Amy,
I am a big fan of mock interviews as I've mentioned a few times in the forums. Its also great to have students give each other feedback regarding first impressions in these mock interviews-but making sure to give them guidance on how to make the feedback constructive.
Elizabeth Kemler
I too go over 'first impressions'. We also conduct mock interviews on a regular basis as well as provide a list of potential questions as during an interview. I explain that it is okay to right down answers to these questions and bring them to interviews to reference as they can be nervous and forget what they wanted to say.
Gloria,
I think that ongoing practice goes a long way towards helping the students feel more confident and secure.
Elizabeth Kemler
to have a confident and to feel secure and practice alot with other students.
Dax,
You really can't beat mock interviews for practice. And I think for many students, doing this in front of your peer is more challenging than with a stranger-which is a good thing to remind them.
Elizabeth Kemler
Practice, practice, practice. The more mock interviews a student has, especially with different people, the better they feel going into a real interview. One way I help the students prepare is to host panel mock interviews, where each student has the opportunity to be interviewed and to play the role of panelist. Many of them claim that asking their peers questions has taught them more about interviewing than they learned by answering questions.
Point taken. We have had some issues as of late with students/graduates not making good first impressions due to poor grooming as well as offensive tatoos so I am probably focusing a little more on it. Thanks for the outside view!
Stephen,
While I agree that it is much harder to 'back track' if you've made a poor first impression, I also like to remind students that even if they didn't do their best, with the right guidance, there is often still the possibility for a second chance. I'm glad to hear that you have a place to send students for interview clothing. I offer recommendations through other courses I teach because it is so critical to look professional but of course not everyone has the money to spend on professional looking clothes.
Elizabeth Kemler
I go over an overview of "first impressions" and what employers first notice and then lead into the fact that if they make a good first then they can build from that point but if they make a bad first impression then they have to build back up to where they should have started. We also cover how to dress and if some of them have difficulty acquiring clothing we have a local group that helps provide with some interview clothing.
I like your emphasis on the non-judgmental approach; this is really crucial to create a safe-feeling space for students where they can feel comfortable making mistakes. I also agree with as much practice as possible; it's easy to think, after one successful mock interview, that we got it and don't need to practice anymore. Of course the more we practice, the more natural and comfortable we become.
The biggest part is being non judgemental at first realizing many people are not confident when going on an interview. So, provide as much practice as necessary. Start with people writing down answers to potential questions, then pair individuals up and finally conduct mock interviews from start to end to let students learn and also make their mistakes in a controlled environment instead of at the actual interview.
Mentally also involves lessening anxiety including deep breathes. Physical involves practicing non-verbal behaviors and making the right first impression.
