Picture it: You’ve just returned to the job market. After submitting countless resumes, you finally get a call for an interview. Being out of practice, you’re anxious about doing well. The anxiety bubbles up and you can’t seem to hide the desperation. Your palms are sweating, your voice is cracking, and you just can’t seem to nail the questions. You leave the interview with a feeling of defeat. But you know you're still desperately waiting for a follow-up call.
Have you ever had an interview go in this direction? It’s hard to shake that feeling of defeat, right? That’s where Mock Interviews come in.
What Is A Mock Interview:
A mock interview is a simulated job interview often conducted by a career professional. Mock interviews can help you improve your performance during interviews by providing an opportunity to build your interviewing technique. For students, many colleges and universities offer in-person mock interviews through campus career centers and counselors. And for professionals, many career coaches and job agencies offer mock interviews to their clients both in-person and online.
At Interview Boss, our mock interview process is simple and effective. And since we conduct our mock interviews online, you can have your interview from the comfort of your own home. When you make an appointment for a free consultation, you can provide information on either a specific company with whom you are interviewing or your general career field. This information helps us create mock interview questions similar to those you will encounter in your actual interviews.
Benefits of a Mock Interview:
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. And by preparing for job interviews in advance, you can develop techniques for answering difficult questions, improve your communication skills, and reduce your stress and anxiety about interviewing.
1. Mock Interviews Prepare You for Answering Difficult Questions:
Have you ever had an interviewer ask you a question that you had no idea of how to answer? Mock Interviews can help you develop strategies for answering difficult questions. By receiving constructive feedback from a professional, you can increase your understanding of what the interviewer is looking for and what details from your work experience to highlight.
2. Mock Interviews Help Build Your Communication Skills:
Being able to communicate effectively is an important life skill. Good communication enhances our relationships by allowing us to be understood and helps us to understand others. And the same goes for our professional lives. During job interviews, you need to be able to effectively discuss your skills and experience, as well as be able to build rapport.
When we communicate with others, we say just as much through our body language as we do when speaking. Do you make eye contact? Should you shake hands during the COVID era? At Interview Boss, we’ll also help you fine-tune your body language to master job interview etiquette.
3. Mock Interviews Provide You with Constructive Feedback:
After a job interview, no one will tell you where it went wrong or provide feedback on how you could’ve done better. A mock interview can help you refine responses to interview questions in a stress-free environment. The feedback provided can help you discover any weak spots in your interviewing abilities. And constructive feedback leads to better performance and increased confidence in job interviews. Speaking of confidence…
4. Mock interviews Can Reduce Anxiety and Build Confidence:
Whether it’s your 1st job interview or your 10th, interviews can bring about a certain level of stress and anxiety. There is a fear of not answering interview questions well. And there is the knowledge of being up against other candidates.
Mock Interviews can reduce those feelings of anxiety by providing a rehearsal of what to expect. With experience answering difficult questions, you can experience less stress during interviews. And with effective communication skills, you can feel confident knowing that you were able to accurately share your work experience and what skills you bring to the table. By having confidence in your skills, you will perform better in an actual interview.
Mock Interview Tips:
Think of a mock interview as a trial run. Mock interviews provide a stress-free environment for you to learn from your mistakes and improve any weak areas. But just because it’s not a real job interview doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it your all. In the world of performing arts, there is an expression: Practice how you plan to perform. And this applies to mock interviews as well. The better you do in a mock interview, the better you will do in the actual interview. So, follow these tips for success:
The more specific the information you can provide for your mock interviewer, the better. At Interview Boss, we craft our interview questions based on the information you provide to prepare questions based on your industry and the role you’re applying for.
Arrive 10 - 15 minutes early for in-person Mock Interviews. And for online Mock Interviews, be sure to test your equipment (video & audio) in advance. During the COVID era, there is a possibility that your actual job interview could be online as well. So practice as you would for the actual job interview.
Whether your Mock Interview is in-person or online, dress for success by arriving in professional attire. Wearing business attire can help shift your mind into interview mode, which will boost your motivation and performance. It will also provide an opportunity for the interviewer to provide feedback on anything you might have missed.
Bring your resume and a notebook. Take an updated resume to your mock interview, so you can get feedback on it as well. And take notes on the feedback you receive from the interviewer.
Prepare answers to general interview questions before arriving. This will help you highlight your strengths and skills to demonstrate how you’re the best candidate for the position.
Now, it’s time to ace your first mock interview. CLICK HERE to book a free consultation with us today!
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