THE INTERVIEW [PART I]
So this past weekend I had my interview for NSLI-Y, and I want to write about it before I forget [even more] about it!
THERE WILL BE TWO SEPARATE POSTS ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
I know when I was preparing for my interview I was looking for blogs with interview tips and watching videos where others talked about their interview experience, so I thought that I would write for future applicants about my experience because I'm sure you all are interested in how things work and how to prepare! The "tips" will be in bold by the way so you can easily find themif you don't want to read all this.
[Note: It was a a very long day yesterday so I forgot a lot of details about the interview- sorry!]
DAY OF INTERVIEW
My interview was at 11:30 and about 3 hours away from where I live [they're not always that far away- don't worry!]. I wore a blue sweater [that I've had since like middle school haha], a black a-line skirt from Forever 21, black tights, and small black heels.
TIP #1: DRESS NICELY! All of the girls I saw were wearing dresses or skirts, and both of the guys I saw were wearing suits [full suits aren't always worn though]~ Show that you care about your appearance and put in time/effort to look good! You want to be professional and not too casual [or sloppy]- the first thing people will notice is how you look so make a good first impression! First impressions matter!
*It's better to overdress than to underdress [in my opinion]*
I got there at 10 just to make sure I knew where my interview was because I was not familiar with the area at all. For the actual interview I went back to the building at around 11.
TIP #2: ARRIVE EARLY! I would say 20-30 minutes.. Some people have to fill out questionnaires before they have their actual interview but not always- it depends on your interview center really. Regardless, BE EARLY! You don't want to be arriving right at the time of your interview. It'll also help your nerves! Sometimes there are even alumni or current AFS exchange students you can talk to. I just talked to other applicants, parents of applicants, and an AFS worker.
THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW
Interviews are supposed to last an hour- no more and no less~ So 45 minutes of interviewing you alone and 15 minutes of interviewing your parents if they came with you [which isn't required] is typically how it goes.
You may be interviewed by one interviewer alone, by two interviewers alone, or you could have a group/partner interview~ I know one girl who had her interview with another applicant, a girl at my interview center who had two interviewers but was alone, and mine which was an interview alone with one interviewer.
The first few questions were just asking me for basic information [name, school, city, etc...].
The next questions were mostly placement questions so I was asked to describe my family and where I live, what kind of person I am, my interests, and so on. These are questions you don't really need to prepare for ahead of time.
After all those placement questions, she began to ask me program related questions. I prepared a lot for hypothetical situation questions, but I really didn't have any of those. However, some people I have talked to were asked a lot of those kinds of questions [see example questions below]. She asked basically asked questions that showed that I would be able to handle this experience and am really passionate about it.
They do NOT want to just send people off on a paid vacation.
TIP #3: Show that you're PASSIONATE about learning languages and will continue your studies even after the program ends. Know what you want from this program and how you will use what you learned!
TIP #4: Make EYE CONTACT and SMILE! Do NOT be shy- be outgoing! [I honestly am pretty quiet especially when I'm nervous so I was surprised how talkative I was]
TIP #5: Answer the questions HONESTLY and SINCERELY. Don't just try to answer with what you think they want to hear. Interviewers can almost always see right through that. BE HONEST!
TIP #6: Don't say UM, LIKE, etc.. Be confident in yourself! Don't let your nerves show!
TIP #7: PREPARE STORIES and QUESTIONS! Stories are a good way to show the interviewer really how you are and to back up what you say. Prepare a challenge and how you overcame it! Prepare questions as well- it shows your interest and eagerness to know more and that you've done your research.
In an interview, what you really want to do is get your interviewer on your side. Interviewers can really make or break your interview. For this program, the interviewers will type up basically what is a recommendation that another organization will see and evaluate- AFS does not make the final decisions.
If you have an interview, don't let it just be straight question&answer- if you're doing it right it should be more conversational [but of course still professional in a sense]. If your interviewer is kind of awkward, adjust to their personality.
My friend says you know it's going well when your interviewer loses track of time[and mine did]!
All NSLI-Y interviews are conducted by AFS and mostly done by volunteers. These volunteers are often people who have previously studied abroad so they know what it's like! Some volunteer interviewers aren't experienced in giving interviews. In my case, I had the head coordinator, but one girl had someone who was conducting their first interview alone.
Also, sometimes your interviewer knows NOTHING about you or they may have your whole application printed out! IF you fill out the questionnaire prior to your interview, many of the questions in your interview will be based off what you wrote so be honest in everything you say/do/write!
TIP #8: Be polite! Don't act too uptight, but be polite to the staff and your interviewer. You also want to show that you're mature!
TIP #9: DON'T STRESS! I wish I could've taken my own advice before the interview because I was so stressed for no reason- it's nothing to worry about [too much at all]! DON'T OVER-PREPARE! I know that some people prepare for questions they may be asked then froze when they were asked questions they didn't prepare for. Practice speaking and prepare some because if you don't, you'll be like a deer caught in headlights when it comes to the actual interview.
TIP #10: BE YOURSELF!!!!! I can't stress this one enough! BE yourself and KNOW yourself. Be honest. Don't try to act like the kind of person you think they want to see. This sounded so cliche when everyone told me this but it made sense in the interview. Be who you are and show your true self! It helps them see the kind of person you are, know how you could fit in if you go to another country, place you with a host family that matches well with you, etc.. Stay professional in the sense that it is an interview and they are looking for mature individuals, but show that you have a fun [and not boring] personality with something to offer!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really hope this helped you if you are preparing for your interview! And if you have an interview, CONGRATULATIONS! You are being seriously considered for a very competitive scholarship!
If you have any questions about the program, application process, interview, etc.... ASK ME!
Feel free to ask me any questions you have!
I haven't been selected as a finalistyet but hopefully in April I'll have some good news for you guys ^^
MY INTERVIEW POST PART II WILL BE ABOUT MY PERSONAL INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE. That post will hopefully give you a little bit more insight on how interviews really go [well..at least mine haha].
UPDATE: I have been selected as a finalist and am going to South Korea this summer~~~ [Hopefully that'll help my ethos hehe just kidding :P- hope you found this helpful!]
THERE WILL BE TWO SEPARATE POSTS ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
- One containing preparation&interview tips and such for future applicants/semifinalists
- One talking about my personal interview experience
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know when I was preparing for my interview I was looking for blogs with interview tips and watching videos where others talked about their interview experience, so I thought that I would write for future applicants about my experience because I'm sure you all are interested in how things work and how to prepare! The "tips" will be in bold by the way so you can easily find them
[Note: It was a a very long day yesterday so I forgot a lot of details about the interview- sorry!]
DAY OF INTERVIEW
 |
| Night before interview~ |
TIP #1: DRESS NICELY! All of the girls I saw were wearing dresses or skirts, and both of the guys I saw were wearing suits [full suits aren't always worn though]~ Show that you care about your appearance and put in time/effort to look good! You want to be professional and not too casual [or sloppy]- the first thing people will notice is how you look so make a good first impression! First impressions matter!
*It's better to overdress than to underdress [in my opinion]*
I got there at 10 just to make sure I knew where my interview was because I was not familiar with the area at all. For the actual interview I went back to the building at around 11.
TIP #2: ARRIVE EARLY! I would say 20-30 minutes.. Some people have to fill out questionnaires before they have their actual interview but not always- it depends on your interview center really. Regardless, BE EARLY! You don't want to be arriving right at the time of your interview. It'll also help your nerves! Sometimes there are even alumni or current AFS exchange students you can talk to. I just talked to other applicants, parents of applicants, and an AFS worker.
THE ACTUAL INTERVIEW
Interviews are supposed to last an hour- no more and no less~ So 45 minutes of interviewing you alone and 15 minutes of interviewing your parents if they came with you [which isn't required] is typically how it goes.
You may be interviewed by one interviewer alone, by two interviewers alone, or you could have a group/partner interview~ I know one girl who had her interview with another applicant, a girl at my interview center who had two interviewers but was alone, and mine which was an interview alone with one interviewer.
