Practice Interview Program Information for Students

Syllabus

The Practice Interview Program is a unique collaboration between CLA academic departments and the Career Development Center providing all students an opportunity to practice their interviewing skills. The interview is very helpful for you to learn how to articulate the importance of your liberal arts degree, your strengths, weaknesses, values, and skills in an employment setting or admission into a graduate school.

Alumni and area employers volunteer their time to conduct practice interviews (for job, internship and graduate program searches) and provide feedback on interviewing skills and resume writing.  Interviews last approximately one hour. You should treat this like a real interview—be prepared and arrive a few minutes early. You should also dress professionally--ideally you would wear a suit, but at a minimum, a pressed shirt, tie and pants for men and a dress shirt and skirt/pants for women.

To register for a practice interview, bring a resume and job/internship or graduate program description to the CDC, Drew Science 113 during the registration period. The description will be used for your interview.  Please choose something that interests you and realistically reflects your goals. We also recommend that you use the description in your preparation process. 

Click here to find job/internship listings and graduate school programs. You may also use other online listing resources to locate a job description. If you’re interested in graduate school, print out a program description from a school’s website and use that instead of a job/internship posting. Job/Internship and Graduate School Descriptions must be directly from an organization, company, graduate school or website - NO handwritten, personally created job/internship description will be accepted. The CDC can help you create a resume and find a position/program description if you need assistance.  Please call 651-523-2302 to make an appointment. Be advised that appointment times are limited, so plan ahead.

We coordinate the schedules of very busy professionals and expect you to respect their time and effort.  If this is a requirement for your class and you do not register or complete your scheduled interview, you will be penalized as determined by your professor. You will also be required to write an apology note to your interviewer. This note must be turned into the CDC to be mailed. If you fail to write an apology note, your access to the CDC will be suspended until you do so.   

At the end of your practice interview, you will receive a feedback form from your interviewer. You must turn in this feedback form to get credit for this activity. DON'T leave without it! 

Important Dates and Deadlines:

Feb. 18-Feb. 22	Practice Interview Registration Period - Resume and job/internship or program description required
Friday, Feb. 22 4:00 PM	Deadline for Practice Interview Registration
March 12 & 13	Practice Interview Information Sessions
March 31-April 3	Practice Interviews - Klas Center, Key Fredericks Room, 3rd Floor

Practice Interview Prep Sessions

We strongly recommend that you attend a Prep Session so that you get the most out of the practice interview experience.

Date	Time	Location
Wednesday, March 12	9:10 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.	DSC 118
Wednesday, March 12	5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.	DSC 118
Thursday, March 13	11:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.	DSC 118
Thursday, March 13	5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.	DSC 118

 

PIP Frequently Asked Questions by Students

 What do previous participants have to say about their PIP experience?

• "I feel that this was a great experience. It helped me a lot and calmed a lot of nerves I had about the whole process."

• "I learned the areas of interviewing that I do well, and I gained positive feedback in areas that could be better."

• "Yes, I learned a lot about how to make a strong personal presence and what I do that hinders this."

• "I feel by far more confident with myself."

• "The interviewer gave me useful feedback and it was good practice."

• "More than achieved – I received wonderful feedback on my answers and she went even further by giving me wonderful advice on where I should go from here."

• "My interviewer was very good, he asked good questions even though he wasn’t from my field."

• "My interviewer helped me to better develop my answers and helped me acknowledge what I need to work on."

• "I was so happy with all of the positive feedback and suggestions my interviewer gave me!"

• "I was reaffirmed that my passion for my field is very visible. I also learned what areas I need to improve. (Describing how my liberal arts degree can transfer to a professional academic setting)."

• "My interviewer helped me by explaining to me why he asked the questions he asked and what he had wanted to hear."

• "I learned what was wanted from me by a prospective employer."

• "I learned more about how to network, what I should expect, and how to really communicate information about myself."

If you have questions about PIW sign up, please contact the CDC.