All entries for Wednesday 18 April 2012

Follow–up on Career planning

Workshop Tutor: Fiona Kent

Heres a summary of how I've been getting on with my action points

Dear Fiona,

Unfortunately, the interview was postponed from April 11 to April 17. Therefore, I couldn't have updated you about how the telephone interview went.

As far as my second action point regarding the preparation for the interview is concerned, I decided not to leave anything to chance. I watched the videos with interviews that Charlie Cunningham recommended me. I found them really interesting, especially the interviewers' comments on applicant’s performance. I learnt quite a lot about the nature of such interviews.

I also googled information regarding the possible questions I might be asked at the interview. I found it helpful because I tried to reply to each of them on my own. With such preparation, I felt during the conversation more relaxed and confident. When you prepare the possible answers, it is easier not to slip into a trap.

For example, one question I was asked was which subject at Warwick I have enjoyed most so far and why. I responded, that business planning - an integrative project based on teamwork was a challenging experience. He asked me which role I played in the team and what I think my strength was. I described him my responsibilities and told him that I like to challenge - improve things - to question new ideas so as to make the most of them. He found an opportunity to ask me a tricky question - don't you think that such approach to brainstorming can be sometimes frustrating?

Well, to be honest, I was surprised by such question. Luckily, one of the question I googled was similar to this one, so I knew that I have to turn it into something positive. I said that when a person knows his or her strengths, it is necessary to know when it is appropriate to use them. So I agreed that it might be frustrating, but I also pointed out that I am driven by achievements and that I like getting things done. When being short of time, I consider - is it worth to challenge the idea? Do we have time for it? Are those 3% of improvement more valuable compared to the progress of the overall project?

I think, such answer was quite diplomatic and it does not show my strength as a weakness. Am I right?

To conclude, the whole interview lasted more than 30 minutes and I had a good feeling about the way the interview went. I was told that I was articulate and my responses were well structured and meaningful. So now I just have to expect the worst and hope for the best.

Thank you Fiona for reading the blog, I tried to meet all the action points I set during the workshop. So now I guess I am going to start writing the final entry for the whole Warwick Skills Portfolio.

Thank you again for following my posts and all the best!

Natalia

: 18 Apr 2012 02:22 |  Tags: Actions Follow-Up P9 Portfolio Wspa |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem