How to Hold a Mock Interview Event

This past week I, thankfully, successfully organized and ran a Mock Interview event for any interested students at my campus.

I invited 5 employers to come to campus to spend a few hours having 15 minute mock interview and feedback sessions with our students with regards to what to expect at interviews post graduation.

Each student was required to bring a cover letter and resume with them in order to have the practice be as realistic as possible. The added benefit being that each employer took the time to critique each students cover letter and resume. Additionally, students were given the choice to have their interview video recorded for their own individual use so as to see themselves later and work on their body language and so on.

I am happy and relieved to say that the event went very well and each student was pleased with the opportunity. Indeed, most reflected on how beneficial this event was as many of them had never had an interview before. Each student was also asked to dress professionally for the event as they would come  when interviewing for an actual job.

The employers were also impressed by our students demeanor, appearance and professional behavior.

In the future I hope to create mock interview events which are tailored to specific fields of study such as business, criminal justice and so on. I believe by narrowing the scope I will give students a true taste for the types of questions they will get on future interviews in their fields of study.

What do you do on your campus to prepare your students for post college life? Are you finding more students are utilizing Career Services on your campus?

Originally posted on The Student Affairs Collective: https://studentaffairscollective.org/how-to-hold-a-mock-interview-event/