3 Ways A Mock Interview Can Help Job Seekers
“Who will I be interviewing with?”
“How many people will I be interviewing with?”
“What questions will I be asked?”
“What if I get flustered?”
These are questions most job seekers ask themselves prior to a job interview. The uncertainty (and power dynamics) of a job interview can cause stress and anxiety that prevent job seekers from communicating in an effective manner.
Additionally, because the outcome of a job interview can make or break ones’ short or long-term career and financial goals, job seekers often feel a sense of self-imposed pressure.
The combination of uncertainty, power dynamics, anxiety, stress, and pressure prevent job seekers from performing at their best.
A solution – and one of the highest ROI job search activities – is a mock interview. A mock interview is a simulation of an actual job interview that prepares the candidate for the real thing. Mock interviews involve one (or more) people asking the job seeker a series of questions likely to be asked during an actual interview. A mock interview can be performed in person, or via video technology. I recommend both given that more and more companies are starting with a video interview before moving on to an in-person interview.
Below are 3 ways a mock interview can help job seekers:
1. Provide a realistic preview: Mock interviews can provide a realistic preview of what to expect. Being asked a wide range of questions – standard, behavior, situational – exposes the job seeker to the types of questions they can expect to be asked. Additionally, more and more companies are including multiple staff members in an interview. A mock interview that includes two or more questioners can set the stage for what to anticipate during the actual interview.
2. Build confidence: Practice makes progress – or at least improves performance. The more questions a job seeker is asked, the greater the opportunity for developing effective and impactful responses. Responding effectively early on to just one question or being nudged in a direction where the interviewee is surer of himself/herself, can help build confidence for the remainder of the mock interview. This confidence often carries over into the actual interview.
3. Provide instant feedback to sharpen answers: Most job seekers never receive feedback from the company they interviewed with – particularly if the interview didn’t go well. It’s a lot easier to improve performance if ones’ weaknesses or shortcomings are known. Mock interviews, if conducted properly, allow for immediate post-interview feedback where strong and weak responses, behavior, and attitude are discussed and suggestions for improvement are developed. This is often the most important part of the mock interview as it can illuminate the major interview deficiencies which may then be corrected.
One final thing. It’s often the little things that matter the most during an interview – body language, knowing when to stop talking, being prepared with notes to jar your memory when stumped, and knowing how to turn the interview into a conversation rather than an interrogation. Mock interviews can help with all of this and more.
If you haven’t interviewed in years, or have had many interviews but no job offers, maybe it’s time you reached out to individuals you trust – friends, mentors, colleagues, HR pros – to take part in a mock interview. You won’t be any worse off and might just enjoy it.
If you want to be successful, you must practice and prepare to be successful. A mock interview will help you do that.
[This article was originally published on LinkedIn on 12/7/22: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-ways-mock-interview-can-help-job-seekers-bill-leonard-mhrm%3FtrackingId=bLqB1cNGRgyfk%252B2Li57Ngg%253D%253D/?trackingId=bLqB1cNGRgyfk%2B2Li57Ngg%3D%3D]