Interview Skills

Interview skills are perhaps something we take for granted especially once you have undergone quite a few and have been successful. However it is good practice to re-visit skills and methods to keep ideas fresh and it is never to late for improving.

This image shows the findings within a group exercise, discussing the good and bad experiences of interviews. There were quite a few different ages within the group which led to a good and varied input. I felt that along with research and presenting yourself in a good manner, listening during an interview came out as an important point to remember.







Interview Preparation discussed with John Kiely
As part of interview skills practice, we interviewed our group tutor with questions to form a constructive picture of what to expect and how to present ourselves in the best way.
Questions and Answers:
1) What format should we use for a portfolio? (photo book or wallet etc)
Formal portfolio case - box or case also take a photo book to leave with the interviewers
2) Is a contact sheet appropriate with my contact details?
No, a book with details as mentioned above
3) What size should we print our images and how to mount, framing and mounting colour?
A3 or A4 mounted to A3 and as a rule, a black mount is standard
4) What research do we need to evidence and how to go about it - existing practitioners?
Research the job and specific jobs or projects the company have done, looking at websites they use. It is a good idea to research current billboard and adverts - who has taken them?
5) Do we need to be sequential with our portfolio?
There should be a beginning, middle and end (using GOAL POST strategy). Short collections of images are best, the whole set doesn't need to be sequenced.
6) Should we include a weak piece of work to show reflective practice?
If a weak piece is included it shouldn't be too weak and we must be able to analise it properly.
7) How smartly should we dress?
Casual smart is best, not in a suit but it does depend on the job you are going for.
Extra advice from John:
Take charge of the interview
Expect the unexpected questions 

Interview Evaluation
My own most recent experience of an interview which, was approximately two years ago, is fortunate enough to have been a successful one but also provided me with quite a learning curve. After applying online for a job at a local supermarket, I found myself attending for an interview within a few days. This didn't leave me much time to research the company and as I didn't now anybody else who worked there, I couldn't ask for advise on how best to present myself to them. The initial interview turned out to be quite a large group interview, something I haven't experienced before. It was less intimidating than a  personal one to one interview but was also quite nerve wracking in a way, knowing that you are being observed on your interactions within your designated peer group and I was very aware of not 'taking over'. I later found out during a feedback session that I had performed extremely well in this group situation and this had led to me being offered a choice of positions. The following personal interview also went well and I felt better prepared for it however on reflection I would have preferred to be better informed for any interview if only to make me feel less anxious and make it a more positive experience. Preparation before an interview not only makes you look more professional and eager but also helps to make you feel more confident in yourself, knowing you will have something constructive to say.

Creative CV

When compiling a CV, it needs to be based on evidence contained within the information given in the CV.  A CV will help you to prepare for an interview, consequently it is very important to remain honest with all the information you enter into it.  A creative CV is a useful tool to help you stand out in amongst a pile of other CV's.  I feel a photography based, creative CV will create the right impression I would like to establish.  This will be either in the form of a photo-book or swatch of photographs that contain both images of my profile information and examples of my work.

 

A photo book would be my preference and I feel it would work well for any kind of photography related interview as it displays your work in an organised way but also allows text and expression. This is something that can be left with your interviewer(s), making it easy for them to refer back to you once the interview is over. During a level 2 photography course, for the presentation criteria, I produced two photo books of my portfolio work, the following are examples of the two books that I compiled. 

The opening page of the book I created contains my student and course information which could be easily adapted to contact details. This small photograph could be an image of myself rather than my work.

 

The following pages can still be a great way to showcase your work but also add some descriptive text to make sure you get the right message across.

This layout in my other printed photo book of Spring images was simpler and didn't contain as much text. In this format the images presented stood out well but for a CV interpretation, more information would be needed.




On reflection, I believe the first photo book of Albert Dock would be the better format as it gives more about me and the way I write. I find the idea of presenting my CV in this manner, pleasant and appealing, however a good amount of time would be required for this exercise as it takes time to both produce the photo book and wait for the delivery. Having completed an exercise during tutorials in college for producing a photo book, I now have a good insight into the process and what results to expect from the different companies offering the service.

Presentation Skils

An essential skill to learn and master comes in the form of a prepared presentation.  It is important to be able to research, present and display information in a logical, structured manner and format.
A presentation should include a beginning, middle and conclusion in order to flow and make sense to your intended audience.

For my presentation, I have chosen to use a PowerPoint slide show for the visuals and narrative support using written flash cards.

To begin with, I set out my intentions in a word document and decided the information I would like to talk about with the coresponding slides in the presentation.  A bibliography was also added to the end of the word document evidencing the sources of my research and infomation.

My research came in the form of books, internet websites (including newspaper articles) and a DVD.

I chose Self-Portraits as the subject for my presentation and included information on the modern day 'selfie', comparing it's function with that of self-portraits which have occured throughout history.

The following video shows my slide show saved as a MPEG-4 video format:

Flash cards were chosen to support my narration and I used bullet points and highlighters to organise the infomation that I included. With this method, I found it easier to use them as prompts rather than reading verbatim from the cards, allowing me to make more eye contact with my audience.

The act of using peer and tutor review of my presentation was used in this instance and I found this to be a useful and valuable resource in assessing my performance and success with my chosen presentation. This is known as, 'formative peer to peer feedback' and is an extremely useful reflective tool to enable you to progress and improve future performance.

