Job Discussion Forums

[MeyeQui]

I'm having my interview with Nova next week here in Montreal. Has anyone had one recently? Did they catch you off guard with anything? I've been catching up on my grammar and rehearsing some of the typical questions they'd probably ask.

I'm a little nervous, so any advice would undoubtedbly be appreciated.

[/b]

[melirae]

I just interviewed with them a little less than 2 weeks ago in ATL- still waiting to hear something.

The way the interview went was that there was the group orientation- they did a slide show and you had the opportunity to ask questions about NOVA and Japan. Then there was the one-on-one interview. There were never any questions about grammar or teaching theories. They did ask what qualities make a good teacher in the one-on-one interview.

There's a particular thread on here that has a list of questions for the one-on-one interview and they did ask most of them. The format they used with me was to ask the questions in sort of rapid-fire succession and I was only able to answer in a few words- like about three. After I had answered all the questions, they went back and reviewed each question and my answer so that I could give more detail.

Be able to tell them what you want out of the experience and what your goals are- like where you see yourself in 5 or 10 years. Also ask a good friend to describe you in 2 or 3 words because they asked that question.

If you have any more questions, I would be happy to answer them.

Good Luck!

[MeyeQui]

Thanks for the scoop Melirae!

Can you please give some examples of what they asked during the "rapid-fire" questioning.

Thanks again,

MeyeQui

[melirae]

[color=green]Here's a link that has a lot of info about people's experiences in the different places where the interviews were held. I would have to say that mine was most like the Sept 2003 example in the Boston office that Glenski posted.

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=7197&highlight=nova+interview

Also, below are the questions you need to be prepared for, but you don't want to sound too stiff when you answer- some were from the link and some I added. Just think of how you would answer them so that they aren't a total shock or something you would have never thought of before the interview so that when you get in there you don't draw a blank.

Other stuff- think of a situation where you have been frustrated and what you did to resolve the problem or how you dealt with it. It's always hard to think of tough situtations in an interview, so you may want to have a few in mind because they did ask about a negative situation and the solution.

I can't think of any other ones that they asked that really took me by surprise... Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck!!


What would you do if all your students were quiet?
What's something you accomplished recently that you were proud of?
What would your current/last employer say about you?
How are you at handling criticism?
What one word would your best friend use to describe you?
If you saw someone you thought you knew, but weren't quite positive you recognised, what would you do?
What qualities does a good teacher posses?
Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

[johnslat]

And, some suggested answers:

Q: What would you do if all your students were quiet?
A: Drop dead of shock.

Q: What's something you accomplished recently that you were proud of?
A: Got out of bed.

Q: What would your current/last employer say about you?
A: Nothing utterable in polite society.

Q; How are you at handling criticism?
A: Criticism?? Why would anyone criticize me? I'm perfect.

Q: What one word would your best friend use to describe you?
A: Beep!!

Q: If you saw someone you thought you knew, but weren't quite positive you recognised, what would you do?
A: Ask to borrow money. If he/she gave it to me, I'd know we were strangers.

Q: What qualities does a good teacher posses?
A: Hmm, I'll let you know as soon as I find one.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?
A: In jail, the loony bin or the grave.

Regards,
John

[quai]

dude... if you are worried about grammar... then nova is not for you!!!

other than that... take is easy and don't worry about it !

[Canuk girl]

I wouldn't be too worried about it, Nova is just desperate
for warm bodies; there are eight people leaving my branch alone within one month, and six leaving my friends branch this month. Just go there, pretend like its some big formal interview, that you love the idea of Japan, and that you are 'brainwashable' and you're in. Hey... show that you're brainwashable enough and they might even think you're management material.

[PAULH]

Alana, are you having a bad day?

[Canuk girl]

Bad week...lol.. and mad at Nova..grrrr