GMC student shares interviewing experience

Career Services spoke with Gwynedd-Mercy College (GMC) student, Eva about her experience at the recent Mock Interview event that was held at GMC.

1) How did you prepare for the Mock Interview? What did you bring with you? How did you dress?
To prepare for the Mock Interview, I read over my resume and tried to think of questions based on my resume that I would ask if I were an interviewer. I visited the GMC Career Services website and reviewed the interviewing guide. Also, a week before the Mock Interview, I dressed and assembled the materials (briefcase, pens, resume, etc.) as I would for the interview to make sure that I wasn't missing anything.

I brought to the Mock Interview a briefcase with several pens and pencils, a writing tablet, 3 copies of my resume, and 3 copies of my references list. I made sure to arrange a single copy of my resume in the briefcase so that I could just whip it out when asked for it.

I dressed in a professional gray-black suit with only a single conservative necklace and reasonable-height pumps.

2) How did you feel during the mock interview?
I was slightly nervous but not as much as I would have been if it were a "real" interview because I understood that the purpose of the Mock Interview was to give me practice with interviewing and to provide constructive criticism. I was nervous also because I didn't know how the interview would be conducted -- in a private office, with other people watching, etc. -- and I was actually surprised to be in a large room with other interviews happening concurrently at other tables.

3) What was the most helpful tip or piece of advice you learned?
I learned about the STAR method of behavioral interviewing. I'd never been in an interview where I was asked about how I behaved in certain situations in previous jobs. I thought this style of interviewing was easier in a way because I could picture a situation that happened in the past and had something concrete to talk about.

4) Other comments?
I was surprised about how much the interviewer learned about me in just a half hour. When she critiqued my interviewing skills, she mentioned characteristics about me that I didn't realize she could glean from my responses and it made me understand that generally an interviewer can "read between the lines" of what we say and are skilled at reading our behavior. I think the Mock Interview is essential because when we walk away from a "real" interview, we might have a general sense of how we did but this way we are given some usable feedback that could improve our chances of getting a job.