The first few questions were just asking me for basic information [name, school, city, etc...].
The next questions were mostly placement questions so I was asked to describe my family and where I live, what kind of person I am, my interests, and so on. These are questions you don't really need to prepare for ahead of time.
After all those placement questions, she began to ask me program related questions. I prepared a lot for hypothetical situation questions, but I really didn't have any of those. However, some people I have talked to were asked a lot of those kinds of questions [see example questions below]. She asked basically asked questions that showed that I would be able to handle this experience and am really passionate about it.
They do NOT want to just send people off on a paid vacation.
TIP #3: Show that you're PASSIONATE about learning languages and will continue your studies even after the program ends. Know what you want from this program and how you will use what you learned!
TIP #4: Make EYE CONTACT and SMILE! Do NOT be shy- be outgoing! [I honestly am pretty quiet especially when I'm nervous so I was surprised how talkative I was]
TIP #5: Answer the questions HONESTLY and SINCERELY. Don't just try to answer with what you think they want to hear. Interviewers can almost always see right through that. BE HONEST!
TIP #6: Don't say UM, LIKE, etc.. Be confident in yourself! Don't let your nerves show!
TIP #7: PREPARE STORIES and QUESTIONS! Stories are a good way to show the interviewer really how you are and to back up what you say. Prepare a challenge and how you overcame it! Prepare questions as well- it shows your interest and eagerness to know more and that you've done your research.
In an interview, what you really want to do is get your interviewer on your side. Interviewers can really make or break your interview. For this program, the interviewers will type up basically what is a recommendation that another organization will see and evaluate- AFS does not make the final decisions.
If you have an interview, don't let it just be straight question&answer- if you're doing it right it should be more conversational [but of course still professional in a sense]. If your interviewer is kind of awkward, adjust to their personality.
My friend says you know it's going well when your interviewer loses track of time
All NSLI-Y interviews are conducted by AFS and mostly done by volunteers. These volunteers are often people who have previously studied abroad so they know what it's like! Some volunteer interviewers aren't experienced in giving interviews. In my case, I had the head coordinator, but one girl had someone who was conducting their first interview alone.Also, sometimes your interviewer knows NOTHING about you or they may have your whole application printed out! IF you fill out the questionnaire prior to your interview, many of the questions in your interview will be based off what you wrote so be honest in everything you say/do/write!
TIP #8: Be polite! Don't act too uptight, but be polite to the staff and your interviewer. You also want to show that you're mature!
TIP #9: DON'T STRESS! I wish I could've taken my own advice before the interview because I was so stressed for no reason- it's nothing to worry about [too much at all]! DON'T OVER-PREPARE! I know that some people prepare for questions they may be asked then froze when they were asked questions they didn't prepare for. Practice speaking and prepare some because if you don't, you'll be like a deer caught in headlights when it comes to the actual interview.
TIP #10: BE YOURSELF!!!!! I can't stress this one enough! BE yourself and KNOW yourself. Be honest. Don't try to act like the kind of person you think they want to see. This sounded so cliche when everyone told me this but it made sense in the interview. Be who you are and show your true self! It helps them see the kind of person you are, know how you could fit in if you go to another country, place you with a host family that matches well with you, etc.. Stay professional in the sense that it is an interview and they are looking for mature individuals, but show that you have a fun [and not boring] personality with something to offer!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really hope this helped you if you are preparing for your interview! And if you have an interview, CONGRATULATIONS! You are being seriously considered for a very competitive scholarship!
If you have any questions about the program, application process, interview, etc.... ASK ME!
Feel free to ask me any questions you have!
I haven't been selected as a finalist
MY INTERVIEW POST PART II WILL BE ABOUT MY PERSONAL INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE. That post will hopefully give you a little bit more insight on how interviews really go [well..at least mine haha].
UPDATE: I have been selected as a finalist and am going to South Korea this summer~~~ [Hopefully that'll help my ethos hehe just kidding :P- hope you found this helpful!]
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