During today’s class, you will pair off with someone who has read some or all of your job application portfolio.

For about half of the available time, one person acts as the interviewer and the other acts as interviewee. The interviewer asks questions about the employability of the person based on the sample questions available here and others that you ask on your own initiative. The interviewer should observe how the interviewee responds and what behavior is exhibited. After the interview, the interviewer should tell the interviewee about their observed performance. Next, the two people switch roles and conduct another interview.

If we do not have an even number of students today, one team may conduct a three person interview (two interviewers and one interviewee at a time).

Before our next class, write a memo addressed to Professor Ellis and posted as a comment on this blog post that responds to these questions:

1) What was your perception of your performance during the interview and how did your perception compare to the observations of the interviewer?

2) What did it feel like to answer interview questions like the ones that you encountered during the mock interview?

3) What strategies might you employ in the future to improve your overall performance during a real job interview? What preparation might you do prior to a job interview?