Comprehensive Report on Interview and Negotiation Skills Development

This report delves into the critical skills of interviewing and negotiation, analyzing a student's performance in simulated scenarios. The assignment explores the student's strengths, such as introducing group members and demonstrating leadership in negotiation, while also identifying areas for improvement, including scanning interviewees and understanding situational nuances. The report outlines methods for personal development, like enhancing social effectiveness and applying decision analysis theory, and discusses the future application of these skills. The analysis covers both interview and negotiation sessions, referencing relevant theories and research to support the findings. It concludes with a reflection on the importance of preparation, communication, and leadership in achieving successful outcomes in both interview and negotiation contexts. The report is a reflection on the student's learning journey and how they plan to improve their skills.

Running head: INTERVIEW AND NEGOTIATION SKILL
Interview and negotiation skill
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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INTERVIEW AND NEGOTIATION SKILL
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Interview session........................................................................................................................2
Areas of strength.....................................................................................................................2
Areas of development.............................................................................................................2
Methods used for personal development................................................................................3
Development and achievement of skills in future..................................................................4
Negotiation skills.......................................................................................................................5
Areas of strength.....................................................................................................................5
Areas of development.............................................................................................................5
Methods used for personal development................................................................................6
Development and achievement of skills in future..................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
Reference....................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The purpose of the assignment is to identify the skills required to conduct a proper
interview and negotiation. The assignment reflects upon an interview and negotiation session
that took place in order to help understand the strength and weakness of an individual. Areas
of personal development are identified and the scope of future development is identified in
the assignment.
Interview session
Areas of strength
Based on the feedback received from my tutor, I can see that the introduction of the
group was a point of strength for me. I had introduced the people in the group individually
and provided a description of their roles in the interview. According to Gross (2015), in a
group presentation, the roles of every individual is important in order to conduct an effective
interview. Introducing the group members and the roles made the HR partner more
comfortable while talking with us. Apart from this, the other strength areas included the
manner in which the interview was organised and the manner in which it was conducted. Star
questions were asked that provided an excellent opportunity to understand the concepts and
the responsibilities that exist in that position. This helped in getting a complete overview of
the situation and analyse the answers in a proper manner. The objective of the interview was
achieve based on the questions and the manner of organising the event. As stated by
Culbertson and Gates (2014) proper questions and organising of interview helps in achieving
the intent of the research in an effective and efficient manner.

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Areas of development
However, there were many weaknesses identified by my tutors and peers. These
weaknesses dented my progress and result of the interview. One of the weaknesses that I had
was the fact that I had failed to scan the interviewee. This is an important aspect of the body
language and the manner of dressing can help in the identification of the personality of a
person (Stewart and Shamdasani 2014). The request for sitting was not made and the groups
involved did not stand up to greet the person. Despite asking star questions, their experience
in the past along with situation was not asked. The basis of the interview was gaining
knowledge about managerial perspective. However, no such managerial questions were asked
and the criterion by which the interviewee was selected was not met. Apart from this, my
peers were of the opinion that proper questions regarding the time of joining, expected pay
and the position were not asked. These aspects dented the interview process and helped me to
identify the areas of development required.
Methods used for personal development
In order to convert the weaknesses into strengths, I needed to develop my skills.
According to Brinkmann (2014), development of personal skills helps in improving the
awareness and develops talents required to succeed in a particular field. In this regard, I
needed to develop social effectiveness skills. The skill suggests that in order to develop a
good expression in the mind of the interviewee, the interviewer also need to be well aware
and coordinated with the person. The forming of impression is an important aspect as self-
presentation helps in bringing about a positive approach in the mind of the people. Apart
from this, social skills, ability to self-monitor and control the flow of conversation is required
to be developed in order to be successful. Based on the weaknesses, a flow of conversation
and the link of one point with another needs to be done in order to understand the aspects of
the interviewee. In this regard, it can be said that I need to take an interview training to

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develop these skills. The training of my skills can help in the development of my personality
as an interviewer.
Figure: Social effectiveness skill
(Source: Cheng, 2014)
Development and achievement of skills in future
In the future, I need to use these skills and develop my role as an interviewer even
further. The fact that I failed to understand the person properly based on his attire and
presentation made me realise that I lack the skill of observation. This is an important aspect
for an interviewer as most of the time the personality and the interest of the interviewee can
be judged based on the appearance they make (Christensen 2015). The training that I will
undertake can help me to achieve these skills so that in the future I commit the same mistakes
that I did in the present. The lack of ability to ask situational questions suggested the fact that
I have limited knowledge about the subject. Hence, the knowledge is another aspect that I
need to develop in order to gain suitable answers based on the subject matter. Thus, it can be

