To my South African mates, I write this because we live according to the philosphy of 'umntu ngumntu ngabantu'

For those of you who don't know, it's merely a philosophy which states that 'A person is a person by virtue of their community'. It is a philosphy based on the principle of our inter connectedness with our community, and the role we play in each others lives in order to function fully as a human being.

Keeping this strong Xhosa philosophy in mind, one may find it strange that many people sometimes just wake up one day and decide to take a completely alternate route... they wake up one morning deciding that they need a change of scenery, and that they'd like to experience something new.They wake up one day deciding to isolate themselves from the known, from their community. They decide that they jusrt need some space....sometimes being described as being a big black hole into which you want to creep, and just stay there more a moment and enjoy it.

Under normal circumstances I would find the above description quite unusual and rather pessimistic....but having had quite a few people describe this to me I guess it makes it normal.

So, I am one of those 'normal' people who woke up one morning and decided that I'm 'sick of people' and need some space lol!

Mind you, I studied psychology, and ultimate satisfaction for me would be to eventually be involved in major humanitarian projects all over the world, working in underpriveledged communities and actually helping people who need help ina more practical manner.

Keeping this need for space in mind, I travelled to the UK, and said to return in 1 year. Two years later, I am still in the UK. In fact, I am so happy here that I am having difficulty accepting the fact that I will soon have to return back home.

For months I have been asking myselfwhat it is about the UK that makes me so happy. In fact, many people ask me ...why leave such a beautiful place with a lovely environment, the beautiful beaches, the mountains... the sun!

It's now only that I can answer the question, which draws back to the principle of 'umntu ngumntu ngabantu'. The fact that though I felt that I needed to experience something newsomething new and I needed 'space', it may just have been the wrong expression of me feelings.

What I should have said, was that I would like to experience a different community, a community where my individuality is seen not as a barrier to commincation but rather embraced for its dynamism. I should have said that I would like to experience a community who welcomes change on a regular basis, and who loves more than anything 'not to play it safe'. A community that views your opinion and says 'how can we turn this into something positive and create a win/win situation. Acommunity that converts disaster into a masterpiece, a community that says  'when life throws lemons at you, then make some lemon juice'....or even better, have a banana!

This community made me realise that in fact I am not sick of people....yes they drive me crazy, but they are what keeps me going on a day to day basis. It was through my experience of actually having done a workplacement in HRM in London, that I've been fortunate enough to meet people from all ove rthe world and relised that I love the fact that I am exposed to so many different cultures on a regular basis with such different belief systems and values.

So, why do I not want to leave London? Why do I not want to leave the people whom I have come to know ove rthe past 2 years?

It's because I found that community  that exemplifies the interconnectedness of persons by virtue of my personality. I have found the community that makes me feel the philosphy which our forefathers have taught us about...'UBUNTU'

There are many articels on the internet which give tips to job seekers on how to conduct themselves before and during the interview. How many articles have you however, read offering tips and guidelines to actual interviewers.? Taking this into consideration, and being fully aware of my very first experience of conducting an interview, I have decided to offer just a few tips for the new recruiters and HR interns out there who have yet to conduct their 1st and many more interviews to come.

The most important advice I'd ever been given regarding interviews, was that after every interview that I'd conducted, I should ask myself what I could have done to improve on the quality of the interview. Yes, its is never entirely the faultr of the interviewee that their interview was not successful. Thus, the key to a successful intevriew  is careful preparation on the part of the interviewer.

A range of factors may affect the quality of an interview, and if you seek to grasp that good candidate out there, then you should also be prepared to do some work by realising the potential of each candidate you persue.  Lets discuss the few factors listed below:

Level of Knowledge:

It is highly important that you have fairly good knowledge of the position,  the department, the and the company which the interviewee has applied for. The importance of tis aspect is that it will demonstrate credibitlity on your part thus enabling you to obtain confidence of the interviewee. In this regard, you should keep yourself informed with regard to the situational contxt in which the organisation operates.

Information supplied to the interviewee:

It often happens that applicants apply for a position, with just having a general overview of what the position entails by just having a brief look at the job description on the posting made by the company, or by just having a general overviewof the field in which they've worked thus assuming that the position is similar organisation wide. This can often create misunderstandings, thus either creating an awkward interview due to the misunderstanding, or complete job dissatisfaction when the candidate manages to actually get the positon and find that it is totally not in their particular interest. A good way in which to avoid this, is by ofering the potential interviewee a sufficient amount of material and resources about the company.  This can be found on the internt, press and quality news papers. Fuerthermore research can be done by the interviewer him/herself, by looking at company reports and other publications relating to the organisation thus developing self confidence in the organisation and the position itself that you are selling to the potential candidate. Once again, this will demonstrate your credibiltiy  and thereby encourage the intervieviewee to offer a more detailed account  of the topic under consideration, thus keeping the interviewee engaged  and in a position to consider all information pertaining to the organisation and their role as well.

Appropriateness of location:

It is highly important that the interview is conducted in a suitable environment, that will encourage the participant to give sitable esponses. The environment should thus be in a convenient location  in which they will feel comfortable, and are unlikely to be disturbed. The last thing you want happening during your interview is to have the phone ringing, or hearing the train pass by every 5 seconds thus affecting the quality of the interview.

Appropriateness of the interviewer's apperance:

The interviewer's apperance has a great impact on the interviweee. One should dress in a presentable manner, preferably in the same manner that you would expect a candidate to appear at their interview, taking into consideration the organisational culture ofcourse. Where the presentability of the interviewer has an adverse effect on the interviewee, it may result in failuire of the interviewee to gain confidence in the interviewer, thus not obtaining the results that the interviewer hopes to achieve.

The nature of the opening comments to be made at the interview commences:

As the saying goes....your first impression is your last impression. Thus, the first few comments made from the time which you and that interviewee meet will have an impact on the overall outcome of the interview. As an interviwer, it is your responsibility to shape the start of the discussion and to demonstrate an interst in the interview.Remember....compliments are for free, so it does not hurt to dish out one! The point is to demonstrate credibilty and friendliness in order to relax the interviewee and to develop a relationship in the begening stage that promotes open-ness and encourages the interviewee to respond with confidence.