Participating in a role play

UNIT - V

8. PARTICIPATING IN A ROLE PLAY

What is a Role Play Interview?

A role play interview is an exercise where candidates act out a scenario with either a group or an interviewer, to determine how suitable the candidate is for a particular role.

Role plays test how candidates might approach difficult situations that frequently occur in the business world. Interviewers frequently ask interview candidates to assume the role of a specific company employee and ask them how they would approach a hypothetical or real-life situation.

The interviewee will have some minutes to prepare for their role play. The incident given or the scenario given may mirror actual happening in the company.

Often one of the interviewers will act the part of a member of the public, colleague or customer, and another interviewer will watch and take notes to assess the interviewee. The situation will often involve some sort of controversy or conflict or dissatisfaction and require negotiating and reasoning as well as customer service skills from the interviewee.

 

EXAMPLE SCENARIOS

✓ Dealing with a customer complaint

✓ Handling a belligerent client

✓ Marketing a new brand

✓ Explaining something to a child

 

Why Are Role Play Interviews Used?

Role play interviews are one of the best ways of testing a candidate on their suitability for a specific position. This is not only because the scenarios reflect common work situations, but also because it allows a candidate to demonstrate their ability to work under pressure.

Depending on the task, you will also need to demonstrate other skills which will be related to the task such as leadership and interactive skills.

These skills may be tested in any competency based interview to evalutate whether the interviewee merely says that they have the required skills or actually they possess them. Keep your confidence up in a role play situation; others will be nervous.

• You are working in the customer support team of a retail firm. A customer who bought a ginger lemon juice from one of your stores discovered that it had a some small black object in it after drinking and is now threatening to call the customer care centre. Contact the customer to resolve their issue.

• You have recently been promoted to the Manager of your team over Clara and because of this she is deciding to move to your competitor. Persuade Clara to stay without damaging the reputation of the company.

 

Tips for Competency-Based Interviews

In a role play interview, confidence is the key to success. If you go into an interview weak and nervous, and fail to deal with the scenario confidently and professionally, you will be given negative feedback.

Make sure that you know what you are doing in a particular scenario, and make sure to display positive body language or be natural.

PREPARE: Once you are given the brief (if you are) you will have a short amount of time to read and prepare before you start the exercise. In this time it is vital to read it all the information and not miss out anything.

Many candidates skim through the information and miss out key pieces of context relevant to them.

The best candidates will write a structured plan during their time reading the brief, and will use that to guide them in the role play. This will cover the most potent points.

Maintain eye contact with the interviewer and if you keep on seeing the notes what you have written may lead them to think that you are nervous and not fit for the job.

Role play exercises can sometimes cover unusual or seemingly silly scenarios. Interviewers are still testing you, whatever the scenario.

Make sure that you get into character before the exercise starts; this shouldn't take long, as you are typically playing yourself. Keep as formal and professional as you can, while pretending that you are an employee of the company that you are applying for.

Practice is the key to success. Practice well. Go to an assessment centre at your university and enroll for a course for role playing or seek te help of family members, relatives or friends.

 

Example

Watch the following you tube vido on

Interview role play - excellent scenario

https://www.youtube.com/results?search

 

Exercise

Conduct a Mock Interview for your peer and ask him or her to conduct Mock Interview for you. Be ready with resume.