Mini Mock Interview…What’s It All About?

By Kiernan King, Toppel Peer Advisor

Interviews are a necessary component of the job application process and Toppel offers a service to help make that process run a tad smoother; The Mini Mock Interview. To obtain one, simply come to the office for walk-in advising and meet with a fantastic peer advisor or graduate assistant. Getting ready for Medical School? Preparing for Graduate School? Hoping to land your dream job? We offer mock interviews in all of these areas Monday through Friday 10am – 4:30pm. 

Interviews will always begin with the dreaded, “Tell Me About Yourself” question. To answer such, one must stay relevant and keep the answer professional. Consider these five easy steps:

1. Be Gracious. (Thank them for taking the time out of their day to meet with you)
2. “My name is ____.” It’s never a bad idea to remind the employers who they’re potentially hiring.
3. “I’m originally from…” Geographic relevance goes a long way and is one of the easiest ways to connect with someone.
4. Use connecting words. “I’m currently a _____ at _____.” Here you can list your title and where your most recent and relevant experience comes from.
5. “And this is what I do…” The final step is the trickiest yet most important. Here you need to explain step 4 with a brief example of why they should consider hiring you over someone else.

Remember, the elevator pitch should be less than three minutes. Be careful not to overdo it. Be articulate, use general phrases. Your rhetoric and ability to summarize will be graded here.

• “What do you know about our company?” The easiest way to answer this question: research, research, research! Gather all of the information you can because it will show the employer you’re truly interested in working there which will also impress them. If the least you do is read their Wikipedia page, you’ll know that much more about that company. Also see if you can find a story about the company in your local newspaper. Information on current events can give you a leg up on the competition.

• You will be challenged on your previous experiences. Not only do you need to research the company, but be sure to go back through your own résumé and remind yourself of the many experiences you’ve had, your responsibilities there, and what you accomplished. Be sure to “flip” any negative aspects about these positions into positive ones.

• Be sure to highlight your interpersonal skills. These can always be backed up by hard skills listed on your résumé, but in order for your personality to really shine you need to refer to examples of how you positively impacted a colleague, peer or client.

• Midway through the interview we may pause and asses the number of “ums” and “likes” said. This critique is only to help you avoid saying these words and to get you feeling comfortable with a little bit of natural silence. A note about your body language may be mentioned as well.

• When employees ask you about your strengths, a good formula to go with is to start with a word. Turn that word into a sentence and then make that sentence become a story. Avoid cliché answers and be sure to say a skill for a weakness and not personality traits because skills can be taught and adjusted more easily than habits.

IMPORTANT: have a minimum of 3 questions to ask an employer at the end of an interview! One can be an overarching question, one can be related to what they find rewarding/challenging and one may be about opportunities for growth within the company, for example. Be sure to never ask anything personal.

Final tips: invest in resume paper and bring about 5 copies to an interview, go easy on the cologne, perfume, practice a firm handshake, be sure to iron your shirt and know how to tie a tie! While dressing professional is not required here, if you choose to do so we can offer a note or two on your outfit.

Don’t approach this mock interview, or any interview, like a test that you studied for the night before. You don’t want to sound rehearsed and the best thing to do is be yourself. The peer advisors and graduate assistants will listen to your answers and will provide honest feedback. Come see us, we don’t bite! 

Interview Faux Pas

By: Robert Vanisko

At the Toppel Career Center, we have tons of advice for students who are interviewing for jobs and internships. Today, however, we are going to focus on what not to do when interviewing for a job or internship.

Being underdressed: When attending any type of career related event, one of the worst things you can do is show up underdressed. Whether it is a job interview, career fair, networking event, etc. showing up underdressed will make you stick out like a sore, unprofessional, thumb.

Showing up late to an interview: There are few things that can kill your chances of getting a job faster than showing up late to an interview. In a job interview, employers want to see if you are going to be a good fit with their company. No matter what your excuse is, showing up late immediately throws up a red flag and makes you seem like an unreliable employee. 

Obnoxious name-dropping: While you may have friends in high places, make sure you are not obnoxious about it when dropping names. While these contacts may be very helpful in getting your foot in the door, you need to make sure you don’t come across as arrogant in the interview.

Bad mouthing former bosses and co-workers: While you may feel that some of your past career failures have been the result of your former bosses and co-workers, a job interview is not the time to say it. This makes you come across as selfish and not a team player. Plus, you never know who the person interviewing you is friends with.

Having your phone turned on: Even if you have it on vibrate, nothing says “I don’t care about this interview” more than having your cell phone turned on and distracting from the interview. Having a cellphone ring or vibrate mid-interview can quickly turn the tide of an interview against you, either by throwing you off while you are trying to answer a question or by angering the interviewer. While cell phones have been working their way more and more into everyday life, they still have no place in an interview.

Luckily for you, you now know to not do any of these things when interviewing for a job or internship. If you have any more questions regarding interviews or any other part of the application process, feel free to come to Toppel for an Interviewing Skills Workshop or a Mini-Mock Interview. 

The 2013 Spring Career Expo: Your Career Superbowl

By Robert Vanisko

Now that the Superbowl is over, it is time for you to turn your attention to your very own Career Superbowl, the 2013 Spring Career Expo.  After putting in long hours of practice studying and honing your skills in the classroom, you now have the chance to be in front of dozens of employers looking to hire UM students.

Like Joe Flacco and Ray Lewis had to prepare for their Superbowl, you need to prepare as well.  Instead of practicing on the football field however, you are going to need to practice in other ways.  First, you need to make sure your resume is up to date and has been critiqued by the Toppel Career Center. In preparation for Career Expo, Toppel will be hosting Resumania on Monday, February 11 and Tuesday, February 12  from 10 a.m. -5 p.m. to get as many students’ resumes critiqued as possible. You should also be prepared by having numerous copies of your resume to hand out to all of those potential employers. Participating in a Mini-Mock Interview at Toppel could help prepare you for the questions these employers will be asking.   

No matter how good a football player is, they would not be able to play in the Superbowl if they did not show up in uniform, and the same goes for you. For the Career Expo, your uniform will be dressing business professional. For both men and women, that means wearing a suit, preferably black, grey, or dark blue. Men should have a matching jacket and pants, black socks, and a conservative tie. Women, if you are wearing a skirt suit, it should go to the knee. For more tips on dressing for success, click here. 

One of the best parts about the Career Expo is that you do not need to travel all the way to the New Orleans Superdome to get there. The Career Expo will be taking place in the Wellness Center on campus on Wednesday, February 13 from 3 - 7 p.m. We also promise that there will not be any blackouts to delay your job seeking experience.

While landing a prized job or internship may not be quite as exciting as winning the Superbowl, it is still a great accomplishment that can go a long way towards a future career. Good luck and perform your best at the Expo and you could be well on your way towards a rewarding career!