Welcome to Interview Rehearsal. After watching this video, you will be able to: Explain why it is important to rehearse for job interviews Describe types of material to develop and prepare for an interview And rehearse verbal components of an interview effectively While you’re applying for jobs, you can also begin to prepare for interviews. You don’t need to have an interview scheduled to begin preparing. It’s always helpful to have some groundwork done so that when you schedule an interview, you’ll be ready to go. One of the best ways to prepare is to rehearse what you will say and do. Many people neglect this step, but it can make a big difference in making a great impression. If you’re well prepared for your interview, you’ve gathered all kinds of information. This would be enough if you were able to submit a research paper to your interviewers, but instead you’ll have to tell them your answers verbally. There’s a lot of difference between knowing information and being able to smoothly present it. You can bridge that gap by rehearsing your delivery and presentation. This is important for interviewing, and also a soft skill that you will use in almost any role. To recap, an elevator pitch is a brief introduction of yourself and your goals. Essentially, it should be about three or four sentences that include your name and title, your recent experience, and what you’re currently looking for in a job. This is useful for networking and answering questions like “tell us about yourself.” For example, you might say: “My name is Angela Menendez and I’m a data scientist. For the past two years, I’ve worked in an entry-level role helping derive business insights from data using established models at an e-commerce company. I would eventually like to move into designing machine learning models, and I’m looking for a mid-level position with opportunities to work toward that goal.” Once you’ve composed an elevator pitch, memorize it, and then practice saying it until it comes naturally. The easier it is for you to bring up and speak your elevator pitch, the more useful it will be to you. Look up some common interview questions and prepare answers for them. Every interview will have specific questions, but there are some questions that many interviewers use. These might include: Why did you choose this field, and why are you interested in this job? Tell us about a time you solved a problem on a project and how you did it. Where do you see yourself in five years? You can find discussions of common interview questions on many websites. Research the questions, and then think about your own original answers to these questions. Don’t forget that your own resume can be a good tool to trigger your memories of the skills you’ve used in the past and the tasks that you’ve worked on. Most interviews will include an opportunity for you to ask questions. Rather than relying on whatever you think of in the moment, prepare some questions ahead of time. Remember that interviewing is a two-way street and include the following: Use your notes from researching the company and people to customize your questions. Ask about the product, the company structure, recent news releases, and so on. Ask questions related to your career plans and work style, such as whether the team works closely or independently or about the promotion path from this role. When you’ve composed your questions, practice asking them aloud. The more comfortable you can get with this, the easier it will be for you to really hear the answers and respond. When you’ve prepared your questions, answers, and your elevator pitch, rehearse them all. Spend time reading them aloud, then paraphrasing them. It’s not necessary to memorize all of this, but practice until you feel very comfortable speaking from your notes. Watch yourself in a mirror to see whether you have nervous habits and so that you learn to make eye contact. Record yourself and watch or listen to see how you might sound to others. Doing the work to rehearse is like a secret weapon in the interview process. So many candidates don’t bother with this step that rehearsing will give you a real advantage in confidence and poise. When you feel comfortable with your performance, enlist a friend to help you practice. Ask them to hold a mock interview with you, where they ask you some interview questions so that you can rehearse verbalizing your answers. This is a big help in making your answers sound natural and in helping you to be able to think of your answers when you’re under the stress of a real interview. If you feel comfortable, allow your friend to ask you questions you haven’t researched already, to practice coming up with answers quickly. You can also practice asking the questions you plan to ask during the interview, so that you’re comfortable with the wording. In this video, you learned: Rehearsal before an interview can help you become comfortable with presenting yourself It’s helpful to practice an elevator pitch as well as answers to common questions and questions you want to ask There are many techniques to enhance your rehearsal, including conducting a mock interview, Taking time to rehearse and prepare yourself is well worth the effort. It takes some of the stress out of interviewing and will really help you stand out from the other candidates.
