My Mock Interview Assignment

The famous quote “practice makes you perfect” was exactly how I felt during my mock interview assignment. It was a good exercise to practice and improve my interview skills, because I was able to monitor my actions during this process. My normal practice to prepare for an interview is by answering some usual interview questions in front of the mirror. This exercise was different, because I could give several attempts and review all my responses. This helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies to enhance my communication skills and confidence. The following answers reflects the summary of my reviews of the mock interview:

• After you reviewed all of your answers, what did you notice about your interview skills?

I used the STAR approach to answer this behavioral-based interview question to give an authentic response. I started my answer by describing the situation and clearly stating our task, which we were doing. I focused on the action part by describing our specific actions during the task and my particular contribution in it. The result section was stated in the end of my answer to conclude the outcome of the task and emphasized on my contribution, because it was the most important section of the task and the result was based on it. I showcased my ability to work in a group dynamics and achieve the goal by accomplishing the task with the best

I need to improve on my body language by smiling and nodding at the interview to draw his/ her attention to my answers. This will help me create positive attitude with the interviewer so that I can involve his attention to my answers and display enthusiasm. I will increase the use of words, which are grammatically correct and present professional behavior. I would like to improve on giving in-depth insights and clear background information in my responses so that the interviewer can relate to it convincingly. I also need to expand my expertise on developing stories based on STAR approach to increase my potential of answering behavioral-based interview questions in the best way.

This mock interview assignment included in this course was helpful to develop strategies to overcome nervousness and display confidence from verbal and non-verbal communication during an interview. It also enhanced my interview skills to be prepared for questions, which could be possibly asked by an interviewer to know background information and desired professional behavior. The reviewing of all my responses helped me analyze the areas for improvement. The grading rubric was beneficial to get feedback from my colleague and coach, who have a professional