Skills and preparations to nail the online school entrance interview

Lee, the coach of Emotion Coaching for Parents and Educators, and Gary Sir, the children’s emotional coach and TEDx speaker believe that effective EQ (Emotion Quotient) management is the key to ensuring a successful online interview. Here are some tips to master it!

Preparations you should do before the admission interview

Practice makes perfect. Regardless of the types of interviews, parents shall always practise with kids. For instance, having mock interviews with children via video conferencing apps and guiding them to maintain eye contact toward the camera can help them get familiar with the virtual environment in advance. “Role reversal whereby children act as teachers and parents as interviewees, allows children to realize the Do's and Don'ts from a whole new perspective” Gary Sir suggested.

Coach Lee believed the surroundings is another crucial factor contributing to a successful interview, “Parents should pick a location that’s free from distractions such as toys, in order to keep them calm”. Gary Sir added that ”The place should not remind children of any stressful feeling and unpleasant memories”. It enables them to bring out their best at ease during the interview. 

Stay calm as a parent during the interview

Children always mirror their parents. Coach Lee and Gary Sir both agree children are likely to pick up on how their parents act. As long as parents remain emotionally stable, they can better regulate their emotions. If children get frustrated, don’t blame but encourage them to “take a deep breath”  to calm down. “Children are often evaluated on their resilience skills and characteristics rather than the context of the conversation during interview. Therefore, parents don’t have to worry about wrong answers, which might end up causing anxiety to their kids,” said Coach Lee. “Encouragement from parents shows their trust in children. Don’t forget to acknowledge their achievements during the interview. To minimize any possible stress, do not practise on the day of interview” Gary Sir continued.

Keep your child focused on the interview

Developing adequate concentration skills is not easy for most of the adults, let alone the kids. “The average attention span of children is less than 30 minutes” Coach Lee pointed out. “Board games and puzzles can certainly improve children’s focus. To demonstrate the importance of concentration, parents should always let children talk without interruption.” Last but not the least, Gary Sir believed that “a regular schedule for daily tasks allows children to do the right thing at the right time “.

Other Smart Tips

• Never memorize answers to questions. It does not just sound pompous and overly ambitious, children also may not know how to react if are asked about something they have not prepared before.
• Despite conducting online interview at home, appropriate interview attire is still important. Dress casually for interview is not recommended!
• A thin yet well-organized portfolio about children and their family members together with other important items, such as awards and certificates, referral letters, extracurricular activities and hobbies.
  • To make it readable, enlarge the parts you want to emphasize on.
  • A clean, simple layout makes the portfolio stand out and impress.
  • It’s best to keep it between 4-5 pages.
• Prepare a 1-to-2-minute self-introduction video to demonstrate children’s English proficiency and communication skills.

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