Mock i-views Ready Students for the ‘Real Thing’

Over 50 students attended the Insalaco Center for Career Development Mock Interview Day on Thursday, Feb. 4. The daylong event attracted students from many majors, and six professionals from a variety of companies conducted the interviews.

“It was a very busy day,” said Bernadette Rushmer, director of the center. The event can help students practice their interviewing skills and ease anxiety before their first job interview, she said.

The event mimicked a professional interview – students made appointments, dressed appropriately and prepared resumes and other pertinent paperwork. Interviewers conduct the 30 minute session and provided feedback afterwards.

“It helped me a lot,” said Rachel Roa, a senior accounting major with a minor in management and communications. “I was more prepared in the sense of feeling more confident in the way I answer questions.”

Roa attended two interviews – one tailored for her major, and another based on her plans to attend graduate school. Though Roa has attended a mock interview before, she said having actual professionals conduct the interviews made a huge difference. “The questions they ask you keep you on your toes,” she said. And Roa thinks the event isn’t just for certain majors or age groups. “Everybody should go,” she said.

Fran Wiernusz, a medical recruiting specialist for Julia Edmunds Associates in Old Forge, was impressed by the students at MU. “I found the candidates were extremely qualified and prepared,” she said. Wiernursz, who has attended job fairs and has worked with recruits across the country, said the students at MU were “head and shoulders above the rest.”

“It’s always nice to give back,” said Wiernusz, a graduate of MU. “[It’s worth it] if you can help someone get their dream job.”

Mock interviews are usually held once a year, but a large demand from students and faculty caused Rushmer to organize another event in the spring. “It’s one thing to answer a question in your head, and another to articulate it,” she said.

For more information on upcoming mock interview days, students can visit the Insalaco Center for Career Development.