Written by Amie Gant, Career Center Communication and Design Assistant, Bachelor of Science, Professional Writing.
What can be scarier and more stressful than Halloween’s haunted houses, ghosties, ghouls, and zombies? Job interviews. However, the more you practice and get familiar with the process, the less terrifying interviews may become.
Mock interviews provide a constructive way to reduce your stress and anxiety about interviewing. The Missouri State University Career Center offers mock interview sessions to students and alumni. The benefits of these mock interviews are numerous and can dramatically increase your chances of acing your next real-world interview.
All interviews are stressful, and even though it is just a mock interview, it is easy to become nervous. What better way to work out your nervous tics than in a pretend setting? Thankfully, practice really does make perfect. Sign up for mock interviews, and keep practicing until you are comfortable with the interview process. You will be surprised at the enormous difference this will make in your performance. You will do things right, and you will do things wrong. Just take a deep breath, and be yourself. Remember, it is better to make a blundering mistake in a pretend setting than in a real-world interview.
A mock interview will prepare you to answer tough questions, and it will give you pointers on how to present yourself professionally and personally. In a real interview, no one will tell you what you did wrong, and you may be left wondering why you didn’t get the job. At the Career Center, you will receive on-the-spot, constructive feedback. You will learn what you did well and what you need to improve. This is your golden opportunity to ask questions and to fine-tune your interview techniques before the real-deal interview that will make or break your chances of being hired.
At the MSU Career Center, your mock interview will be video recorded and put on a flash drive (please bring your own flash drive) so you can see first-hand how you appear in an interview setting. It’s sometimes painful to watch (who wants to see themselves mess up?), but the video can be an invaluable tool in helping you correct your errors.
You may not have realized that you were waving your hands as you talked, or that you kept touching your face, pushing your hair out of your eyes, making awkward expressions, or doing some other distracting movement. After watching the video, you will be more conscious of what you need to work on, and you will be more likely to succeed.
So, if you cringe at the thought of being recorded, relax. No one has ever died from watching their interview recording, and in the long run, you will be glad you did.
Set up your mock interview by calling the Career Center at 417-836-5636.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can also practice phone and Skype interviews. To schedule a phone interview, please contact the Career Center. You can access practice Skype interviews via InterviewStream on your free JobTracks account. InterviewStream features virtual mock interviews with expert tips and advice to assist you with your interviewing development.
HEADS UP!
The Career Center is hosting a Mock Interview Day for all majors on October 23, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the PSU Ballroom West (3rd floor).
This event is staffed with local employers to provide students with an opportunity to go through a 40-minute mock interview session.
If you plan to participate, make sure you dress professionally and come with your résumé handy.
Register for Mock Interview Day:
Students need to register for Mock Interview Day, but the event is FREE.
For students: To sign up, please upload a copy of your résumé to JobTracks and select a time slot. For more information, please contact the Career Center at 417-836-5636 or CareerCenter@MissouriState.edu.
For employers: To participate, please contact the Career Center at 417-836-5636 or CareerCenter@MissouriState.edu.