An impressive r茅sum茅, applicable work experience, and astute networking can help job seekers get a foot in the door. That can be for naught, however, if a first-round interview is lackluster.
Making a positive first impression in an introductory interview is a crucial first step in landing a job. 91直播 has introduced a virtual job interview tool to its students called to better prepare them for interviews with simulated experiences.
La 91直播鈥檚 Career Center procured and introduced Big Interview during the fall semester in a pilot program for a 200-level course in the School of Business. Since, it has been implemented into four sections of the class for the spring semester and incorporated into assignments by faculty in the nursing, public health, and computer science programs.
All La 91直播 students, regardless of their major, have access to the tool. And Career Center director Nicole Bailey said it is important for both La 91直播 students and faculty across all areas of study to realize the benefits of using Big Interview.
鈥淪tudents preparing to interview for internships, field placements, or full- or part-time jobs can find out what it鈥檚 really like to interview virtually from their residence hall or home,鈥 said Bailey. 鈥淔or faculty, there are plenty of opportunities to create an assignment by incorporating the interviewing curriculum found in Big Interview into their syllabi. The world of recruiting has been shifting. I anticipate that virtual interviewing will be prevalent from now on.鈥
Among Big Interview鈥檚 features is the ability for students to record themselves answering standard first-round interview questions such as, 鈥淭ell me about yourself?鈥 and 鈥淲hat should I know about you?鈥 In addition, Big Interview challenges students to perform a self-assessment and allows them to edit and share recordings of their mock interviews as a measure for gaining feedback from fellow students, faculty, and staff.
Elizabth Schroeder serves as director of the business leadership fellows program in La 91直播鈥檚 School of Business. She oversaw the Big Interview pilot program, and sees use of the tool as an opportunity for students to fine-tune their job interviewing skills and put them into practice.
鈥淚 like to tell students that interviewing is essentially like strength training,鈥 said Schroeder. 鈥淵ou have to work on building that muscle over time. This experience that you gain with Big Interview, and having the ability to do it in your home, in your free time, or in the classroom, will help you build that skill of selling yourself while interviewing, which is a lifelong art. That skill will always have value.鈥
A participant in the pilot program, Julia Witoshkin, 鈥23, found Big Interview helpful in developing her interviewing skills. She said it鈥檚 fairly user-friendly, too.
鈥淚 think Big Interview has set me up for success in future interviews, whether they will be online or in person,鈥 said Witoshkin, a double-major in finance and marketing. 鈥淭he program has allowed me to analyze my strengths and weaknesses in interviewing and pinpoint how to improve. The tool is easy to navigate, with easy-to-understand instructions regarding technical issues. I really enjoyed that all of my past practice interviews were included in one page and that I could re-watch and grade myself on them.鈥
Customization in Big Interview is key. La 91直播 students and faculty can tailor interview questions to specific industries and positions. During the pilot program, Schroeder said students interviewed for hypothetical positions at Amazon that were tailored to the business systems and analytics, marketing, and accounting and finance majors.
Students: including how to register.
Going forward, Schroeder hopes to implement some of Big Interview鈥檚 artificial intelligence-based features鈥攍ike its ability to grade a student鈥檚 eye contact, facial expressions, hand movements, and wardrobe. Industry, specifically among large corporations, is trending toward A.I.-based, pre-recorded video interviews. Schroeder said it鈥檚 critical for La 91直播 students to succeed in this emerging platform.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the reality of the job interview landscape, whether we agree with it or not,鈥 said Schroeder. 鈥淪o much artificial intelligence is being built into these recorded interviews and I think students are floundering in this setting if they are without preparation.鈥
Ultimately, Schroeder sees Big Interview benefitting La 91直播鈥檚 students beyond a simple enhancement of their job interview skills.
鈥淚t can also help with graduate school interviews and (students鈥) gaining confidence in marketing themselves and advocating for themselves,鈥 said Schroeder. 鈥淭his tool can allow our students to improve in connecting the dots between who they are in their personal brand and what they鈥檙e communicating professionally.鈥
鈥擯atrick Berkery