Preparing Students for Interviews
As an instructor, how do you help students to prepare (mentally and physically) for an interview?
The biggest part is being non judgemental at first realizing many people are not confident when going on an interview. So, provide as much practice as necessary. Start with people writing down answers to potential questions, then pair individuals up and finally conduct mock interviews from start to end to let students learn and also make their mistakes in a controlled environment instead of at the actual interview.
Mentally also involves lessening anxiety including deep breathes. Physical involves practicing non-verbal behaviors and making the right first impression.
I like your emphasis on the non-judgmental approach; this is really crucial to create a safe-feeling space for students where they can feel comfortable making mistakes. I also agree with as much practice as possible; it's easy to think, after one successful mock interview, that we got it and don't need to practice anymore. Of course the more we practice, the more natural and comfortable we become.
I go over an overview of "first impressions" and what employers first notice and then lead into the fact that if they make a good first then they can build from that point but if they make a bad first impression then they have to build back up to where they should have started. We also cover how to dress and if some of them have difficulty acquiring clothing we have a local group that helps provide with some interview clothing.
Stephen,
While I agree that it is much harder to 'back track' if you've made a poor first impression, I also like to remind students that even if they didn't do their best, with the right guidance, there is often still the possibility for a second chance. I'm glad to hear that you have a place to send students for interview clothing. I offer recommendations through other courses I teach because it is so critical to look professional but of course not everyone has the money to spend on professional looking clothes.
Elizabeth Kemler
Point taken. We have had some issues as of late with students/graduates not making good first impressions due to poor grooming as well as offensive tatoos so I am probably focusing a little more on it. Thanks for the outside view!
Practice, practice, practice. The more mock interviews a student has, especially with different people, the better they feel going into a real interview. One way I help the students prepare is to host panel mock interviews, where each student has the opportunity to be interviewed and to play the role of panelist. Many of them claim that asking their peers questions has taught them more about interviewing than they learned by answering questions.
Dax,
You really can't beat mock interviews for practice. And I think for many students, doing this in front of your peer is more challenging than with a stranger-which is a good thing to remind them.
Elizabeth Kemler
to have a confident and to feel secure and practice alot with other students.
Gloria,
I think that ongoing practice goes a long way towards helping the students feel more confident and secure.
Elizabeth Kemler
I too go over 'first impressions'. We also conduct mock interviews on a regular basis as well as provide a list of potential questions as during an interview. I explain that it is okay to right down answers to these questions and bring them to interviews to reference as they can be nervous and forget what they wanted to say.
Amy,
I am a big fan of mock interviews as I've mentioned a few times in the forums. Its also great to have students give each other feedback regarding first impressions in these mock interviews-but making sure to give them guidance on how to make the feedback constructive.
Elizabeth Kemler
I also make use of mock interviews and "first impressions" for students. We review common interview questions and procedures as well as how body language can also impact an interview. As someone who also performed interviews, I also prepare the students with basic interview questions and also Situation Based questions as I find a lot of employers are moving in this direction. I also recommend the students try information interviews with potential employers as well. As an information interview is very conversational, I find this really builds confidence. Positive reinforcement also helps!
Susan,
Great idea on the information interview; it is such a good way to get some practice in a professional but lower pressure environment. The situation-based questions are also a great thing to practice; they give the employer a better idea of who the candidate is and how they will perform on the job, than the 'tell me about yourself' type questions.
Elizabeth Kemler
I help students prepare for interviews by doing two activities:
The first is "peer interviews" where I pair the students up and give them each a different set of questions. They each take a turn playing the role of the interviewee and the interviewer. While conducting the interview, I instruct the students to take notes on the students answers to the questions and their body language and speaking skills. They then share this feedback with the student.
The second activity is a mock interview, which is set up with our career services department. The students come to class on the day of the interview fully dressed in appropriate attire and bring their professional portfolios. The career services department conducts mock interviews with each student and then provides them with a feedback sheet.
I feel that both of these activities give the students opportunities to learn and prepare before the real interview.
Holly ,
It sounds like we have the very same approach to interview preparation. I firmly believe that this kind of practice and feedback is the only way to improve.
Elizabeth Kemler
When I was in school having "mock" interviews were by the far the best training. The instructor brought up questions I wouldn't have thought of and many of these questions were actually on my interviews! Having instructors in the field I was studying was beneficial because they understood the environment I was going into.
Michelle,
Having the mock interviewer as someone who is in the field and knows what to ask is crucial.
Elizabeth Kemler
First impressions is by far the biggest point you can get across that almost everyone will understand. Showing picutres of people who may be considered inappropriate works better than embarassing a student who may look exactly the same way.
I try to help the student see things from the interviewers perspective, and how difficult it is to find a great employee. We discuss what qualities the student has and why they would hire themselves. I also stress the importance of preparedness...quoting Even Lisecheck (the Olympic figure skater),"My confidence comes from my preparedness."
