3.3 Interviews and the ethical employee
Interview skills
The notion of an interview can be a scary prospect because it symbolises a step into the unknown and very much about risk-taking. At the heart of any interview scenario is being able to answer and ask questions. Again the learner profile attribute of Inquirer very much comes into play here. The more students experience a range of situations which demand thinking on the spot to difficult questions, the more they will gauge an understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses and build confidence.
Whilst this page is placed under Effective Communication, it explores aspects of Applied Ethics in detail as well with expecctations and standards of professional behaviour.
Effective Communication and Personal Development
Classic job interview questions
Activator
Pair up and discuss jobs and careers that you are fascinated by and/or might be interested in pursuing. Imagine that there is a job opening at a junior level in an career area you are curious to explore.
How would you respond to the following questions? Take turns to think about your answers.
1. Why should we employ you?
2. How would you define your strengths and weaknesses?
3. What would be your salary expectations?
Reflect for a few minutes on how you found this exercise and what you think works or does not work in responding to these questions.
Development
Mr Gates, why should we employ you?
In this video from October 2020, Stephen Curry talks to Bill Gates about job interviews and COVID. In the first 3 mins 15 seconds, Curry asks Gates typical job interview questions and how he would respond. He does this in about 30 seconds each time. Watch this video twice; the first to listen and the second to take notes on how he structures his answers.
Watch this video up to 3mins 15 seconds.
What do you find interesting about the way Bill Gates responds to these questions?
1. Consider how curiosity, positivity and self-awareness are factors in his responses.
2. Consider how Bill Gates reflects the Learner Profile in these responses.
Reflection
Go back to the original responses from the introductory activity and consider ideas could be developed further in the visual journal. What other questions might be useful to consider the responses to?
Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech used to spark interest in what you and/or your organisation is about. You can use them to create interest in a project, idea, product or in yourself. The best elevator pitches last no longer than a short elevator ride - about 20-30 seconds.
As a class, expand on the questions that you started the lesson out with and Bill Gates answered. In a pair/group/whole class, you have 30 seconds to say why you are the best person for the job you want.
What makes an ethical employee?
Would YOU hire you?
Instead of considering your place as an interviewee, consider the role of leadership and creating an ethical business culture. What traits would you look for in a person you are hiring? Mindmap with a partner a list of ten traits. Then agree an order to them and be prepared to justify that order as you feedback to the class.
Ethical traits for the workplace
Consider the word cloud below with 15 ethical traits considered to make up an effective and ethical employee. What are your initial thoughts? How do they compare with your original list? Are there any controversial items here or any that you are unclear about?
Teacher notes
appearance
attendance
attitude
character
communication
cooperation
organisational skills
productivity
respect
teamwork
rule-follower
responsibility
accountability
professionalism
trustworthiness
Effective Communication, Personal Development and Applied Ethics
Considering the future and the different steps you will take in the workplace can be hard to envisage. A lot of people who have been in a professional setting for a long time will relate to the idea that it is only when you experience what does not work for you in a workplace environment that you can truly articulate what you need to thrive. With all this talk above about preparing for interview and presenting the type of employee a workpace would want, it is important to remember an even more important question. Are they the place for you? Let's explore some relevant themes that affect many professional settings.
There are many definitions of the terms used here in the workplace so we can only explore some perceptions of them. However, this certainly can help define the type of environment you want to work in as you grow in your future work. For example it's helpful to know the fundamental difference between a manager and a leader in the workplace as both have their place but can create difficulties if confused.
Discussion and/or research
What is the difference between a boss and a leader? What is the difference between a manager and a leader? What do you think the characteristics of a leadership should be? How will you feel supported?
Scott Williams: Be a leader not a manager.
This video is not new but it comes out of a time 10 years ago where the difference between managing and leading seems to have been a hot topic! It's worth considering that both roles are needed but the problems come when people do not understand their role and this is not communicated well to the people around them.
Summary discussion: Ten differences between managers and leaders:
1) Essence: stability/change
2) Rules: make/break
3) Approach: plans detail/sets direction
4) Culture: execute/shape
5) Conflict: avoid/use
6) Direction: existing roads/new roads
7) Credit: take/give
8) Decisions: make/facilitate
9) Vision: tell/sell
10) Style: transactional/transformational