B1: Mock Interview Preparing

 Mock Interview Preparing

Practice Media company- BBC

-They provide news based on British Values of accuracy, impartiality and fairness. Their website states they want to bring news to "help people understand and engage with the world around them"

-The BBC wants to reflect the UK, its culture and values to the world

-They put their audience at the heart of everything they do

Their interviews (usually with 2 or 3 BBC workers) want to know all about your skills, achievements and behaviours.

To help prepare us for the mock interviews, which are part of our personal progression unit, we were given the chance to write an example answer in response to the statement 'Give an example of a time you worked in a team'. A way to format answers, is using the STAR method. This entails including the situation (the event/project that affiliates with the question, the task (the assignments that were needed to complete this), the action (what took place to amend the situation) and the result (what were the conclusions of these actions).

Constructing answers like this covers everything that the employer will be looking for. It shows that you have been in situations where desired skills have been displayed, how you overcome any problems that may have arisen and how this worked out in your favour.

As we are given 1 week to prepare, I am able to look at the practice questions and come up with the best answers, without sounding too rehearsed. The questions we will be asked are:

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What are your strengths and weaknesses? 

3. Why do you want to work here?

4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

5. Describe a time where you were required to work in a team?

This website helps in preparation for the above questions, offering techniques on how to answer and structure "tell me about yourself". Summed up, the advice they offer says to:

• Break the question down
• Rehearse it (without making it sound scripted)
• Nail it (with confidence and honesty)

Things I could touch on:

• Helping out with the performing arts group
• Studying media at college and why I was interested in it
• Why the job in question would be perfect for me
• Outside of college I love to...

An example answer of my own would be:

I started studying Creative Media at level 3 in September of 2020, after leaving sixth form due to it not feeling like the right fit for me. I also help out at a performing arts group I used to attend, teaching drama, singing and dancing. I help lead the younger children, working as part of a team to put on shows and creating a fun space for them to come to. I am here today to interview as I am extremely passionate about media and all that Channel 4 stands for. In my spare time outside of college, I attend a lot of concerts and take photos, as it is something I love doing.

The next question being "what are your strengths and weaknesses?", it is important to research what the company looks for when employing. When looking on the Channel 4 website, the words that stuck out to me the most were "passionate", "motivated", "work well in a reactive environment" and "pro-active in solving issues".

Things I could touch on:

• Working well in a reactive environment- working with children, no two sessions are the same
• Links in to problem solving- used to thinking quick so could put this into this job
• Passionate- it is an area I find exciting, therefore would strive to be better
• I tend to start tasks all at once, which then makes it hard to finish, but working on managing tasks and focusing on one thing at a time.

An example answer of my own would be:

I would say some of my strengths include working in reactive environments. As I am familiar with working with children, no two days are the same, which means it is extremely important to think quick on your feet. I believe this also links into problem solving as I never know what will come up, therefore having had practice at overcoming situations on the spot will be beneficial in this role. In addition to this, I admit that my biggest weakness is the tendency to start multiple tasks all at once without completing one first. So I think being in this position and having real deadlines and clients to work for will help with this as it will require more attention and focus.

"Why do you want to work here?" is an opportunity to show off the research you have done prior to the interview.

Things I could touch on:

• I like how the company states the audience is at the heart of everything they do, as the audience are the ones consuming everything that Channel 4 releases, it is nice to know they are at the forefront of what gets put out.
• They want to create change through entertainment, which is similar to my personal statement where I said "I want to be a part of something that creates content to make people happy", in whatever area of media this may be. Values link to my own.
• Channel 4 commissions content from independent companies, meaning it is diverse and allows smaller creatives the chance to work. This also means not every production will be the same, which I find extremely exciting.

An example answer of my own would be:

The company website states that "the audience is at the heart of everything they do" and as the audience are those consuming the content that is produced, it is admirable that they are at the forefront of Channel 4's mind. The website also states that they want to make "change through entertainment" which is a personal goal of mine as I mentioned in my personal statement that I wanted to create content that would ultimately make people happy, across any area of media. I also like how they commission content from smaller companies, meaning no two productions are ever the same and it gives smaller creatives a chance to shine.

The next question "where do you see yourself in 5 years" is the opportunity to state your professional goals and how this job aligns with them. Advice from Built In suggests to focus on skills you want to work on and get better at, as well as the growth you will be able to do if handed this position.

Things I could touch on:

• Knowing it is important to work your way up, so gain as much experience as I can in as many areas as come up.
• Gaining knowledge
• Throughout college and my job I work in a team, which is somewhere I see myself enhancing and being with as many creative people as I can be with.

An example answer of my own would be:

In 5 years, I see myself trying to gain as much knowledge and experience as I can, as I believe this is the best way to progress and move forward in industry. Therefore, saying yes to any opportunities that come up will help me get to where I want to be, which is somewhere being a part of making content that will do good. As I do a lot of working as part of a team through my job, I can definitely see myself enhancing this and being surrounded with as many creative people as possible.

"Describe a time where you were required to work in a team?" gives an insight to the interviewer on what you are like in group situations. Structuring this question is made easier by using the STAR method, which I mentioned earlier.

Things I could touch on:

• Barbering video
• Most of our projects are our own thinking and creative ideas, so it was nice to be with friends all co-operating equally.

An example answer of my own would be:

Towards the end of my first year at Sunderland College, we were given a project to make a barbering tutorial video for a client. This would be used for teaching purposes. We devised the task into 3 roles and each took on one of the following: director, camera operator or note taking for the shooting schedule order. The project, in turn, ran smoothly as each team member knew what we each had to do and were aware of our own roles.