Eminent Practice Interview Reflection

This week for Eminent, we had to conduct practice interviews to prepare for the upcoming interviews with our notables. We got into groups of three to four, with each of us taking turns interviewing each other with another person writing down feedback on an assessment sheet. Before the interviews, I had not realized we were to make interview questions for our classmates, instead, I had made questions directed at my actual interviewee. This forced me to improvise during the practice interviews by making the questions on the fly, which was awkward at times, but it sufficed. The feedback I received was also quite helpful. Overall, l was given a “Strong” assessment, which means I have questions and content that are relevant and accurate but have some non-distracting errors. I also had an equal amount of stretches and strengths. On my feedback sheet, it pointed out how I naturally expanded on existing questions, which is good because I can make my actual interview more interesting because we will both be learning from those expanded questions. The feedback sheet also mentioned that I was polite and had a good tone, which can help keep the interview on the topic. Finally, the sheet mentioned that I did not interrupt the interviewee while they were talking, which allowed them to finish their train of thought. However, some areas in which I could improve are having a less monotone/stiff voice so I can make the interview more engaging. My feedback sheet also said I sometimes had awkward pauses and seemed lost during my interview, but I think I can chalk that up to not having the proper questions prepared. Finally, the sheet says that I got off track easily, which I can work on my timing myself to make sure one topic does not go on for too long. I can also have the questions open on a separate side of the screen so I can constantly make sure I am still on topic and have not gone off track. The interviews were still fun though because I got to know my peers more and learned how to improve my current interview skills. 

Thanks for reading,

Dylan