Reflections on a course interview

 

I had been planning on enrolling into a course since a few months. The admission process for it involved the submission of a well-thought form proceeded by an interview that determines the confirmation.

The form, pretty much close to the course outline, was aimed at triggering the reflective process of the aspirants. Honestly, it was one of its kind. Not just targeting factual information like educational level and degrees, it emphasized on things that one can relate with, at a personal level, like interests, favorite places, etc.

Following the form was an interview. It stretched from 30-40 minutes. We have all had interviews at some point in our lives, and there may be readers who might wonder where did the need to jot this down arrive from. Believe me, this was a different interview, unlike most that we have at corporate offices, companies, and schools.

Firstly, the interviewer was a calm and polite woman. Accompanying her was another woman, probably one of her juniors. Both of them seemed really at ease and I might not generalize this on others, but for me, calm demeanor of the person in authority matters the most. Also, being a person, who hardly ever wishes to talk in public and neither owns the confidence to, the way the interviewer managed to put me at ease was wondrous and truly acknowledgeable.

I mean, as opposed to the trend of interviews in our society, which involves putting the interviewee on a hot seat and pressing him to enough to judge “his ability to work under pressure”, this was a distinct (and definitely better) way of conducting a talk, and where it might also be argued that it was a course enrollment interview and not a job interview, hence that shall justify its good traits, I would truly disagree. The reason being that, it really didn’t seem like an interview. It just seemed like an attempt for the interviewer and interviewee to familiarize themselves with each other and give ways to a healthy discussion. I perceive this is easily incorporable in job-interviews too, unless the aim is to make the employs hate their jobs beforehand.

The interviewer, I must say, was immensely well prepared. She knew what she was doing and was keened at giving her best, which she was. Having read the entire form and referring to my answers back and forth was another really impressive quality of the interviewer.

There were a few questions which I really enjoyed answering since they are rarely asked. One of them was “why did I chose sociology as a subject” I answered it with why this subject was initially my father’s choice and later became a powerhouse for my interest in writing. At this point, the interviewer gave me a hardcore point to reflect upon, meaning she wasn’t merely counting on the number of questions done but was consciously listening to my responses making me feel ‘somebody who’s story was worth being heard’.

Likewise, I would reinforce, how important it is to make your subordinates feel comfortable so that the responses elicited are genuine. The need to be fake, or sugarcoat my words didn’t really arrive at any point in the 40 minute-duration. I think this is the most effective trait that any interview can have and I am glad to have experienced this one.