Job Discussion Forums

[happyc]

Omeo,
I tend to have written down a lot of answers to each question (I consider they may ask)- because as I mentioned earlier- I do get mind blanks and it's better to have too much info as half it will be forgotten anyway! I then rewrite just the pertinent points so I can refer to these, rather than sounding mechanical and reading straight from a script. Be confident is my tip!
It looks like you found a good website- but not the one I used! The link is http://resumes-for-teachers.com/tough-interview-questions.htm
Has some great ideas! I think most of your answers were great- though as mentioned, I do think you need to try and come across more confidently.. and maybe avoid using language like 'guy'.
Good luck and let us all know how it goes!

[Omeo]

That also looks like a great site. I'm glad I found all this information. Thank you.

If I sound less than confident, it's because I've read more than one story about someone being rejected because they were TOO confident. I'm trying to sound humble.

[Margot]

Hi Omeo,

I had an interview with Nova back in 2004. I was really surprised at how brief it was; they didn't go into any kind of depth about why I wanted to work in Japan or teach (and this is Nova, so I'm using the word 'teach' in the loosest possible sense) English. I think the actual Nova interview is mostly about how you present yourself. As plenty of others have said... turn up early, wear smart clothes and speak clearly, and the chances are you'll get hired.

Also, quite a large part of my interview was spent doing a weird exercise where I had to answer the recruiter's questions with three words only. It seemed insane at the time, but I suppose it did help cut through all the waffle. The recruiter noted my responses and then later (after asking about 15 questions in this way) asked me to expand some of them; every time she did this she'd ask me if I remembered the original three words I'd answered with. Even if Nova don't do this any more, I'd still recommend picking the key words out of the longer responses you've prepared, and drilling yourself on them until they come naturally. And if Nova ask for three words, they mean three words. The first question I was asked in this section was "Tell me about a time when someone praised your work"; I answered "In three words?", recruiter said "Ok... next question...". But they still hired me.

One final thing to bear in mind with Nova... I just left Nova this summer, and my impression was that they were really looking to hire people for the Multimedia Centre in Osaka rather than any of the branch schools. At the MM centre you teach via videoconferencing... no classroom, no regular students, just rows and rows of us Nova space-monkeys working in booths. So be prepared to express enthusiasm for this. Actually, I worked there for 18 months and had a good time, but it's definitely not a career job and would torment anyone with genuine TEFL training.

Good luck.

[Omeo]

Hey, Margot!

Can you (or anyone else reading this thread who's been through a NOVA interview) remember any of the questions they wanted you to answer in three words? As I said before, thinking quickly isn't my forte so I'd like to have at least a few of the questions nailed down in advance.

Do you have any idea what qualities about you they liked? Any idea what got you hired?

Thanx, Margot

[canuck]

Some of the most important things to do for a NOVA interview is look the part. If you are male, wear a suit. There is a spot on the interview's form to mark how a person is dressed. Other than that, you have done extensive research. Instead of spending all this effort on trying to find out what the NOVA interview is like, your best bet would be to know your grammar.

In a NOVA interview, they often will give you a lesson from a book, and you have to read it and tell the interviewer what the target language is. Can you do that now? Do you know how to explain what the present progressive is, for example? Can you explain what the difference is between the past continuous and the simple past?

Knowing this information will get you quite far and is important stuff once you get the job. Don't over analyze the situation.

TIPS:

Dress well. Smile and be energetic. Know your grammar and be positive. Doing all this will put you far ahead of most people that apply to NOVA.

[bornslippy1981]

About the Nova 3 word responses, it's been almost 2.5 years, but some of the questions were basic:

Describe yourself,
How would your friends describe you.

Sorry, that's all I remember. I had a lot of improv theatre training, so back then I was a little quicker on my feet.

I do remember them asking me if I made friends easily, I think to judge your personality. I told them about how the night before the interview I went out until 4 AM with a friend I hadn't seen in 3 years, who happened to be in Chicago at the same time. They asked me if I was drinking, and I said that I woke up drunk at 6 AM. They thought it was funny, and even mentioned something about having an interview, but I said it meant a lot to me to see my friend.

I was 22 at the time (turned 23 the next day), and if anything it showed confidence. I had never read anything about Nova, except for their website before I applied. I didn't know of forums until a month after I was hired. At the time I thought highly of Nova, and was sure I'd get the job because I really wanted it.

I'm guessing they assumed since I could turn up to the interview semi-sober, sit through the presentation, and have a 1-1 interview while fighting a hangover, that I'd be perfect for the job.

Another thing you should do, is always send a follow up thank you letter. That's key when you apply with any company.

[Mavis the Fat Fairy]

The impression i got at my Nova interview was that they wanted someone who was presentable, able to string a sentence together and polite, ie, not going to piss off the customers.

The only 3 word questions I can remember being asked were what do you find annoying in other people, what do other peolpe find annoying about you and what was the most adventurous/independent thing I'd ever done. Don't worry too much about it, I kept forgetting and answering with too many words, and they still offered me a job.

My tips would be:
-be punctual and presentable
-participate as much as possible (without being over-bearing)during the group session
-you have to talk for 45seconds about a picture - say anything! Once you've described it and you run out of things to say, talk about the colours, or how it reminds you of something and talk about that (make it up if you have to). There were a few at my interview who spoke for 15 seconds or so then froze for the remainding 30. Quite painful to watch!
-Give them some evidence that you know how to deal with customer service (ie, how you would deal with a complaint)
-Give evidence of coping in an unfamiliar environment - they want to know that you wont be on the next plane home
-Give evidence of being able to get on with people and being able to make new friends (I was asked about sharing houses and moving to new places)

I really don't remember being asked anything about grammer, just if I found it hard to make small talk.

btw, I said I wouldn't be interested in working in the Multimedia centre in osaka, and they were ok with that - I think maybe nowadays it's actually in demand though, as it pays more and you don;t actually have physical contact with the students - I've heard a few horror stories about sharing the small nova booths with people with questionalbe hygene!

Last thing- there was a thread a few months ago with a fairly detailed and accurate description of the interview - do a search, I found it quite helpful.