Thursday, April 14, 2011

Interroga....Whoops...interview

Today was the day!! JPA scholarships interview..After finding out that I wasn't shortlisted at all for the other scholarships I applied for... the stakes just got higher T.T
                  Anyway, it was a fun and interesting experience and it has really taught me a lot.
                  I arrived at Velodrome at 2.00pm.. Kinda early as my interview was at 2.55pm...hehe Anyway,I checked my name and found out I was in Panel 4. So, I signed my name before sitting down.Throughout that time, I met a few church friends as well as Tan Wing and Tham Kuen Wei. Then, I realized the guy behind me was also in the same panel as me. So, we chatted while killing time.Before that, there was a kind lady who offered me a lot of tips regarding the interview. She also advised me a bit. =). Thank you!!. Around me, I saw a lot of people ( didn't expect this many people to show up O.O) Most of the guys were wearing slacks, long sleeve t-shirt and tie. As for the girls, some wore Baju Kurung while other wore long sleeve or short sleeve shirts with black skirts. Some even brought a coat along..O.o
                  At 2.50pm, my name was called along with the other guys and gals in my panel. At that time, I saw there were only 4 people in my panel, including me..After sending my folder and photostat copies, I thought we had to wait longer but BOOOM!!! It was our turn. WHAT!!? SO FAST!?!?!?!? I guessed all of us panicked. We were then ushered to the front of our room. There, the clerk gave us a few helpful pointers before we were ushered into the room.
                  It was a small room. In front of us were three guys. After wishing them good evening, they allowed us to take our seats. I was no.3. So, I took my seat in the third seat in that row. The first was a girl from AMC, the 2nd was a guy from Kelantan who is currently studying in UTP, I was 3rd and the 4th was another guy from SMK San Min. It seemed that the girl was taking accounts and the 2nd guy was taking diploma in engineering in Korea. The 4th and I were taking Engineering in Germany. It was a good thing I managed to chat with the 2nd and 4th beforehand...XD
                 Anyway, going back to the main topic, one of the interviewers first confirmed the courses we were applying for. Then, he asked us the reason for doing so in BM. Wow, when the 1st spoke, she was seriously fluent. O.O... The 2nd also spoke fluently. In my opinion, I spoke normally even though I kinda stalled for a little while at the end. The 4th also spoke fluently even though he also stalled for quite a while. Then, it was question time.

The second question was in BM:
Bagaimanakah negara kita dapat menarik pelaburan asing di negara kita?
Ok....Anyway, we were given two minutes of discussion. When we discussed, we were kinda relaxed as we heard each others opinion. Anyway, we then had to give our answers to the interviewer. The best part about this was that we spoke in order to our number. We didn't argue or anything. Everything was seriously systematic.  I was the third to give my opinion. Once that was done, 

The third question was then voiced out. This time, it was in English
As ambassadors of our country, how should you act when you further your studies overseas?
Again, two minutes to discuss and again, we gave our opinions in order.

Then, the last question came:
In Bm or in English, tell us more about yourself and why you think you deserve this scholarship?
 For this, question, I kinda crapped as much as I can. I mentioned about my time in St. John Ambulance Malaysia as well as my time as a prefect. Then, I gave a long story saying I am good in my studies and I can learn and bring back the knowledge I have gained back to my country and I can also help my country in solving problems such as Global Warming ( a little bit extravagent but I didn't care).

After that, the end. After thanking the interviewers, we shook their hands before exiting the room. After that, we were super relieved. We even talked to each other about how tensed we were. Even No.1 ( girl from AMC) also said that she was so nervous, she couldn't speak much , which I beg to differ. After collecting our folders again, I waited for my evac. During that time, I met Justin and Noel.
                   Overall, it was a great experience and I really learnt how to act under stress. Thank God for helping me during that time and granting me wisdom and courage. I felt that I did well considering that everything was super spontaneous. Anyway, I still hoping for the best and expecting the worst

Anyway, here are the tips which I heard and found out during this experience:
Attire is formal: Slacks ( black or brown) with a long sleeve shirt. A tie is a must as well as leather shoes.
Girls can wear baju kurung or long sleeve/short sleeve shirt with skirt. A coat is not really necessary ( coz not many people were wearing it)

Prepare all your documents stated according to the order beforehand . Preparing it a day or two before the interview will save you all the stress.

Interact with the buddies in your panel. Get to know them a bit before your interview starts won't hurt and it will feel less awkward when you discuss among each other during the interview.

Pray. ( I'm not joking) Pray to God for His guidance.


During the interview: ( tips I found out from other sources)
Chill, relax and don't panic. 
Try to speak fluently and calmly. 
Don't speak too loud or too soft. 
Mind your action and sitting position as the interviewer have their eyes trained on you most of the time. 
Don't forget common courtesy ( wishing and thanking them before and after the interview respectively). 
Cooperate with your buddies 
and don't dominate the interview even if the others are not that good.


Well, if you're gonna take your interview any time after this, I wish you all the best and let God take care of the rest.
 

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