Mock interviews are very useful, especially if you know you have an interview coming up. The more comfortable you are in practice interviews, the more comfortable you will be in the actual interview. Before beginning my journey towards PA school, I was a recruiter for 5 years. In that time, I interviewed multiple people every week, coached them for interviews, and even ran a mock interview from time to time. Here are some suggestions on how to run a proper and helpful Mock Interview:
Setup
- Treat the Mock Interview as if it were real. Dress the part if you are not accustomed to wearing interview clothes. Be early. Have your questions ready. Be ready to take notes. Use a laptop only if you will use one in the interview. Recording the interview is a great way to learn, even if you won't record the real one.
- Have one person interview the other with 5-6 questions. Again, act as if you are in a real interview. Address one another professionally. Sit up tall. Make eye contact. Speak clearly. The questions should include "Tell me about yourself." "Why do you want to be a PA?"
- At the end, go over it with each other. Share notes. What did you like about their response? What did their body language tell you? Any difficult questions that should be practiced? Go over each response and note what you liked and didn't like. Don't neglect the positive aspects.
- Treat the Mock Interview as if it were real. Dress the part if you are not accustomed to wearing interview clothes. Be early. Have your questions ready. Be ready to take notes. Use a laptop only if you will use one in the interview. Recording the interview is a great way to learn, even if you won't record the real one.
- Have one person interview the other with 5-6 questions. Again, act as if you are in a real interview. Address one another professionally. Sit up tall. Make eye contact. Speak clearly. The questions should include "Tell me about yourself." "Why do you want to be a PA?"
- At the end, go over it with each other. Share notes. What did you like about their response? What did their body language tell you? Any difficult questions that should be practiced? Go over each response and note what you liked and didn't like. Don't neglect the positive aspects.
- Trade seats and trade roles. If you have several people, you can set up a rotation. I would suggest getting faculty involved, or at least someone who regularly conducts interviews. They will have valuable feedback.
Mock interviews help students come to know what they are lagging in. This will help them to prepare for the topics which they are lagging in. It will help students to over come nervousness which always happen during interviews.
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