Nail Your Next Interview: How Mock Interview Coaching Can Be Your Secret Weapon!

Are you a job seeker? If yes, you must know how it feels like to be waiting outside for an interview and how nerve-wracking it is to face the interviewers and answer their tricky questions. Speeding heartbeats, sweaty palms, heavy and uncomfortable feelings and a mountain of worries and doubts make it hard for one to keep a straight face and make eye contact while talking to the employers. If this scenario is a reality for you, then there is no need to lose hope as you are not alone.

Importance of Mock Interviews

A practice interview, or mock interview, can prepare you for a job interview. This imitation of the actual interview experience can increase your confidence, sharpen your skills, and make you better prepared for the real scenario. In mock interviews, you have to respond to possible interview questions, dress in interview attire, and practice your interview manners to ace your next interviews and land your dream job.

Benefits of Mock Interview Coaching- Why Invest?

A mock interview is your interview practice session, providing several advantages, the majority of which target confidence-building and a sense of being ready for the interview. Advantages of a mock interview coaching include:

Master valuable interview skills

A simulated interview can assist you in mastering particular skills, such as the STAR Method. The STAR Method, situation, task, action, and result, is a technique to enable interviewees to give brief answers to every question. A quick glimpse at how you frame an answer is as follows:

• Situation: Describe the setting and the circumstances.
• Task: Describe your role.
• Action: Describe what you did.
• Results: Explain how things worked out.

Get constructive feedback and advice

A career counselor or interview equalizer will provide you with feedback to enhance your interviewing skills. They can provide you with tips on your answers, attire selection, and posture. You might even discover a nervous tic, such as slouching or fidgeting, that detracts from your interview presence.

Lower your stress level

Although interviews are stressful, mock interview practice might be one of the most valuable ways to rehearse lowering your stress. Although you may still be nervous, a mock interview will cause you to feel more confident and prepared to respond to questions from a hiring manager.

Job interview preparation to Ace Interviews

A mock interview can prepare you physically and mentally in your job search. The practice will prepare you to give results-based answers, learn interview protocol, and decrease the anxiety involved with the hiring process.

How to prepare for a mock interview

Use the following easy steps to prepare for a mock interview:

1. Connect a mock interview coaching service provider

You can have a mock interview with anyone. However, it is always best to practice with a professional interviewer such as a career counselor or career specialist who can provide expert guidance and address the areas of improvements. You can opt for professional mock interview coaching services available to see the difference.

2. Dress for the interview

A mock interview should also imitate the actual interview, so dress in the same clothes you would wear during your actual interview. For most people, this means dressing in clothes that have been kept in good condition. You might go for a suit, dress shirt, decent bottoms and formal shoes.

3. Imitate the actual interview setting

If your interview is to be a video conference, attempt to schedule your mock interview the same way. You should use the same video conferencing software or app you will be using for the actual interview so that you can rehearse aspects like logging in, activating your camera and microphone, and even using a blur effect on your background if need be. If your interview is face-to-face and in an office environment, attempt to conduct the dress rehearsal in a similar environment.

4. Show up early

Showing up early to an interview provides you with a cushion to locate parking, sign in with the receptionist, and quietly enter the interview. Try to do the same for your mock interview, arriving 20 to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time.

5. Bring the required documents

While you may email your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager during the application process, consider bringing hard copies with you.

6. Research the company

Understanding the company will be able to inform its culture, align your answers with its values, and show that you have a real interest. You can do this through researching the following:

• The company website for its values, mission, and products or services
• The company’s social media and Google for current events
• Current employees’ LinkedIn profiles for its culture and networking potential

Wrapping up

So, are you ready to start your job interview preparation? Take it to the next level with Pro-Tax Executive Search, Inc. We are a leading tax executive search firm connecting tax firms with potential and qualified candidates. Our interview coaches help recent and upcoming college graduates and experienced professionals in their career growth and give them confidence in communicating technical qualifications, leadership, collaboration, adaptability, growth potential and culture skill set.

For more details, visit our website or schedule a discussion with our coaches!