We have hit the ground running in the second semester with six new classes starting and Corporate Residency interviews quickly approaching. I submitted my resume and cover letters for marketing positions to about six different companies, and am eagerly awaiting their responses. Knowing that all of our interviews would be held on the same day in the first week of February, Career Management has been helping us to prepare by scheduling both live and phone mock interviews.
It had been quite a while since my last interview (aside from the NEU entrance interview!), so I appreciated the chance to dispel my nerves and practice some behavioral interview questions with experienced interviewers who are able to give us direct feedback. I used the research skills we were taught to research the company for my mock interviews, and practiced answering common behavioral questions. During one Career Management session, we broke into small groups to practice interview questions. My group was led by Career Planning Program Manager Sallyann Kakas, and as an experienced counselor and consultant, she was great at giving us tips on how best to answer tricky questions while projecting confidence. Hearing my classmates’ answers gave me many ideas on how I can improve my interview skills as I gear up to meet employers.
As a result of all of this preparation, both of my mock interviews went very well. I realized that the more prepared I am for an interview, as with most things, the more confident I am and the better I perform. My interviewer’s constructive criticism has helped me to polish my answers, as well as be aware of body language and nonverbal gestures. My game plan for next week is to be well researched for each company, to familiarize myself with my answers to common behavioral questions, and most importantly, to be myself.
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