How to Prepare With a Mock Job Interview
Simply Hired Staff
“By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.” One of the most valuable steps a job seeker can do to prepare for an interview is to have a mock interview. A mock interview imitates a real interview as much as possible. Here is a guideline you can follow to make sure your mock interview is a success and ultimately bring you closer to acing your job interview.
Ask the right person
The key to an effective mock interview is finding the right person to interview you. The person should match as closely as possible to the hiring manager of the job. While interviewing with friends at the same job level can be helpful, choosing someone with the same experience as the hiring manager will be the most valuable because they know what they’re looking for in a candidate. For example, if you’re applying for a business development representative role, a business development manger or higher will be ideal. Colleagues who are business development representatives might be helpful because they know what types of questions the hiring manager will ask, but they might not have the insight on what the best answers might be for the questions.
Prepare for the mock interview
To get the most out of a mock interview, plan beforehand. Send your mock interviewer a copy of the job description and your resume. Ask them to come up with at least 10 questions an interviewer might ask. On your own, practice with questions you think will most likely be asked during questions with other friends. Prepare for the mock interview as you would prepare for a real interview.
Imitate a real interview as much as possible
The setup of your mock interview should mimic a real interview as much as possible. Have the interview in a quiet room and wear your professional interview outfit. Although the person mock interviewing you might know you very well, act like the person is someone you just met. If you mess up one of your answers you have to keep going, and you can’t ask your mock interviewer for a re-do. The mock interview is ultimately the same as a real interview.
Ask for feedback
After your mock interview ask your colleague to go into as much detailed feedback as possible. Did you sound nervous? Was your interview outfit professional? How can you make your answers better? If possible, ask them if they can do another mock interview in a day or two and see how you progressed.
