A mock interview will help you prepare for future interviews and increase your confidence in your interview skills. The mock interview is two parts; a simulated interview between yourself and a career educator, which can be recorded and shared with you, and a debrief to get constructive feedback and tips for improvement. We can practice with you just to practice, or to help you prepare for an actual interview.
We offer mock interviews to prepare students for not only an interview for a job, internship, co-op Practicum, research position, or other work-type experience, but also to those interviewing for admission to medical, dental, graduate or other professional school programs and to those going on a case-style interview.
Scheduling a Mock Interview
- Review instructions for how to schedule an appointment with a career consultant.
- A previously reviewed resume or CV, a copy of your graduate or professional school essay, and/or a position or program description can be helpful in guiding the interview.
- In the scheduling notes, if you have an actual interview coming up, let us know with what organization, for what position, and on what date.
- If you have particular questions that you would like to practice, please also share that in the notes.
- Given the intention to simulate a real interview, we recommend that you "dress to impress," though this is not a requirement.
- Bring what you feel is necessary for the interview. It's standard to take a copy of your resume or CV and cover letter, something to write on, and something to write with.
Preparing for Your Appointment and Interview
- We are pleased to offer Big Interview preparation software. Features include video and written curricula so you can learn the best ways to prepare for and respond to interview questions, as well as practice and perfect responses to interview questions (think: "Tell me about yourself").
- Brush up on your resume, cover letter, and any career assessments you've taken. You should be prepared to talk about your interests, values, skills, and competencies.
- Check out Career Hub for a whole chapter on interview tips
- Read our interviewing tips for job seekers.
- Review the company or school's website, annual reports, and recent news articles about them. You can learn much about their mission, philosophy, products and services, what they value, and how you might fit, by doing this.
Book an Interview Room
- First round interviews are frequently conducted over the phone of video conference. When you're preparing for your interview, think about where you'll take the call.
- The Center for Career Success has a room available that may be requested by CWRU students for virtual interviews for post-graduation jobs, admission to graduate or professional school programs, experiential education such as internships, co-ops, research, or campus employment.
- Book an interview room.
Interviewing Tips from a Professional
Tim O'Brien, Case Western Reserve alum, and senior member of the RSR firm’s Industrial practice team, shares interviewing tips that helped pave the way for his success. He joined RSR Partners almost a decade ago and opened the firm’s first branch office in Cleveland. In his 30 years in the search profession, he has served a multitude of clients, from large, multi-national corporations, to mid-size industrial companies, to early-stage start-ups.
The Interview
The interview process can appear intimidating when you consider that one’s future career is determined by a short conversation. Keep in mind, though, that there are two sides to the conversation: the recruiter is under pressure to find candidates to fill open positions for the company, and they start the conversation hoping that you are the right candidate.
How do you prepare yourself? You can, and should prepare yourself, anticipating questions and thinking about how to respond. The recruiter is looking for complete and concise responses. Most of the answers can be drawn from your college experience, both academic and extracurricular. You can also draw from your internships and part-time employment regardless of the nature of the work. With careful preparation and even some role-playing practice you can dramatically improve your chances of being the recruiter’s first choice.
Recruiters will be assessing you against certain characteristics that most organizations seek in new associates. Many of these attributes are listed below.
- Attitude – Do you have a positive, helpful, and engaging attitude? Can you demonstrate that you get along and work well with others? People who have an optimistic and constructive attitude are often the most highly regarded employees. In most organizations, being able to work together is more important than having brilliant ideas.
- Work ethic, level of commitment – Companies like to hire people who are willing to work hard and can focus on the goal. How would you describe your work ethic? How did you manage your academic schedule? How did you manage conflicting priorities and meet deadlines?
- Critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills – The ability to identify, analyze and solve problems is held in extremely high regard. Some tasks may appear insignificant, but it is most likely that they are critical building blocks. In what ways did you practice critical thinking in your class assignments? Did you collect data or analyze data to answer a question? What kind of technology did you use?
- Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively both orally and in writing – One common characteristic of the high-performing employee (whether an intern or the CEO) is the ability to convey ideas in a clear and concise manner. Speakers who struggle to convey their ideas lose the audience quickly, in the same way that the reader of a poorly written email wonders what the writer was trying to say. Take your time and think about your answer before you start to speak. It is fair game to let the recruiter know that you need a moment to think for a good example. You should already have examples in your head, but you should take a moment to organize your response.
- Ability to take initiative; resourcefulness – When have you seized an opportunity to accept new work enthusiastically and endeavor to deliver excellent results quickly? Have you shown resourcefulness? Typically, resourceful people are enterprising people who enjoy solving new and difficult problems.
- Maturity, ethical nature – The mature associate accepts criticism graciously and works hard to develop his or her skills. They are consistently honest and straight forward and thus establish their credibility early on in their career.
- Confidence – Pretentious people with enlarged egos don’t do well in most organizations. A measure of humility is valued. At the same time, however, it is important to demonstrate a self-confident persona, unafraid of speaking your mind in a tactful, professional manner.
- Social and relationship building skills; ability to work collaboratively – While some positions call for subject matter experts, most companies want to hire people who have demonstrated an ability to listen and cooperate with others. Look at any organization’s website and you will see the words “collaborate” and “teamwork” throughout. For many organizations this is a critical skill in short supply, sometimes among the most talented people.
