interviewer by their name, shaking their hands, and being thankful for providing an opportunity for the interview. After the interview, the applicant should provide prompt and personalized thank-you notes to the interviewer.
The above-discussed tips and tricks will surely come in handy. However, there are some questions that you can prepare for beforehand from the interview, and it will be beneficial to be a better applicant on that day.
Each interview usually has a unique set of questions, and you might be asked some varied questions to understand your knowledge and capability. Some questions which would be asked are listed below;
- What is your greatest weakness, or what are your weaknesses?
- Which subject do you enjoy the most, and which one do you want the least and why?
- How do you spend your free time?
- If your friends were to describe you, then how would they do it?
- What have you read recently, and what did you most like about it?
- What has been your biggest challenge to date?
- According to you, what is the definition of a good teacher?
- What extra achievement would you like to achieve in school?
- Why are you applying to this school?
Secondary Interview Tips
If you are in primary school and are willing to apply to the top secondary schools in your country, then you must be aware of certain tips and tricks that will assist you in acing the interview. Some of them have already been discussed above, and below are some unique ones that will help you get your ideal school seat.
Practice as much as possible
Experts think that students should be practising their interviews in the presence of an adult, where the former will play the role of the school authority. The goal will always be to provide answers that are informative and rich with context, and also, the conversation should never stop, and it should always go on.
There is a wrong misconception that the interviewers are trying to stump the child. However, that is never the case. The goal of an interviewer is always to get the most honest answer out of an applicant, and they have to be a little cutthroat.
Furthermore, primary school students can also have mock interviews with someone from a second-grade class. The higher-grade students will be able to provide certain guidelines on how the interview looks or what the interviewer is trying to get out of the students. There will be certain do’s and don’ts that the students will advise their primary graders.
The students can also be a part of the meetings with the admission administration, where they give out some important information regarding the interview process and the selection criteria. Having all of this information will be useful to the students only.
Work on your self-Presentation
it is always important to present yourself in the most impressive way possible. The first impressions are always about the presentations, which the teachers will remember for a longer period of time. Even if the interviewers forget what a particular student answered, they will always remember the tone used during the interview. For the 20-30 minutes of the interview, the spotlight will always be on the student; making the most of that time should be the goal.
Dressing the right way has been discussed previously. However, students will not get the uniform of their dream school while sitting for the interview. They can wear their old uniform to represent their current school and look as formal as possible. Some students always do something distracting, such as cracking knuckles, tapping their feet, etc. All of this will need to be dealt with as in an interview, such things will not be appreciated and might also build a wrong impression of the student, resulting in rejection.
Interview DON’Ts
So, just like there are certain things that a student should abstain from doing, most of which are related to the verbal presentation. For example, in the US, certain topics need to be avoided at a thanksgiving table, but a few things need to be avoided while giving an interview.
For example, making bad remarks about the seating arrangements, the weather, or even the long line that the students had to wait to appear for the interview. In short, the school administration will not prefer someone who complains a lot. It will make the student look like a negative person in front of the teachers and might form the wrong idea about the person.
Providing Child with an Agenda– Brainstorming different discussion topics before the interview will help the child to gain confidence. The discussion topics need to be tailored as per the interests of the child but it is important to keep the discussion around the activities offered by the school. It will help the child to have better grasp on their strengths and showcasing them in the interview.
Preparing for the Parent Interview– It is often observed that parents so much engaged in understanding the interview performance of their child. As a result, they do not give much importance to prepare for their own interview. On various occasions, admission officers have a meeting with parents for around 10-25 minutes to understand their child and behaviour. It is crucial for parents to be honest to officers while answering about their children.
If the student is making sure they are following all of the points discussed here, then it will be like a walk in the park for the applicant to ace the interview.