Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Preparing for an Interview





“That’s why you should try out your job interview answers long before you go on a job interview.”

This is great advice and I’ve used this strategy with my students whenever they are applying for a new job.

I like to help them make a list of possible questions that an employer may ask. I even ask others to think of questions they might ask a prospective employee. Others might think of questions that we haven’t thought about asking.

Once we have the questions, I help the students start thinking about how they will answer them. I even have them write down their answers because sometimes when they read them aloud, they may not like how they answered them. Then I have them take a break and come back to them later. They may find out that they left out some things or they want to word them a different way.

Once they have the questions and answers, it is a good time for them to role-play the interview. Part of the fear of interviewing is not knowing what to expect so having as much preparation as possible will help calm this fear.

Sometimes I’ve even given the list of questions to another adult and had them come in as a guest interviewer to ask the student questions.

If possible, I try to video the interview so it can be looked at later. It is a good time to review body language. Is the prospective employee sitting up straight? What is their demeanor? Do they appear confident? Are they dressed properly for the type of job they are applying for?

The more practice the student has the easier it will be for them. This practice will help them find temporary jobs while they are students and then permanent jobs when they finish school.

How do you help students prepare for an interview? Please share.



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