A helpful aspect of Career Services that many students are unfamiliar with is the mock interviews they host every week. These one hour appointments consist of a 20-30 minute interview and a 30 minute feedback session directly after. The mock interview is videotaped so the interviewer and student can go back and take a look at problem questions to work on for the future. The feedback session is also videotaped, and students can return to Career Services afterwards to access and save their video to a USB for their own personal use.
I did this for the first time a few weeks ago, and it is not as intimidating as it sounds! I promise the weirdest part is realizing that your voice does not sound the same on camera as you think it does. I made the appointment a few weeks ahead of time by going in to the front desk on the first floor (yes, you actually have to go to Career Services to make the appointment) and specified what particular position and company for which I was interviewing. You also must email Career Services your resume after making the appointment but at least a few days before your mock interview so they have it on file. For example, since I was in the process of searching for summer internships at the time of my mock interview, I specified that I would like to interview for an internship with Madison Square Garden Company in the Entertainment Division in either Rockette Operations or Concerts/Entertainment. This does not mean that my interviewer was an actual employee of MSG (it was actually a Penn State student!). This frame of reference just helps those at Career Services tailor your interview to a more specific need. Career Services suggests for both guys and girls to wear a business suit, so if you have one, wear it to the mock interview. However, I did do not own a suit, and I wore business casual, and my interviewer said that my dress was perfectly appropriate. If you want to know more about what to expect for an interview, the Career Services website has a specific page with all the information you need.
The interviewer asked me mostly “behavioral” questions, which required me to describe a time in which I faced, for example, a certain ethical dilemma or uncooperative co-worker, and how I dealt with the situation. Other questions included why I wanted to work for MSG and why I thought I would be a good candidate, my strengths and weaknesses as an individual, and what I thought my greatest accomplishment in life was. I did not have any particular answers prepared, though I did note the sample questions that Career Services has posted on their website. I just went with the flow. I tried to act as naturally as possible, answering the questions as honestly and openly as I could. The important thing that I learned in our feedback session was to always end with a positive – if you are explaining one of your weaknesses (as this is a common question in any kind of interview), try to turn your answer around at the end by saying how you can improve upon that trait or what you have learned from it. My interviewer actually suggested to never use the word “weakness”, and instead to use “something I could improve upon”, re-enforcing positive dialogue within the interview. She also noted that good posture, steady eye contact, and a comfortable attitude attribute to a successful interview – all simple gestures that you already know how to do.
Whereas before I may have suspected that a mock interview would have been awkward, now I have to say that I would suggest doing one to any of my friends or fellow students engaging in their internship or job search process. Though some of the things I heard were tips I have seen before, some of the advice was quite new to me. The mock interviewers are there to help you and they want you to have a positive experience, so don’t feel like you will be severely criticized for every minute detail of your interview. If you know yourself and you do a little background research on the company you are interviewing for, you will be just fine. The key word here is mock – these interviews are not real (though they are realistic) so there is no need to stress yourself out for them. It is only simply another step you can take to help yourself become familiar with Career Services and what they have to offer.