By Najwa Yusman
GOMBAK, 17 April 2022: For most students, an interview session could be a nerve-wracking experience, but the nervousness could help them to prepare themselves for the interview, according to Nor Adilah binti Mohd Nor.
The Acting Senior Counsellor from Counselling and Career Service Centre IIUM shared that before the interview, the company “will usually search for your name on Google or stalk your social media accounts”.
“For that reason, students must separate which social media postings should be made public and which should be kept private to avoid conflict,” she added.
Nor Adilah was addressing the participants today at the second session of the career workshop that focused on interviews and internships.
During the session, Nor Adilah covered several topics that include how students should prepare for the interview, how they should respond to questions during the interview, and what they should do afterwards.
Further, she urged the students to conduct research on the platform or types of interviews that the company will use.
Nor Adilah mentioned that there are five types of interviews used by a company which are telephone interview, video interview, panel interview, assessment day, and group interview.
“Students are encouraged to use the STAR method to answer common questions in an interview session, whether it is held online or in person,” she said.
According to Nor Adilah, the STAR method is a set of guidelines that help students communicate more effectively.
It consists of four major points:
- S – Situation, where students have to mention and describe the specific event.
- T – Task, where students need to explain their roles in the specific event.
- A – Action, where students describe how they accomplished their roles in the event.
- R – Result, where students outline the impact of their actions in the event.
Nor Adilah further said that this method is applicable for questions that asked about students’ strengths and weaknesses as it helps students to be transparent and acknowledge their qualities.
Besides, Nor Adilah emphasised on the importance of dress code when attending any interview session.
“Please avoid any stripes and busy pattern and wear a formal attire, for sister, avoid wearing baju kurung with a blazer as baju kurung itself is a formal attire,” she said.
Nor Adilah also advised that after the interview, students should send a follow-up message and inquire about the interviewer’s contact information.
Apart from interview tips, Nor Adilah shared data about internships in selected Kulliyyah to give the participants an overview of the allowance and types of companies chosen by students.
“From these data, it can be seen that the majority of KIRKHS students applied for internships in the government sector, while Economics, Engineering, and IT students chose private local or multinational companies,” she added.
Nor Adilah also questioned students about their need to do internships whether it is just for academic requirements or for career opportunities as places for internships could influence their growth.
“When looking for internship opportunities, students can use InvestKL or Linkedin to search for companies, and if they need someone to review their resume, they are welcome to book an appointment with us on I-maalum under the E-counselling section,” she said.
The workshop was held online on Google Meet platform, organised under the Civil Defence Club (CDC) in collaboration with Kumpulan Latihan Kelanasiswa Malaysia (KLKM), and was attended by more than 50 students from different kulliyyah.***