- Determination, perseverance – Most of the projects that you will be assigned to will be challenging, requiring not just raw intelligence, but determination and perseverance. Those who walk away from difficult problems cannot expect much in the way of career growth or professional satisfaction.
- Flexibility – The business world changes rapidly – your mentor was just transferred, and you have a new supervisor; the company has embarked on a new strategy; the company promotes you to a new position in a different state; your employer places a new emphasis on selling a new system; the company has just adjusted its supply chain; and so on. Those who can adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world will have more opportunities for professional – and personal – growth.
Standard Interview Questions
What factors did you consider in your decision to attend CWRU or what attracted you to CWRU?
➢ Interviewers look for answers that show that you thought through the decision logically.
➢ What you say about why you were attracted to the CWRU model of education most likely reflects what is of value to you. Why did you decide to major in math and minor in music?
➢ Your response will tell the interviewer about your strengths and where your career might take you in the short term.
➢ If you perform well in quantitative courses or languages, one could reasonably conclude that your analytical skills are probably strong. Likewise, if you perform well in courses like art history, philosophy, political science, or English suggests that you know how to communicate effectively. However, we all know people who majored in math or chemical engineering who are excellent communicators.
Thinking about your experiences thus far, what specific hard and soft skills would you bring to our organization?
➢ Hard skills could include an understanding of the principles of accounting and finance, for example, or an understanding of the physical world – things that have an immediate transferability to the position in question.
➢ Soft skills, such as the ability to influence others, the ability to carry on a conversation are often drawn from the humanities and social sciences. As a student, intern, or summer employee, have you had an opportunity to assume a leadership role and, if so, describe the circumstances and what you were able to accomplish?
➢ Sometimes, even in entry-level jobs, or lower-level jobs, you are presented with an opportunity to demonstrate leadership.
➢ Students elected to a leadership role of a student-run extracurricular organization typically demonstrate leadership behaviors.
What clubs, academic student organizations, or social activities are you involved in? What’s your involvement? Were you able to make a positive difference? How so?
➢ How you respond to this question reveals your interests, the degree to which you possess social intelligence, and other qualities like leadership, collaboration, and commitment.
Describe a class or class project, or employment situation that you found especially challenging. What was the issue and what did you do to overcome the obstacles?
➢ Here, the interviewer is trying to assess your level of determination, intelligence, and resilience.
What would your close friends and mentors identify as your best attributes?
➢ This question, and others like it, is asked to assess your strengths.
None of us is perfect; regardless of our age or experience we’re all a work in progress. What have you identified in yourself as an area needing development and what are you doing to address this?
➢ This is a relatively kinder, gentler way of learning where you may benefit from improvement and development.
➢ This question tests maturity, self-knowledge, and honesty.
Tell me about a time when you needed to juggle multiple priorities. How did you handle it?
➢ Assesses your ability to prioritize, organize, and focus.
Can you describe a time when your opinion went against the majority? Describe the situation and outcome. Why did you hold your particular view?
➢ This could reveal insight into your ability to think creatively and your level of self-confidence.
Take a few minutes and tell me about yourself. Start with your early years and focus on those events or decisions that have meant the most to you and reveal who you are today.
➢ This is often the first question that an interviewer will ask, and most interviewees hate it.
➢ It allows you to show how well you can think on your feet.
➢ Because of time constraints it forces you to highlight only the most relevant facts – facts that will influence the interviewer’s impression of you.
➢ In addition, it forces you to speak concisely and not wander off on irrelevant tangents.
➢ It demands preparation and practice. [See note 1]
Which aspects of your educational and work experience have you enjoyed the most and the least? Why?
➢ This question is formulated to learn whether you are a good fit for the position that you are being considered.
Was there a time when you were confronted with a decision that could have compromised your ethical standards? What were the issues and how did you decide?
➢ Obviously, this question, and others like it, are asked to measure your ethical standards.
What are your interests and passions outside work?
➢ Gives the interviewer an understanding of how well rounded you are and where you like to spend time.
Why did you decide to sign up for this interview?
➢ You should have a good reason, such as:
- Because your company is relatively small, I will likely have greater opportunity for cross-training and for wearing many different hats.
- Because your corporation is large and multinational, I will have a chance to contribute to your various business units and may even have an opportunity to serve your company overseas.
- I want to join a company known for its outstanding management training and strength in commercializing emerging technologies.
What questions do you have about our organization?
➢ Company representatives are especially impressed with students who ask questions that show an understanding of their business or organization.
➢ They are not impressed when you ask questions already answered on the website or other sources, or if you simply ask a perfunctory, “throw away” question.
➢ You should prepare for the meeting by reviewing pertinent company information – e.g.: website and Google-searched articles. For public companies, in addition to the website, the student should review the current annual report and proxy to see how the company is organized and where its strengths lie.
➢ You should prepare 2 or 3 thoughtful and honest questions.
➢ At this point, never ask about compensation and benefits.
Based upon your aptitudes and interests, where would you like to see your career go over the short term?
➢ How you respond can show your level of self-awareness, maturity, and flexibility.
****
- In responding to questions, students might wish to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to give clear, concise, complete answers.
✓ Situation—Set the scene to provide context for your example
✓ Task—Explain your responsibility or mission
✓ Action—Describe what you did to accomplish your mission
✓ Result—Highlight the outcome you achieved based on your actions
Lastly … Practice, practice, practice. Rehearse your answers to common interview questions ahead of time so your “stories” flow naturally.