CASE EXAMPLES

For each example depicted below, indicate whether you would act in the same manner during a job interview:

YES NO

1.  Mary is applying for a job as a cosmetician and arrives dressed neatly,

wearing a generous amount of make-up and a great deal of costume jewelry.

2.  Eric was invited to an interview for a job in construction. He wore dress

pants, a shirt, tie and blazer.

3.  Chris did not bring copies of his references to his interview, when he

stated on his CV that they were available upon request.

4.  Chris is not really familiar with his personal and professional characteristics,

and he has difficulty giving value to his abilities and personal strengths

during the interview.

5.  Charlene believed she could just make it on time for her interview. On her way

she encounters traffic due to an accident. She eventually arrives to the

interview 7 minutes late.

6.  Chantal meets the receptionist who directs her to the interview room. She is

nervous and takes on a distant attitude toward the secretary.

7.  Ellen is well dressed for her interview. She seems somewhat uneasy and gives

the impression that she lacks confidence in herself.

8.  Lucy enjoys overcoming challenges and taking on responsibility. She takes on a

positive and active attitude during her job interview.

9.  Carl is very nervous during his interview. He fidgets in his chair, plays with

a pencil and looks at his watch every five minutes.

10.  Helen kept her answers brief during the interview, responding “yes” or “no” to

all questions except if asked to elaborate.

11.  Mark has a bit of a sore throat, and decides to keep a throat lozenge in his

mouth during his interview.

YES NO

12.  Through the interviewer’s non-verbal behaviour, Philip senses that he does not

have a good chance of getting the job. He decides to interrupt the interview

and leave.

13.  When the employer asks Valerie why she left her last job, she responds by

saying she had a conflict of opinions with her boss.

14.  Mike is a very shy person. During the interview he has difficulty maintaining

eye contact and frequently looks down when responding to questions.

15.  Lucy arrives to her interview 20 minutes early, and decides to listen to her

walkman while she is waiting.

16.  Jane arrives to her interview properly dressed and with two copies of her

CV in hand.

17.  Jesse does not quite understand what the employer is asking him, so he

politely asks for some clarification before responding.

18.  Nathalie brings her cell phone with her everywhere. During the interview

her phone rings and she tells the employer she must answer as she is

expecting a very important call.

19.  Jack has plans made with a friend for after his interview. In order to save

some time, he decides that it would be easier if his friend came along with him

to the interview and they left from there afterwards.

A great exercise for discussing the do’s and don’ts of job interviews. I’ve used various versions of this exercise with young “at-risk” teens and adults (13 – 24) and mild intellectually challenged students (16 – 21 years of age). You can easily have a good 30 –45 minute discussion.

Translated from Interagir – Les editions septembre