Evaluation/Reflection
I found the process of standing in front my peer group and tutors a nerve wracking experience but did manage to deliver my presentation with some confidence.  Had I failed to research and organise my subject, I am sure this would have been much worse. On reflection, I believe I should have practised my narration with the presentation quite a lot more. I was happy however with the fact that I managed to make some eye contact and didn't rely entirely on my flash cards.  I also need to learn to project my voice better, especially if any future presentations happened to be taking place in a larger room. Following  my presentaion, I received some extremely pleasant and encouraging feedback from my peers and tutors, which has instilled some confidence in me for any future presentations.

Personal Statement

Personal Statement

It is personal statement time so research is needed to begin and complete an effective and well structured statement.
All the information that has been compiled in HE Tool Kit sessions are necessary but research into the format and information structure is also needed to make the statement coherent and flow well.
There are lots of 'do's and dont's' associated with personal statements and it is easy to understand and see why. There are thousands upon thousands of statements submitted every year and it must become extremely repetetive and difficult to read them if they are badly written or structured in a difficult format.
A plan is needed before emabarking on writing as it will help to give some idea of what you are going to include and in what order.  The following image is taken from the UCAS website and there is plenty more advice and study aids to be found there.

The following link takes you to the UCAS personal worksheet pdf which, I found to be quite useful.
UCAS personal statement worksheet pdf

 The main 'do's' I am understanding are:

• Give convincing reasons for why you want to study the course - more than just "enjoying the subject"
• Express where you are now, where you want to go, how you are going to get there
• Write naturally and honestly
• Make your personal statement 'personal', express yourself
• Bring in your skills
• Read other statements but don't copy them
• Say what experience/courses already achieved
• Turn negative experiences into positive ones
• Only include things you are prepared to talk about at interview
• Check spelling, grammar and content
• Show your statement to other people, their opinion can be valuable

The main 'don'ts' I am understanding are:

• Don't use 'I' at the start of every sentence. Try to use alternatives such as, furthermore, in addition and including.
• Information already included in the application form does not need to be repeated
• Don't pad out information or waffle on meaninglessly
• Avoid making negative statements
• Mention skills and activities without giving examples of when they have been demonstrated
• Exaggerate or lie

The personal statement needs to written in 'word', using Times New Roman font and point size 12.

Websites with good information and guidance:

http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/undergraduate/filling-your-application/your-personal-statement

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Writing_Your_Personal_Statement

http://www.studential.com/personalstatements/

Mind map and GANTT chart (time management) for Photography Assignments

As I now have Brief's for photography assignments, it is a good time for me to create a mind map with an intention to set up a GANTT chart.  Although I started to create a mind map by hand on paper, just by concidence, I have received an email inviting me to use an online resource created by 'software4students.com'.  I have found the online mind map facility very good and easy to use.  It also serves as a 'live document' very well as it can be edited whenever I need it to be.  The mind map can also be easily saved as a 'PNG' file which is very useful to upload to my blog.

I have also received an excellent tip from the Exam Time admin on how to insert an interactive version of the mind map that I created into blogger which I think is fabulous......

by Trish Moly

Another extremely useful tool in exam time is the calendar.  The calendar can be used as a form of GANTT chart, allowing you to plan your time effectively for college activities and assignments.

 This calendar can also be exported to ical, making it a very useful tool to use in college.

Mind Maps, CV, Creative CV

Mind Maps

Mind Maps were explored today and how they are a good way to get your thoughts down on paper and a good start point for compiling a CV.
We viewed several Mind Maps that had been created by other people which I had to admit, looked quite confusing to my eyes.  This was understandable as they were an insight into somebody else's thoughts and the way that person would organise those thoughts.
Our starting point with the CV was to outline a basic spider-gram then transfer that onto A3 paper and add more details.  Using colours, underlining and circling helped to create hierarchy and keep the outlay less confusing.

I found outlining the initial spider-gram good practice but didn't really get into the expanded version very well so will try to do this again.  The checklist Alex provided for us to take categories from was also extremely useful.

 

When compiling a CV, it needs to be based on evidence contained within the information given in the CV.  A CV will help you to prepare for an interview, consequently it is very important to remain honest with all the information you enter into it.  A creative CV is a useful tool to help you stand out in amongst a pile of other CV's.  I feel a photography based, creative CV will create the right impression I would like to establish.  This will be either in the form of a photo-book or swatch of photographs that contain both images of my profile information and examples of my work.

STUDY SKILLS - Project Planning and Time Management - Weds 25/09/13

Workflow Chart

This week our task was to create a workflow chart in order to plan a fashion shoot.

Within our group, we decided to allow two weeks for our project, however we did all agree that a longer time period was needed and four weeks would have been more manageable and realistic.

During our initial group discussion a spider-gram was drawn up with ideas from all of us.  I felt this was good practice as we all had ideas and contributed in a positive way toward the final planning GANTT chart.

 Fashion Shoot Pre-production

  The Shoot

 Post Production

Group effort GANTT chart

Planning and time management activities - Weds 18/09/13

Study Skills

Our HE Tool Kit on a Wednesday is currently based around planning and time management activities.

Our first activity for HE Tool Kit is time management plans/skills i.e. mind mans and creating a GANTT Chart. This is a live document that is used for project planning/developing and time keeping.  Just as a blog helps to organise college work and can be edited, so can the GANTT chart.  It is actually important to remember that a GANTT chart is meant to be edited/updated whenever a change happens.

There are five pieces of evidence required in the HE Tool Kit module

1. Planning and time management activities
2. CV
3. A personal statement
4. Interview skills activity
5. Presentation

An assignment for study skills will need to be after January - 1000 word essay/report, reflecting on an aspect of the syllabus.
Remember the statement, 'Failing to plan is planning to fail'.