Mock interviews help students gain experience, confidence

Feb. 24, 2005
By Christina Neumiller
Staff Writer

Anxiety and stress are two of the symptoms that are sometimes experienced when going to a job interview.  The Career Center at St. Ambrose has a way for students to overcome or at least curb the stress and anxiety of a job interview.

The Career Center stages mock interviews for students to get a feel for a real interview.  They need to bring a résumé and dress up as if they were attending an actual job interview.

“If you dress appropriately, you’ll respond appropriately. You’ll feel more in the role,” assistant director and career counselor Mary Taylor said.

Some other benefits of the mock interviews include seeing what it feels like to be in an actual interview situation and having to perform the duties to get ready for that interview.  Students will also be able to edit their responses and have feedback from the interviewer to learn from.

“We would rather see them get over some of that stress and generalized anxiety in a situation where they don’t have anything riding on it or it’s not about a job,” internship and recruitment coordinator Angela Grafton said.

Employers from around the community in management and human resources are asked to volunteer their time to conduct the interviews. They are more familiar with the general questions and behavioral styles.  They can help the students prepare for that style.

Monster.com, an online job resource, offers up some things not to do in an interview.  Don’t talk too much, make sure cell phones are off, and make sure to ask questions as well as answer them. They said the one of the worst thing you could do is not ask any. Another is don’t turn a weakness into a strength.  An example is answering, “I'm a perfectionist”.  That is probably the hundredth time the interviewer heard that answer.  If this is a question asked, name a skill you wish to improve upon.  Potential employers want to see how the question is handled.  

Some things that could be done ahead of time is to have a strategy for answering questions and discuss your talents

The mock interviews are a plus for St. Ambrose students who would later like to find a job in the Quad Cities.

“They also provide an opportunity for employers to come onto our campus and see what our students are capable off,” Grafton said.

Students who would like to participate should sign up a head of time so the Career Center can check and make sure the preparation work is done, such as having a resume.

Mock interviews are done to a specific schedule.  General mock interviews are for anyone, then interviews for just PT or art students are scheduled.

If there are openings after all the students in the specific areas are done, then students who are interested can sign up for the remaining slots.

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