Practice for an Interview

Being invited to interview for a job can be exciting, but also a little nerve-wracking. By practicing for an interview on your own, you can set yourself up to feel more confident and comfortable when you go in for the actual interview. If you feel like you need more advice and feedback, getting help from a friend, family member, or professional career counselor can help you improve your interviewing skills and successfully land the job.

Steps

Practicing for an Interview on Your Own

  1. Make a list of common interview questions to practice your answers. Consider the type of job you are interviewing for and make a list of potential questions the interviewer might ask. Include questions about your education, experience, career goals, reasons for leaving your past or current job, and your transferable skills.[1] To help you get started, here are a few common interview questions:
    • What is a mistake you’ve made at work, and how did you fix it?[2]
    • What is your biggest strength and weakness?
    • Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
    • Why do you want to work for this company?[3]
    • What salary are you looking to make?[4]
  2. Write down your 3 to 5 most important talking points. After making a list of potential interview questions, write down 3 to 5 points that you want to make sure you communicate during your interview.[5] You can then use these points to help craft your answers to the list of potential questions, making sure that all of your answers help you communicate and reinforce these points.
    • For example, if you are interviewing for a job in sales, you will likely want to communicate your experience in sales, as well as the personality traits that make you suited for the job.[6]
  3. Use flashcards to practice answering interview questions on your own. Once you’ve made a list of potential questions, write each question out on a different flashcard. You can then go through the flashcards one by one and practice how you want to answer each question. This allows you to prepare on your own without needing someone to ask the practice questions for you.
    • When arranging your flashcards, it can be helpful to begin with the questions that you think will be difficult to answer, or that you’ve had a hard time with in the past.[7]
  4. Set up an interview-like space to practice in. To help make your interview practice feel as realistic as possible, try to make your practice space look and feel like the real interview setting.[8] This can help you get accustomed to an interview atmosphere, making you feel more comfortable and confident when you walk into the actual interview.
    • If you are interviewing for an office job, for example, try to practice in an office setting. If you don’t have an office setting available, you can replicate the feel of an office by staging your practice area with a table, computer, and desk chair.
  5. Record yourself practicing to see what you can improve on. When practicing for an interview on your own, use a video recorder to record yourself as you go through your flashcards and answer the questions out loud. Then, watch the video and see what you notice about your responses. You can then assess what you think you can improve on and practice accordingly. A few things that are helpful to look for are the following:
    • Do you look confident and calm or nervous?
    • Did you answer the questions directly and in full?
    • Did you successfully communicate and reinforce your main talking points?
    • Did you say “um” a lot?[9]

Getting Interview Practice Help

  1. Find a family member or friend to help you practice. One of the best ways to practice for an interview and help you feel more confident is to practice in front of someone else.[10] Once you find a friend or family member to help you practice, have them read your potential questions one by one as you practice articulating your answers out loud. After you finish going through all of the questions and answers, your practice partner can provide you with some observations and feedback to help you improve on your interview skills.
    • In some cases, you may have to do a group interview with other candidates, or be interviewed by multiple interviewers. To help you prepare, get 2 or more friends or family members to help you stage these situations and practice.
    • When asking someone to help you practice for an interview, try to choose someone who has extensive interviewing experience. Also, choose someone who you know will provide you with honest feedback.[11]
  2. Get interview practice feedback from a professional career counselor. If you feel like you need more practice, advice, and feedback than you can get by practicing on your own or with a friend or family member, seeing a professional career counselor can be a great option.[12] While it can cost you up to $150 per session, career counselors are trained to conduct mock interviews and help you craft and deliver the ideal answers to questions that are likely to come up in an interview.
    • If you have recorded yourself practicing for an interview, try to watch the recording with your career counselor. Your counselor can provide feedback as you watch the video, letting you see firsthand what you can improve on.[13]
    • If you are a student, your school likely has a professional career counselor that can help you stage a mock interview and practice to improve your skills.
    • You can find a career counselor to help you practice for an interview by doing an online search in your area. When choosing a counselor, look for someone with a Master’s degree in counseling, as well as someone with knowledge of your particular field.[14]
  3. Sign up for a mock interview online. There are several websites that you can use to record a mock interview online. After recording and uploading your practice interview, you can get feedback from professional career counselors or people who work in the type of job you are interviewing for. While some of these websites are free to try, they can cost several hundred dollars for multiple mock interviews and expert feedback.
    • Several mock interview websites also provide additional interview practice resources, such as practice interview question lists, interview tips, and videos of successful interviews.
    • Pramp, InterviewBuddy, Gainlo, and InterviewBit are a few popular mock interview websites that can help you practice.



References

  1. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2017/08/10/how-to-do-a-practice-interview-thatll-actually-help-you/#175e8ee93605
  2. ↑ https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/9-most-common-behavioral-interview-questions-and-a.html
  3. ↑ https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-to-prepare-for-a-great-job-interview-8-tips.html
  4. ↑ https://www.thecut.com/article/how-to-answer-common-interview-questions.html
  5. ↑ https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/c/college-and-continuing-education/en/use-google-to-get-a-new-job/practice-interview-techniques/practice-interviewing-by-yourself.html
  6. ↑ https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/c/college-and-continuing-education/en/use-google-to-get-a-new-job/practice-interview-techniques/practice-interviewing-by-yourself.html
  7. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2017/08/10/how-to-do-a-practice-interview-thatll-actually-help-you/#175e8ee93605
  8. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2017/08/10/how-to-do-a-practice-interview-thatll-actually-help-you/#175e8ee93605
  9. ↑ https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/c/college-and-continuing-education/en/use-google-to-get-a-new-job/practice-interview-techniques/practice-interviewing-by-yourself.html
  10. ↑ https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/c/college-and-continuing-education/en/use-google-to-get-a-new-job/practice-interview-techniques/hold-a-practice-interview-with-a-partner.html
  11. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2017/08/10/how-to-do-a-practice-interview-thatll-actually-help-you/#175e8ee93605
  12. ↑ https://time.com/3590683/how-to-get-the-most-value-from-a-career-counselor/
  13. ↑ https://time.com/3590683/how-to-get-the-most-value-from-a-career-counselor/
  14. ↑ https://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/13/need-career-coaching-find-your-perfect-professional-fit.html
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Practice_for_an_Interview&oldid=361222"