In association with the Galway Advertiser’s classified website classifieds.advertiser.ie/jobs, Sarah Williams of Sigmar Recruitment explains how the same principles apply to studying for an exam as preparing for a job interview
As a qualified secondary school English teacher and recruitment consultant, I have learnt that preparing for an exam (particularly when it comes to essay writing ) is very similar to preparing for an interview. The structure of your answer is just as important as the content.
At Sigmar Recruitment, we advise our candidates to use the SAR technique when preparing for an interview. The same technique can be used when writing an essay.
1. Situation: When answering a question at interview, you must outline the context of the scenario. Similarly, at the beginning of an essay, you must set the scene. If it’s a short story you must describe where you were, who was there, etc. If you are writing about a key issue, debate or controversy you must address the question - show why it is interesting and how you will answer it.
2. Action: To effectively answer an interview question you must next describe the specific action you took (this will demonstrate your competencies ). With an essay question, you must tell your story or build your argument with one main point in each paragraph.
3. Result: After outlining the context and describing the action, it is now time to finish answering the interview question by outlining the specific result and the impact relating back to the context. Similarly, in essay writing terms the result is your conclusion. The conclusion of a short story should include the closing action of the event. You should also reflect on or analyse the significance of the event and outline any lessons learnt. If writing about a key issue, debate, or controversy, make sure to summarise your arguments/evidence and show how they answer the original question.
Remember – in both an interview and an exam, preparation is key:
• Do your research.
• Prepare your answers.
• Put yourself in the interviewers/examiners seat and try to think of questions that might be asked.
• Check the format of the interview or exam so there are no surprises.
• Practice your answers - write them out before-hand and practice out loud for interviews.
• Stay calm, panicking will not get you very far in an exam or interview situation.
Sigmar Recruitment would like to wish all second level and college students sitting exams the very best of luck. For more interview advice please contact its office at Dock Rd, Galway on 091 563 868.
To view hundreds of jobs being advertised by Sigmar Recruitment and others, visit classifieds.advertiser.ie/jobs.
