Conducting an interview

Layout

The recommendation for shortlisted candidates is a short 20-minute interview. These timings and tasks can be adapted depending on the length of time and size of the task offered. Components can be:

• Task/Activity presentation- 5/10 minutes
• Interviewer Questions- 5 minutes,
  2 on the presentation, and 2 that may not have been addressed as part of the presentation (shared beforehand)
• Candidate Questions- 5 minutes
  A chance for them to ask you questions, to see if this role/team is a good fit for them.

Location

Layout- consider the space that you are using and how that might affect students, such as:

• Teams/Online- it can be intimidating to see a lot of faces, you can turn off the camera of anyone who isn't speaking and acknowledge this with the candidate
• In person- do they have access to water, are you all facing the candidate or could you spread this out

Technical needs- if students are sharing presentations or need access has this been set up so they can easily do so (you may want to accommodate some time for this, or get them to share their presentations the day before)

Individual

An alternative route to just asking students questions is to give them a task they can prepare beforehand, and orient questions around this task if possible. This could be:

• Asking for a presentation/video/short essay on something the student is passionate about
  • Giving the student a choice of formats (unless there is a preference related to the role/responsibilities) and encouraging them to keep it short
• Ask the student to show a portfolio of things they find interesting or hobbies they may have
• Give the student a task related to your project, for example:
  • Conduct a SWOT analysis of the University Parking System
  • Give them a list of potential stakeholders and ask them how they would plan communications- frequency, style and platform
  • Ask them to write a small business case for a potential student engagement platform/solution
  • Ask them to plan a smaller version of what they will deliver (e.g. an event, activity, workshop, focus group) and talk through why they designed it that way

By allowing candidates to present on something they are comfortable with/have had time to prepare, they are more likely to showcase their own strengths without needing to ask too many questions.

Group task (optional)

We often recommend that students work in pairs when conducting a role. Regardless, students will likely need to work as part of a team- including the staff project team, other students and senior colleagues. Therefore, it may be useful to also run a group task as part of the interview to identify which candidates display food communication or teamwork skills.

Scenario activity

You are working as part of a project team which is looking to transform the Library Services at Warwick. This may include a brand-new Library building, as well as a review of the current provision – considering education, research and community. This programme will require collaboration from many groups of stakeholders across the University. In your groups, discuss how you would ensure that the views of students are at the heart of this project AND what your ideas on how you could contribute as a Student Officer.

While the candidates are in the group activity, the role of the interview panel is to observe the interactions between them and look for candidates who can demonstrate some of the desirable criteria above, such as time management and communication skills.

Task/activity questions

If you have not shared interview questions beforehand, consider sharing a printed copy at the start of the interview.

• Always include, and focus on, strength-based interview questions. These focus less on 'tell me a time when' and more on 'what would you do if'
  • This allows for students who may not have prior experience to showcase their potential based on hypothetical scenarios
• Do not ask multiple-part questions- keep them separate and clear
• If a student misunderstands, or if you feel they might have more to say- follow up or probe them to better understand their answers
• Explain or allow them to write down the question if it helps, and reassure them to take their time before answering
• Consider potential, not just experience- many students may be new to formal work environments- look for transferable skills and a willingness to learn

Some suggested questions:

1. What challenges could you foresee with X scenario?
2. How would you overcome X and what actions would you take to prevent that from becoming an issue again?
3. Were there any lessons you learned from this experience (i.e. interview task)?

Encourage them to ask questions about the role, so they fully understand it.

Candidate questions

When talking outside of the task/activity, focus on using strength-based interview questions.

Some suggested questions:

1. What does (insert topic pertinent to the role- e.g. good event design) mean to you?
2. What would effective (teamwork) look like for you?
3. How would you approach working with different people with a variety of backgrounds?
4. If you were working with a group of students and one student was proving difficult to work with, how would you handle that scenario?
5. How would you design a student engagement activity to understand students thoughts about aspects of their university experience?
6. This role will involve taking on responsibilities in addition to your studies. What would you do if you had a deadline coming up, and a new project was introduced to you as urgent?
7. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges for the University right now? And what are the biggest opportunities?