Jonah Thompson

BTEC Extended Award in

Work Skills
Unit 4 
Developing interview skills
Useful Glossary of words and terms 
Word/Term Meaning/Description

Interviewer A person who interviews someone, especially for a job.

Interviewee A person who is being interviewed.
Employer A person or organization that employs people.
Employee a person who is employed for wages or a salary.
Salary A fixed regular payment usually paid monthly or annually.
Reference A person the employee previously worked with to provide information on how the
person acted in the workplace.
Curriculum Vitae CV A brief account of a persons education or qualifications.
Apprenticeship A paid job where the employee learns and gains valuable experiences.
Full-time work Full time usually refers to an employee working more than 35 hours per week.
Flexi time This is a system where it allows the employee to vary the time that they start or
finish work.
Gross pay This is the total compensation earned by each employee.
Net pay Net pay is the amount of pay remaining for issuance to an employee after
deductions have been taken from the individual's gross pay.
Income tax Income tax is a type of tax that governments impose on income generated by
businesses and individuals within their jurisdiction.
Useful Glossary of words and terms 
Word/Term Meaning/Description

Overtime time worked in addition to one's normal working hours.

Part-time work Part-time work or a part-time job is a flexible work arrangement which
means working less than full-time hours.
Probation period trial employment period in a new organization or a new job role.
Promotion This is where you are given a higher role in the organization.
Job sharing This is an employment arrangement where two or more people are retained
on a part time to perform a job normally done by one person.
Self-employment Someone who works for themself e.g., the owner of a company.
Shift work Working  different periods of the week with other people.
Voluntary work People who Volunteer to do work usually not paid.
Trainee Someone who is being trained for a job.
Appraisal  A formal assessment, typically in an interview.
Task one - What is an interview?
• An interview is a face to face formal conversation where the interviewer is asking the interviewee a series of questions to ,which the interviewee responds with
information that will be useful to the interviewer. This is a common thing in job interviews as the interviewer would like to see how the interviewee answers and
reacts to certain questions and how the interviewee can adapt to certain scenarios.

• The purpose of an interview is for the employer/interviewer to find out information about the interviewee. These are useful as the interviewer can see how the
interviewee acts like the way the sit or dress this helps to see if the interviewee has the right attitude towards the job.
Task two - different types of interviews
face to face
• This is when a person drives to the workplace for a face-to-face interview, a face-to-face interviews is where the interviewer and the
interviewee are together in person. The advantages of this is that the interviewer can see how the interviewee behaves and if they dress
formally and see if they turn up on time. It is also for useful for both as it allows them to get to know each other and work out whether it is
a good fit for the interviewee. The disadvantages are that they are costly and time consuming to conduct and the interviewer can deliver
biased opinions.
Task two - different types of interviews
Online Test
• An online test also known as an e-examination is where a company sets up a website specifically for candidates who want apply for a job in
that company, this test will examine how the candidate answers the selected questions and e.g., if they are about what they would do in a
certain environment, it would assess how they adapt to that environment. This is useful for the assessors of the test as they will understand
if they are the right fit for the company. The advantages of this is that it allows them to test if the person can access and apply themselves to
different apps or websites. Disadvantages of this type of interview is that the interviewer wouldn’t know if the person had cheated and not
actually be the right fit for that job.     
Task two - different types of interviews
Video
• A video interview is very similar to a face-to-face interview as it is pretty much an ordinary meeting, it is useful as the interviewer can see
the candidates' expressions to questions and can see if they take it seriously. They could assess this by seeing if they joined the video call
wearing a suit or if they start doing other tasks while they are on the call. The disadvantages of this is that if the interviewees internet
connection isn't good they may disconnect from the interview and end up losing that opportunity.
Task two - different types of interviews
Phone
• The phone interview is where the interviewer and the interviewee are on an ordinary call with each other except they are often scheduled
so the interviewee has time to prepare for the call. The questions that can be answered on these interviews can assess the interviewees
critical thinking and interpersonal skills. The interview narrows down the selection pool and makes the hiring process even easier. The
disadvantages of this is that the interviewer doesn’t know if they dress right for the job or that they have the right behaviour for it.
Task two - different types of interviews
Panel
• This is the same as a normal face to face interview except for the fact that the interviewer is multiple people who ask the questions and
assess what the applicant answers with, then the panel or the board as what they can be known as will make the decision on whether the
person is the right person for the job and decide if they will or won’t be recruited. The advantages about this type is that biased opinions
won't have a ruling effect as it relies on multiple people's opinions of the person. The disadvantages is that it is time consuming and can cost
a fair bit of money.
Task two - different types of interviews
Group
• A group interview is where the interviewers will place multiple candidates in the same room and give them a task to do, this helps them
assess if the candidates can work in a team and see who has better leadership skills in the group, it can also see if there is someone who
does the most amount of work in a shorter amount of time. The disadvantages of this is that a certain person could be more dominant over
the activity and not let others submit ideas.
 Careers
•Phone interview – telesales job. A job that doesn’t involve face to face work.​​e.g., this could be for call centers 
​
•Online test interview – part of the interview process, to see if they can use excel, data, spelling etc. Office worker.​​e.g., this
could be for 

