Job interviews can be intimidating, especially if you're not prepared. There are a number of ways to prepare for a big job interview, but one of the best ways to simulate the actual interview process is by doing a mock interview.
Mock interviews provide candidates with an opportunity to test out their job interview skills with someone who isn't evaluating them for an actual job.
If you're a college student, mock interviews may be offered through career services for students or recent alumni. If you're already in the professional world, a mock interview could be done with a trusted colleague, professional connection, or friend. Never do a mock interview with a family member.
Here are some of the major benefits of a mock interview.
They Help Reduce Stress And Anxiety About Interviewing
If you're not sure how to answer typical job interview questions, mock interviews provide a great opportunity for you to "test drive" your answers. The person conducting the mock job interview can give you feedback on whether or not your responses are suitable.
They Help Boost Your Confidence
Bigstock
Whoever is conducting the mock job interview can point out your strengths and weaknesses as the interview process goes along, which gives you time to address the weaknesses and build on your strengths. By having confidence in your skills, you will perform better during the actual job interview.
They Provide Constructive Feedback In A Low-Stress Environment
Bigstock
No one is the perfect candidate, so mock interviews help you clarify responses to certain questions and help you work on areas where you may have weaknesses. In an actual job interview, you don't usually get feedback about your interviewing abilities, so a mock interview is a perfect opportunity to find out why you may be having some difficulty in landing your dream job.
They Can Help You Prepare For Behavioral-Based Interview Questions
Bigstock
Many companies use behavioral-based interview questions. If you're not familiar with this type of interviewing, it may be advantageous to give it a practice run in a mock interview.
Practice makes perfect! Even the best athletes struggle without practice, so you should never assume that you could just wing a job interview unprepared.
Take advantage of mock interviewing opportunities even if you think you're skills are at a very high level. There are things that we can all improve upon when it comes to making a great impression on a prospective employer.
While mock interviews are an important part of preparing for an actual job interview, there are many other ways to practice when you're alone. This includes writing down and answering as many potential interview questions as you can think of and practicing over and over again. When practicing alone, it also helps to visualize as much of the interview process as possible.
Need more help with your job search?
We'd love it if you signed up for Work It Daily's Power Hour Event Subscription! Get your career questions answered in our next live event!
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
LinkedIn has made it very easy to upload your resume as a PDF to make it part of your LinkedIn profile. While it's tempting to do this rather than build a full profile from scratch, you should avoid it.
Your resume and LinkedIn profile should be treated as two separate resources for your job search. Sure they are very similar, and you should use your resume as a guide for your LinkedIn profile, but a slight separation of the two is important!
Here's why...
There Are Major Privacy Concerns
Your LinkedIn profile is fully (or at least semi-) public. Your contact information (address, phone number, email, etc.) are not necessarily public on your LinkedIn profile, but will become public if you upload your resume.
Even if you remove this private information from your resume before you upload it, by uploading your resume, you have made the resume itself public. You no longer have control. That means that anyone is free to view, copy, download, use, pirate, and distribute your resume—all without your knowledge or consent.
Whatever information you're given by LinkedIn about views of your profile and downloads of your resume is after the fact—after your resume has been downloaded and is in the possession of someone else.
It Makes Your Job Search Public
Bigstock
Posting your resume on LinkedIn changes your job search from a private one to a public one. It practically screams, "I'm looking for a job!" While it helps your job search for the trusted people of your professional network to be quietly notified that you're looking for new opportunities, it does not help to announce it to the world.
Why? Because recruiters, employers, potential clients, and quality networkers are looking for top candidates. Top candidates are, by definition, people who are in demand. A top candidate, therefore, rarely "needs" a job, although he or she is open to opportunities. By publicly screaming, "I'm looking for a job!" you are simultaneously announcing that you are not a top candidate.
Your LinkedIn profile needs to showcase your value and appeal, not your (real or perceived) desperation.
It's Not The Best Way To Display Your Professional Skills
Bigstock
Resumes work best when they are tailored to specific job openings or employers. Posting your resume online means you have given up the chance to best present your resume to any legitimate recruiters or employers who view it. And the substance of the resume should be worked into your LinkedIn profile anyway.
Remember: if your LinkedIn profile is compelling, then a legitimate recruiter or employer surfing through LinkedIn will contact you. And then you can decide whether to provide your (targeted) resume.
So, in conclusion, posting your resume online gives you additional risk, but no reward.
Struggling to write your resume or optimize your LinkedIn profile?
We'd love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades. More importantly, we have tons of resources inside our community that can help you write your resume and optimize your LinkedIn profile—the right way.
It's time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.