Mock Interview Reflection

Hey bloggers!


Today, I participated in a mock interview in order to prepare myself for the job finding process. In this post I will be reflecting on my experience and what I have learned from this process. 


How do you feel the interview went overall? 

Overall, I felt the interview went well. There were areas that needed improvement. I didn’t have a problem with answering the questions, I just feel I could’ve articulated my responses better than I did. I was a little nervous before the interview, but once I got started I settled in nicely. I realized it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I learned a lot through this experience and now know what I need to work on in order to improve.  


How did you prepare for the interview?

I prepared for the interview by viewing and taking advantage of all the resources provided on Blackboard. I viewed the website of the facility where I was scheduled to interview and wrote down questions I wanted to ask. I also made a list of my strengths, areas where I needed to improve, and goals (including where I saw myself in five years).

 

What, if anything, went differently than you expected?

I prepared for this mock interview, so I was a bit surprised when one of the questions stumped me and left me drawing a blank. The question was something similar to: What are three things you are looking for in a job? I had to ask the interviewer for the context of the question, and for the question to be repeated. Once I knew the context of the question, I remained calm and answered the question. What I learned from this experience is that even when you prepare for something, there may be things that you are still not fully prepared for. You have to remain calm, focused, answer the question smoothly.  

 

What's something you would change if you could go through this process again (or something you'll do differently when you're in a real-life interview situation)?

I noticed that during my interview, I would say the word “umm” a lot. In a real-life interview I would like to eliminate this. Instead of saying “umm”, I might try pausing for a second instead. While I felt I needed to say something to fill the silence while I was thinking, I realized it really wouldn’t be all that bad to just pause for a second to leave time to think before responding. 

 

What's something you learned during this process that may be helpful to you as you prepare to enter the workforce as an OT practitioner?

This experience taught me that interviewers are looking for practitioners that will fit in well with their team and what they are trying to accomplish at their facility. I was asked questions about how I handle conflict and three things I am looking for in a job. These are questions I need to explore more within myself in order to prepare for interviews in the future. Overall, I learned that interviewers are looking for someone who is eager, passionate, and interested in professional growth in the field.


Thanks for tuning in, and stay natural!


naturalOT

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