• Face-to-Face Interview – Any job that is customer facing and requires interacting personally and  directly with people in
the actual environment. e.g., this could be for work as a chef
​
•Video interview – any job that is customer facing.​​e.g., this could be for an editor or a graphic designer
​
•Panel interview – Applying for university, any job in education or industry. ​​e.g., this could be for jobs like a teacher or a
headmaster.
​
•Group interview – Involves a group task, and you would be observed on how you interact. Sales team, interview for
university. ​e.g., this could be for working as a stockbroker 
I chose this job as I am a fan of the game and have always loved
the concepts people create for things like this and I really
wanted to create things like this myself for a company that can
publish them for everyone to see.
Items that could be asked of me prior to the
interview are:
• A job application form
• Criminal record 
• CV (curriculum vitae)
• Job essentials and desirables 
Planning for my interview

• It is important to review the job description as it will include key details about the role like the salary,
location, how many hours the applicant will work and what you do as that role.
• Freedom House Church Street, Wilmslow SK9 1AX 
• To get to my job I would need to get the train from wigan northwestern train station, it will take
approximately 1hr and 9 mins without delay or I would be able to drive, and it would take 46 mins with light
traffic via the M6, M56. the cost of this train ride is £15.20. I will wear a formal attire to the interview so I can
look as presentable as I can be. For example, a shirt, tie, smart pants, smart shoes. 
• Before the interview you need to have eaten something so that you don’t feel lightheaded or hungry
throughout the interview. Durning the interview you need to sit up straight, smile, keep eye contact and be
pleasant. Also, if you start to get nervous, breathe in and out slowly to calm down. 
Questions
• Questions that the employer might ask me are:
• Why do you want this position? I would answer with... well I have always been interested in graphic design
and I like to play games, I love the visual aspects in games like characters and the scenery and have always
wanted to be in a role where I can make those spectacles myself.
• Tell me about yourself? Well, I am a confident and mature person who is respectful to everyone. I try my
hardest in everything I do, and I'm dedicated to ensuring that the project is completed and is at the best
standard it can be.
• What are your strengths you can bring to the role? I have a unique perspective as I grew up playing games,
so I know what is best for the next creations, also I have studied thought IT in college, so I have background
knowledge on what to do.
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I see myself either as a head designer for the company so I can make
more decisions around what will be added and can make decisions around what designs will make it into the
game.
Questions I could ask during or at the end of
the interview

• When I start at the company are there any opportunities to progress within the company?
• Whilst I'm waiting to hear if I have got the job is there any extra information I can learn for the role?
evaluation
• After the interview I need to think on what went wrong in the interview and how I can then improve for the
future interviews. By applying the improvements to my next interview there is higher chance that I get the
job.
• If I am successful I would ask the employer when do I start the job and what I need to do to prepare for the
job before starting.
• If I'm unsuccessful I would ask the employer for advice and feedback on how I did in the interview so it can
help me be better for my next interview and not make the same mistakes I made in the previous interview.