Interview Coach?

[molarseeker]

I have never had an interview before. I get super nervous when I think about interviews and can't think straight even on the easiest questions. Has anyone else felt like this before and how did you overcome it? Has anyone used an interview coach?

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[deleted462159]

Practice is the key to interviews. You can pre-write and rehearse answers for general questions (which may be phrased in many ways) such as "Tell me about yourself." or "Why do you want to pursue this opportunity?" Also research about the organization so you can intelligently speak about why you want to be a part of it. It is helpful to have someone else ask you questions, so you can practice speaking.

 

[Lollygag]

Can't think of anything else besides practice practice practice

 

[cheechootrain]

I have never had an interview before. I get super nervous when I think about interviews and can't think straight even on the easiest questions. Has anyone else felt like this before and how did you overcome it? Has anyone used an interview coach?

Practice on strangers. If you're able to talk to some random guy in a bus, I think you'll be fine. It's about training yourself repetitively until you become comfortable. Once you're comfortable speaking and answering questions, the interview will be a synch.

 

[molarseeker]

Practice on strangers. If you're able to talk to some random guy in a bus, I think you'll be fine. It's about training yourself repetitively until you become comfortable. Once you're comfortable speaking and answering questions, the interview will be a synch.

Alright alright. Thanks for the help!

 

[iforget2]

I think I remember you saying you go to a UC school on another thread. What I've done for interviews is find a friend who is studying business at your school- they'll probably be an expert at interviews and you can always get great tips from them and practice from them

 

[molarseeker]

I think I remember you saying you go to a UC school on another thread. What I've done for interviews is find a friend who is studying business at your school- they'll probably be an expert at interviews and you can always get great tips from them and practice from them

Damn you have a good memory. Ya UCLA. My friend is a law major and he said he'd help me out!

 

[molarseeker]

I think I remember you saying you go to a UC school on another thread. What I've done for interviews is find a friend who is studying business at your school- they'll probably be an expert at interviews and you can always get great tips from them and practice from them

My problem is that I can't think quick and ill freeze haha. Like if I don't know the answer ill be like "****! " and ill blank

 

[sliceofbread136]

It also helps to get to know yourself and have some material which you can use for answers. That makes the actual interview easier.

 

[magicm]

My problem is that I can't think quick and ill freeze haha. Like if I don't know the answer ill be like "****! " and ill blank

you can and probably should take at least a moment or two to think about questions before answering them

and you can always say if you need it I am just going to take a moment to gather my thoughts (explains longer gaps but can only do this once or twice in an interview)

and if a question throws you off just I hadn't really thought about that before but I guess blah blah blah

 

[molarseeker]

you can and probably should take at least a moment or two to think about questions before answering them

and you can always say if you need it I am just going to take a moment to gather my thoughts (explains longer gaps but can only do this once or twice in an interview)

and if a question throws you off just I hadn't really thought about that before but I guess blah blah blah

I'm just gonna say global warming if I don't know.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

My problem is that I can't think quick and ill freeze haha. Like if I don't know the answer ill be like "****! " and ill blank

I thought this was how I would be in interviews too, so I basically wrote down every recurring question from the intervew feedback section and wrote my answers in outline form. I would then go over everything in my head multiple times or say my answers out loud to myself. Like everyone else said, practicing answers with a friend helps too. Also, I thought a lot intersting stories from my application stuff that I could use to answer a wide variety of potential questions.

Overall, you just have to practice. I know exactly how you feel. I just had my first, and possibly only, interview a couple weeks ago. I was super nervous too but you just have to try to relax and be confident.

 

[magicm]

make sure you have a super awesome suit and tie for the interview cause it will make you look the part and therefore make it easier to feel the part

I went and got an amazing interview tie for my interviews

 

[MrChance2]

For me in the couple years before interviews came around I had enough friends and family ask me stuff like "what made you wanna go into medicine", "it is going to be really tough, are you sure you are ready for this commitment", "what do you wanna do with your degree", "are you nervous about Obama care" that the interview just felt like a normal conversation. Just talk about this stuff with family/friends is my recommendation.

 

[JoshuaGuit]

I thought this was how I would be in interviews too, so I basically wrote down every recurring question from the intervew feedback section and wrote my answers in outline form. I would then go over everything in my head multiple times or say my answers out loud to myself. Like everyone else said, practicing answers with a friend helps too. Also, I thought a lot intersting stories from my application stuff that I could use to answer a wide variety of potential questions.

Overall, you just have to practice. I know exactly how you feel. I just had my first, and possibly only, interview a couple weeks ago. I was super nervous too but you just have to try to relax and be confident.

I did something similar. I would find interview questions that I thought would be asked, write them down on a piece of paper, and then write a flow chart with very brief word or two about what I wanted to talk about first, second, third, fourth. Then I would load up cubetimer.com, ask myself the question out loud, then start the timer and answer it making sure I included everything I wanted to say.

This method worked really well especially for getting all of the content known that I wanted to. I didn't "memorize" any answer because that's not what the interviewers want to hear, but I did "memorize" the ideas I wanted to express.

 

[molarseeker]

I did something similar. I would find interview questions that I thought would be asked, write them down on a piece of paper, and then write a flow chart with very brief word or two about what I wanted to talk about first, second, third, fourth. Then I would load up cubetimer.com, ask myself the question out loud, then start the timer and answer it making sure I included everything I wanted to say.

This method worked really well especially for getting all of the content known that I wanted to. I didn't "memorize" any answer because that's not what the interviewers want to hear, but I did "memorize" the ideas I wanted to express.

Okay, so other people feeling the same way makes me not feel as socially screwed up haha. I felt like I was the only one that was having problems with coming up with answers to simple questions that I should easily be able
To answer.

 

[sasaessen]

i joined toastmaster international club. it really helped the interviews. i also practiced a lot with my husband questions that are usually asked, and we recorded all of the rehearsals. i went from a person who was not be able to talk to strangers to the one with 3 acceptances!

 

[Mosa]

As others stated, the interview feedback section on this site is great! Not only do you need to be able to be comfortable being asked questions in a polite way, but you also need to be ready for those interviewers who will push all of your buttons repeatedly and intentionally try to stress you out. To be comfortable even in this type of situation, you should know your application inside and out and know why you did everything that you did (ECs, volunteering, etc). If your foundation is solid, then a lot of practice should get you comfortable with interviews.

Also, something that helped me a lot was being a TA for study groups at my university. If your institution has tutoring or TA positions, I would highly recommend applying to help boost your communication skills. This helped me out a lot for my interviews because it enhanced my communication skills, and it's also another EC to have on your application. Maybe also make a little money on the side with it.

 

[RastaONELOVE]

Try practicing in front of the mirror, using moderate to tough questions. It will be tricky at first but you'll get comfortable relatively quickly. As you progress and realize you have obtained some form of mastery, step it up and start to use friends, family and professors.

I had serious issues (stuttering and filler words) but I've overcame them by using this method and now I can have a full conversation w/ the president of my university about the goals of my organization and not stutter or use "umm" once.

 

[lovesfall]

Check with your career center too - sometimes they will do coaching too. Otherwise, if you know anyone (friends, friends' parents, etc.) you can bug them too.