Free Career and Job Search Advice

lexa10881

Practicing your interview leaves one more prepared and relaxed during the actual interview than they may have otherwise been. Anticipating questions and being able to plan out answers eliminates lengthy pauses as an interviewee struggles to get answers. And it makes the interviewee look smarter and more capable if they seem to have all the right answers. Investing an hour of time by practicing interviewing with someone else may be what makes the difference between getting a job and not getting it.

How and whom can you practice with? About anyone is fair game, they just have to be willing to help you and give honest feedback about what your practice interview brings to light. They might notice your posture or body language is negative, that you didn't answer a question as thoroughly as you could have, or that you deviated from a topic when you should have kept your answer short. They can give you suggestions about what you are doing during the interview, as well as help you think of questions and answers that you may not have come up with on your own. Family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues can all be great sources of feedback. Posting a resume to the internet on a job related website can be advantageous, and some sites allow for users to also use webcams and practice their interview skills with each other. One word of caution, however, about using job related websites as a way to practice your interviewing. It is no different than using the internet for any other purpose; safety and anonymity should be exercised as cautiously as possible, and giving out personal information such as addresses and phone numbers can be disastrous. We have all heard dating-internet horror stories, and really any type of internet activity where one could possibly reveal their true identity and put one in danger should be done carefully. It can be more advantageous to use someone who knows you well as opposed to an acquaintance who may not notice things in your appearance or body language as readily.

After picking out someone to help you, you need to prepare to interview with them just like you will for the real interview. Prepare a list of questions yourself that you would like to ask the interviewer towards the end of the interview. Keep them about the business and avoid discussions about salary and benefits until a second interview. If you can, research the company and make your questions about it and projected advancement over the next few years, as this will show your interest in the company and a future with them. Plan out three to five good questions. Anticipate foreign language barriers and maybe even have someone who is fluent in another language help you with the interview. When you have gotten your basic preparations together, ask them when you can conveniently meet at their disposal. After all, they are doing you a favor and helping you out, so try to make things as convenient as possible for your helper.

If the practice interviewer will allow you, ask them if it is permissible to record the interview. Even if you don't record the interview, the setting in which the practice interview takes place should mimic the real interview, being free of distractions. It should also be similar in time length. Recording allows you can review the things you did afterwards and maybe even pick up on things the interviewer did not catch. Setting constraints help keep things real. In most instances it is easier to have a neutral assessment of the practice interviewer does not know you very well. Remember, the real interviewer is not going to know you that well, just through basic interactions that have occurred on the phone. And, after you have had your real interview, let them know what the outcome was. They were interested enough to help you; they might like to know that the time they spent with you was well worth it and if they helped you get the job.

Join our Newsletter
CopyRight © 1999-2008 cvtips.com This material cannot be published under any form or condition.