Speed Mock Interviews: Teaching You to Talk About You
Monday, Nov. 12, saw the return of the Viterbo Career Service’s once-a-semester experience, the speed mock interviews. Designed to help prepare Viterbo students for the most dreaded aspect of the application process, the speed mock interviews instill a sense of courage in participants, helping them feel freer to answer questions about themselves, while also introducing them to business connections throughout La Crosse.
The night of interviews started with a bit of debriefing to make sure everyone was prepared for the fast-paced activities. Before diving in, however, students and interviewers alike were treated with hors d'oeuvres as they met one another briefly. The interviewers were all either friends of the university or alumni with business experience following graduation.
After filling up on food and social interaction, the interviewees and interviewers took a seat at one of approximately 20 different tables scattered throughout the Fine Arts Center main lobby. Once the timer was started, the students had four minutes to be interviewed, followed by three minutes of instant feedback about what they did right, what they could have done better, and some important things to focus on during the interviewing process.
Once time was up, students found themselves a new station for another seven-minute round of interviewing and learning. When all is said and done, each student had the opportunity to go through the process 10 times, learning an ample amount about how to better their approach to interviewing. Afterwards, two gift cards were raffled off to lucky students.
Beth Dolder-Zieke from Career Services is one of the organizers of the event. She spoke about the overwhelming success they have seen in the event over the last ten years of its operation.
According to Dolder-Zieke, “Even though it may seem scary at first, I’d say 99 percent of people who have gone through it love it.”
She said the event was a great opportunity to learn a useful skill in a low-pressure environment. The questions asked are either relatively general interview questions, such as, “What strengths would you bring to this job?” as well as behavior-based questions, such as, “When was a time you had to work with a difficult person?”
Even if the specific questions do not show up in a future interview for those who attend, the training in answering on the spot goes a long way in being prepared for tricky questions that may arise. According to Dolder-Zieke, one of the most important parts of the night is that it teaches students to “Be who (they) are,” something she thinks is often overlooked in the process.
If students are itching to practice their skills but cannot wait until the next set of speed mock interviews on March 28, they can always make a one-on-one appointment with Career Services to practice improvisation while, most importantly, being themselves.