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said that the interview result had both a positive as well as negative aspects that helped
worked as a learning curve for me.
Negotiation skills
Areas of strength
After analysing the scenario based on negotiation and my act in that part I had been
given feedback by my teachers regarding my strengths. According to the viewpoint of my
teachers, I had done a good job by taking over the negotiation process because the
organisation was unwilling to negotiate. As per the scenario, the organisation in which
Sophie works did not have any interest in her situation. They wanted her to continue working
after hours of her contract. This became a tough point for Sophie because of the birth of her
baby. However, her manager made no negotiations with her based on this matter. In this
regard, the leadership skills showed by me were well appreciated. The fact that I dominated
during the negotiation and made the other people feel weak made an excellent statement
about my negotiation. As stated by Fisher, Ury and Patton (2011) negotiation is an important
aspect while dealing with conflicts in an organisation. Proper skills for negotiation can help
in the mitigation of any conflict and bring about a mutual settlement between the parties.
Areas of development
Despite my effective leadership skills, my tutor gave the opinion that I had failed to
understand the situation that arose at the workplace. The situation was a clear dilemma that
Sophie aced about working for long hours. She had worked for long hours at an initial stage,
but with an increase of personal responsibility, it is difficult for her to do so. Her line
manager was not supportive that led to an argument between the two people. This dispute is
the main reason for striking up a negotiation deal with Sophie and the organisation. Despite
my understanding an effective use of negotiation skills, I failed to impress my tutors. Another

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aspect that can be considered is the fact that my peers were of the opinion that the employee
did not have any say in the matter. However, I disagree to accept this as a weakness. As
stated by Pruitt (2013) if an employee is represented by a Union, then it is the responsibility
of the Union to put forward matters that serves as mutual interests for the parties. As I was
the Union representative of Sophie, it was my duty to make negotiations on her behalf.
Methods used for personal development
In order to develop myself based on the weakness, I need to adopt the decision
analysis theory. According to Rubin and Brown (2013), this theory includes the use of
philosophy, appropriate methods and professional practice that is required for making
important decisions. In this case, I had little time to read about the case and make decisions
that can benefit both the organisation and Sophie. I need to understand the situation clearly
before presenting any arguments. In this regard, the use of decision theory is needed. While
implementing the use of the theory it is necessary to understand a particular situation. This is
because the understanding of the situation can help in the formulation of methods needed for
a proper negotiation (Korobkin 2014). Thus, this can help in my personal development and
improve my skills while negotiating with people. In the light of this statement, I can say that
the skills can also help in my development of growth in the future. I can also use my
strengths in order to develop myself further in my profession.
Development and achievement of skills in future
One of the key aspects in developing my skills is my confidence. As stated by Keeney
(2013) self-confidence can lead to the achievement of glory that can help in the mitigation of
problems. In this case, the confidence that I had while negotiating for Sophie needs to be
maintained in future situations as well. Another way by which I can develop my skills is by
reading books and attending the classes. The books and lectures were essential elements in
the development of my negotiation technique as it provided helpful advice as well as

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scenarios that lead to the achievement of skills. Leadership quality is also required in order to
maintain proper negotiation technique, as one need to lead a bunch of people against the
opposition party (Goldberg et al. 2014). My leadership skill despite my low knowledge of the
situation is indicative of the fact that I possess leadership skill that can help in proper
negotiation. In this regard, proper development of this skill is also required. Thus, it can be
said that the negotiation process has its positives as well as negative aspect.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that in order to conduct a perfect interview and negotiation session,
individuals have to maintain proper knowledge of the topic before conducting these sessions.
Good leadership and communication skill is also required for enhancing the process and
making it effective in the practical application.

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Reference
Brinkmann, S., 2014. Interview. In Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer New York.
Cheng, K.W., 2014. A study on applying focus group interview on education. Reading
Improvement, 51(4), pp.381-385.
Christensen, G., 2015. Power, ethics and the production of subjectivity in the group
interview. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 9(1), pp.73-86.
Culbertson, M.J. and Gates, E., 2014. Anecdotes and Opinions: Examining Evidence
Generated by Group Interview Methods.
Fisher, R., Ury, W.L. and Patton, B., 2011. Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without
giving in. Penguin.
Goldberg, S.B., Sander, F.E., Rogers, N.H. and Cole, S.R., 2014. Dispute resolution:
Negotiation, mediation and other processes. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
Gross, R., 2015. Situational interview method as a predictor of strategic thinking: a
theoretical framework. Global Business and Economics Research Journal, 4(1), pp.1-16.
Keeney, R.L., 2013. Foundations for group decision analysis. Decision Analysis, 10(2),
pp.103-120.
Korobkin, R., 2014. Negotiation: Theory and strategy. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
Pruitt, D.G., 2013. Negotiation behavior. Academic Press.
Rubin, J.Z. and Brown, B.R., 2013. The social psychology of bargaining and negotiation.
Elsevier.

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Stewart, D.W. and Shamdasani, P.N., 2014. Focus groups: Theory and practice. Sage
publications.