June 30, 2015

Interviewing 101: Practice Makes Perfect

I once had a professor that told me, interviewing is like any other skill that you possess in life, if you don’t practice it you will get rusty. So the question is, how do we practice it? How do we develop this skill?
Well for one we can go on interviews. How many times have you gotten a call or were reached out to by a recruiter for a position that you felt may not be the right fit? I say take the interview, first you may be surprised by the opportunity and secondly you want to get used to talking about your experience as well as get used to seeing what types of questions that interviewers ask.

Secondly, why not video tape ourselves while using a mirror or role play with a family member or friend. I spent much of my career in front of people and felt I was an excellent presenter that was very well versed and needed little improvement. That was until I was videotaped in one of my grad school courses and noticed my penchant for filling dead air with um’s and uh’s. This opened my eyes to any issue that I had and I have since actively corrected that.

Lastly, I say to just network. Attend professional events, build a contact list and get used to interacting with people. The more you socialize in a professional setting the better you will get at discussing your professional aptitude and build connections that you may be able to leverage in the future.

John Greenblatt, CEO
Five Star Resume LLC.