Good and Bad Job Interviews
Bad Job Interviews
Lesson Plan
Purpose: To illustrate bad interview behaviors
Materials:
- YouTube video Job Interview: I Have Problems
- board and markers
- handouts: “I Have Problems” script, “Things NOT to Do”
Time: 30-40 minutes
Procedure:
Tell the class they are going to watch a job interview without the sound. They need to watch for the good and bad behaviors in the interview. They can take notes if they want.
Play the first 42 seconds of the video WITHOUT sound.
As you watch, ask the class if they would hire this person. Ask them about behaviors they notice. Make lists of good and bad on the board. The list should mostly be bad. Explain that you watched without sound so they could see how important appearance and body language are.
Tell them to watch the video again, with sound this time. Play the whole video.
Ask the class if they noticed anything else that was bad or good, and add those things to the list. The “bad” list should include:
late; jeans and T-shirt; gum; sitting too relaxed/not facing interviewer
no resumé; didn’t introduce self; bad handshake; sat without being invited
play with phone; complain about old job; know nothing about company; **discuss family**
**“Tell me about yourself” is referring only to work experience and education. Employers aren’t supposed to ask about family because it might affect hiring decisions, which is illegal. This question is an opportunity for an applicant to advertise him/herself as a worker. It is VERY common, so applicants should prepare a 30-60 second answer in advance.
Distribute the handout. Discuss the list of things NOT to do.
Put students into pairs. Have them take turns as interviewer and applicant. Encourage the applicants to use really bad interview behavior. The purpose of this is to help them FEEL the wrong way to do things, which should help them be more aware of their own bad habits. Have them exaggerate and enjoy. Remind them that it’s fun to be bad.
Handouts
Good Job Interviews
Lesson Plan
Purpose: To illustrate good interview behaviors
Materials:
- YouTube videos Job Interview: I Want to Learn and Job Interview: Sorry I'm Late
- board and markers
- handouts: “I Want to Learn” script with “Things to do” list
Time: 30-45 minutes
Procedure:
Tell the class they are going to review bad behaviors in a job interview.
Start “Sorry I’m Late” WITHOUT sound. Stop it at the :42 mark.
As you watch, discuss the good and bad behaviors. List them on the board. Explain that you watched without sound so they could see how important body language and appearance are. This list should mostly be bad. Items to include:
late; jeans and T-shirt; gum; sitting too relaxed; no resumé; opens door and walks into office
play with phone; complain about old job; know nothing about company talk about benefits (dental); didn’t introduce self
**discussed family (see Bad Interview lesson)
Show the first 30 seconds of “I love Your Products,” also without sound. Discuss the differences between the two interviews. Without erasing the list from the first video, make different lists of good/bad behaviors to go with this video. Items to include on the good list:
copies of resumé; appropriate clothing; sit up straight; smile; good handshake; eye contact (without staring); arrive early
Play the “I Love Your Products” video with sound. Add things to the good list, including:
after saying “No,” finished the sentence with “but” and something positive “I think it would be interesting”
used “Tell me about yourself” to talk about work-related successes
spoke loudly and clearly; introduced self; no cell phone; asked questions about the job
Hand out “Things To Do in a Job Interview.” Discuss.
Hand out the script. Put them into pairs. Have them read the interview twice, trading parts the second time.
Handouts
Practice Job Interviews
Lesson Plan
Purpose: To practice interviewing skills
Materials:
- YouTube video Job Interview: I Love Your Products
- Camera on tripod (for a large class, you might want a helper to operate the camera or stay with the class while you do it)
- board and markers
- handout “Interview Evaluation Form”
- handout “Practice Interview”
- handout “Questions to Ask in an Interview”
Time: 30-45 minutes, plus review time (another day is best)
Note: Using the camera adds some complications and extra time, but it gives them a much more authentic experience. Many students will be nervous, but point out to them that a real interview will make them nervous, too. They will also take their preparation time much more seriously if they know they’ll be recorded or have to do it in front of the class. If possible, do the recording in another room while the students practice in the classroom. One purpose of recording is to help them see what they look like to other people. People often have posture, mannerisms, or speech patterns that they aren’t aware of until they see it on video.
Procedure:
Tell the class they are going to watch one more job interview video. They need to watch for the good and bad behaviors in the interview.
Hand out the Interview Evaluation Form. Tell them that they are going to fill out this form as they watch the interview. Show them the row along the top where they can write names, then follow the column down to write scores for that name. Show them the key, and tell them they only need to write the letter representing each mark. Have them write “Adam” in the first column. This is the applicant in the video.
Play 30 seconds of “I Love Your Products” WITHOUT sound. Tell them to score Adam on their forms. Discuss the results.
Play it again from the beginning with sound. Have them finish scoring the interview, then discuss. Good things to point out include:
copies of resumé appropriate clothing no cell phone asked questions about the job
sit up straight smile introduced self spoke loudly and clearly good handshake eye contact (without staring)
arrived early hands relaxed on table didn’t sit until invited
after saying “No,” finished the sentence with “but” and something positive “I want to learn”
used “Tell me about yourself” to talk about work-related successes
5. Give each student several blank evaluation forms and a copy of Questions to Ask in an Interview. Discuss the Questions handout.
6. Tell them to think of a job they would like to apply for, either now or in the future. They are going to practice interviewing for this job. Give them a couple of minutes to think of how to answer the “tell me about yourself” question. Put them into pairs and have them practice. They will take turns being the applicant and the interviewer. The interviewer will read from the Practice Interview handout. The applicant may not use any papers--just give real answers.
This is the point where the teacher can A) record, or B) have them interview in front of the class.
A) Record:
7. Take two students into the room with the camera. Start recording from the handshake. This will go quickly if you have two students interviewing on camera and one in the hall to come in as the next applicant. The student who plays the interviewer can go back to the classroom and send the next person to be on deck.
8. When the group is done, play back each interview for the class. (They might be less self-conscious about this part on another day, after the tension has had time to subside. If someone is having a really hard time with this, the teacher and student could review it without the class watching.) Have them fill out the evaluation sheet as they watch. After each one, point out good moments and give a couple of suggestions for improvement. Depending on the social make-up of the class, it may be helpful to go around the group and give feedback.The feedback should be based on these 2 questions: -What were the 2 highest scores? -What are 2 items this person could improve upon?
Remind them to be polite and gentle!
9. Have the class give themselves a round of applause for performing under pressure.
B) Split into groups:
7. Put the students into groups of about 5 or 6, but no less than 4.
8. In each group, students will take turns to be the applicant and the interviewer. The students who are watching must score the applicant on the forms.
They will rotate through the group until everyone has had a turn in each role. They should not discuss scores until the teacher gives them directions for doing so. Each interview should start with the participants standing up and shaking hands.
9. When the group is done, go around the group and give feedback for each applicant. The feedback should be based on these 2 questions: -What were the 2 highest scores? -What are 2 items this person could improve upon? Remind them to be polite and gentle!
10. Have the class give themselves a round of applause for performing under pressure.