How to Practice Interviewing

You have your resumes out and the phone is starting to ring with potential employers wanting you to come in for a job interview. While the interview is the next logical step in obtaining a great paying job perhaps you are caught off guard just a bit and maybe you though that you had a little more time before the offers would come in.

Don’t panic! Just take a few deep breathes and conduct some good old fashioned practice before you go to the actual interview and you will be all set. While there are many methods for practicing for a job interview there are some that are more effective than others such as:

• Self Interview: Stand in front of a mirror and interview yourself. Play out the role of the interviewer and yourself of course. Ask yourself all the questions that you think the interviewer might ask you and then really pay attention to how you answer yourself and how your body language is. Be sure to ask yourself the question, ‘How would you describe yourself,’ as that question almost always pops up in an interview and is an easy on to stumble on. After you have completed the interview of yourself ask, ‘Would I hire me?’ If the answer is no then you need to continue this exercise.
• Friend Interview: While the first exercise is a great way to prepare for an interview, some people simply cannot effectively self-evaluate. If this describes you then you can always turn to those who are usually more than thrilled to point out your flaws for you; your closest friends. Write a list of questions down for a friend to ask you and then conduct a ‘mock’ interview. Go through the whole process from walking in and shaking hands to answering all the questions asked of you. At the end you can be sure that your friend will give you an honest opinion and you should not take what they are saying to be mean, but rather view it as constructive criticism that will allow you to fix any flaws before the actual interview. Besides it is better to hear your friend say that they wouldn’t hire you rather than the actual interviewer.
• Ask and Answer Out Loud: Another great way to practice for an interview is by writing down about 20 to 25 questions that you think you may be asked, read them out loud one by one, and answers them out loud one by one. The idea with this exercise is to have your answers sounding natural and not scripted. Also, by practicing the most commonly asked questions you will already have an idea of what to say if asked and will avoid the job killing words such as ummm and ahhh.

No matter how you decide to practice for your interview you do in fact need to practice. Don’t have the attitude of, ‘I’ll just wing it,’ as there are bound to be numerous candidates for the job you are seeking. By being prepared for your interview and speaking in a clear and concise manner you will automatically be one step ahead of the pack. Besides, as the old saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect.’

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