For some courses at university you may need to sit an interview as part of the admissions process. At York St John, we interview for the following courses: Primary Education, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Teacher Training routes (PGCE). We also invite art students to a Portfolio day to showcase their work.
Since the Coronavirus pandemic hit – we’ve had to change the way we operate and all of our interviews will now be held online. Many of our interviews will still operate with the same format, and you’ll get plenty of information about how the online interview will run in your application.
What is important is that you remember, regardless of whether the interview is in person or online, this is your time to shine. It’s your time to demonstrate your skills and experience and showcase why you are a good fit for the university and the course. It’s also an opportunity for you to ask questions, and we encourage you to use this time to ask any questions about the course, modules or university. An interview is just as much about you finding out about our university as it is for us to find out about you.
Normal interview tips apply to online interviews, and for more information on this, check out the blog here.
But there are also a few things to bare in mind for your online interview:
- Check your audio and video before your interview. Have a friend call you via the platform you’re using and check they can see and hear you
- Double check your connection – if you’re worried about it, try to disconnect all other devices from the wifi while you’re on the call. This may mean asking family members to go without wifi for half an hour
- Try to look into the camera rather than at the screen when you are talking. If you look at the camera, you appear to be making eye contact. If you look at the screen, it may appear that you are looking down!
- Try to have a space where there will be little background noise or disturbance. We know this isn’t always possible, and if it isn’t, just explain the background noise at the beginning of the interview.
- Remember this is a professional interview: professional dress and attitude are still important. There is a tendency for students to think online interviews are more casual than traditional interviews, but it’s always best to be professional.