“mahirap po bang magpa-interview sa Kiwi?”

Dear kabayang Noel : nasa New Zealand na po kami ng mag-ina ko. Tapos na po ang kontrata ko at sumusubok po akong lumipat nang employer, mas maganda ang sahod at gusto ko rin ng panibagong challenge sa trabaho. Anu-ano pong tips ang maibibigay nyo sa aking unang interview? Ilag po ako sa English ng mga taga rito (sa New Zealand). Maraming salamat po. EDONG

SALAMAT SA iyong message Ed.

Unang-una, di ko sinasabing tama o huwaran ang mga ginagawa kong preparasyon o paghanda sa panayam pangempleyo (job interview). Batay itong lahat sa sitwasyon (situation-based), sa uri ng industriya o negosyo, kahit ang mood o pakiramdam ng interviewer. Una at huli, what I say below ay ang aking mga karanasang personal:

Do your research. Ano ang basic fact ng kumpanyang balak mong pasukan? Malaki man o maliit, ano ang mga bukod-tanging achievements nila sa kanyang industriya? May track record ba syang nagre-recruit ng mga Pinoy? Kung hindi, bakit? Ikaw kaya ang tipo ng manggagawang iha-hire nila, Pinoy man o hindi?

In one form or another, may tanong na lalabas na ganito: What do you know about our Company? o How did you come to know about our Company? Napakaswerte mo Edong dahil (1) may chance ka nang paghandaan ito at (2) chance mo rin puriin ang company, kesyo Number One sila sa production, sales, market share etc. Basta mag-research ka, you can’t go wrong.

Alamin at sanaying sumagot sa mga madalas (typical) tanungin sa interview. May dahilan kung bakit may typical o guide questions pang interview. Ang dahilan ay madalas itatanong ito ng interviewer 8 times out of 10. This is not the time to be the traditionally humble and self-effacing (nagpapakumbaba) Pinoy that you are. Alamin ang mga pinakamadalas tanungin sa YouTube at isaulo ang iyong sagot. They are not trick questions (di seryosong mga tanong or tanong na walang tamang sagot). What are your strengths and weaknesses? Describe a situation where you were confronted by a challenging problem and how you solved it. How would you see yourself five years from now in this company? Kung pwedeng imemorize mo ang script ng sagot mo, gawin ito.

Style over substance. Madalas para sa interviewer ay kasing halaga ng sagot mo ang paraan ng sagot mo at pagbigkas mo nito. Sa English, it’s not just your answers but how you answer and the way you answer. The interviewer wants to gauge or measure your confidence, the ease of communication, and how prepared you are with your answers. First 10 to 15 seconds pa lang ng sagot mo, nabenta mo na ang sarili mo.

Miscellaneous. Be confident, pero wag mayabang. Keep answers short, unless pina-elaborate ka (That’s a good sign, interested sya. ) Also, the shorter the answer, the easier to defend or justify. Don’t shout, but don’t whisper. Smile, but don’t giggle. Keep eye contact, but don’t stare. And of course, don’t slouch, and stay alert.

AND DON’T FORGET. Kabayan Edong, please don’t ask how much the wage rate or salary will be. There is a time for doing this, and the initial interview is not the time. You don’t have to believe me Edong and may punto ka, there are people who don’t agree with me, but unless you are 99% sure you will be hired, this is not a good question to ask.

Ayan, kabayan. I’ve failed more interviews than I can remember, but I’ve had both Pinoy and Kiwi interviewers. They will generally follow the same rules and habits. You will fail and succeed the same way.

Good luck bro at salamat sa tanong mo.