This year marked the University Career Center’s highest attendance at its behavioral mock interview workshop.
“This is our fifth year doing the mock interviews,” said Darlene Ward, assistant director of the center. “And each year we are doing something better than the last.”
Thirty-one representatives from 22 Richmond-area employers conducted mock interviews with 143 students.
“We had a lot of great feedback,” Ward said. “Employers had good things to say about our students.”
Molly Sergio, a bioinformatics major interviewed with employers at the event. Having never previously participated in a behavioral interview, Sergio said she really didn’t know what to expect.
“I was pretty unfamiliar with the concept,” she said. “The questions were actually pretty tough. They didn’t want you to list your strengths and weaknesses. They wanted you to talk about situations you’ve dealt with and how they were resolved.”
According to Quintessential Careers.com’s Web site, behavioral interviewing rates as the preferred form of interviewing for many companies because it provides a more objective set of facts to assist in making employment decisions. It also helps employees learn to excel in this process that has become what many call a crucial job-hunting skill.
“Students need to practice this,” Ward said. “The purpose truly is to make sure students have the rare and real experience of actually spending an hour with a real employer.”
Along with their responses, employers critiqued students on their professional attires and resumes.
“I was told my suit was nice,” Sergio said. “But I was wearing dangling earrings and was told it would be more professional to wear pearls instead. She was big on my looking conservative.”
Genevieve Roberts, managing principal for the Titan Group, interviewed Sergio. This was Titan’s third year to interview students at the event.
“It’s a great way to give back to the community and it’s great for the students to get this experience,” Roberts said. “Molly was great, and she even sent me a thank you note. That was a nice touch.”
While Sergio was intimidated at the start of her interview, she appreciated the constructive criticism.
“I was afraid I would get someone who was just going to fluff it up for me regarding my responses and everything, but Ms. Roberts didn’t let you get away with anything. She’s one tough cookie.”
John Lawrence, vice president of Mckesson Medical-Surgical Corporation, served as this year’s guest speaker.
“He was very good,” 23-year-old Douglas Mensah said. “One thing he pointed out was to never be late to an interview. It’s better to just call and reschedule instead of showing up late. I think the workshop definitely helped. I felt prepared.”
About 80 students attended the preparatory workshop, which Roberts said makes a significant difference.
“The students who attend the training ahead of time generally perform better in these interviews than those students who do not,” she said.
While Mensah said his interview went well, Capital One representative Melani Frank still offered him a few tips.
“She said when you’re asked a question it’s OK to just take a minute and ponder the question instead of jumping in and giving a quick answer,” Mensah said. “She also said I should get more volunteering experience to put on my resume.”
According to the center’s evaluation surveys, most employers agreed that students need to be more involved with clubs and organizations and volunteer more often.
“The feedback is very important,” Mensah said, “especially coming from a big company. It was a great opportunity to experience this and know how to compose yourself in these interviews.”
Sergio said she feels much more confident about going into an interview now:
“Learning how to dress and what to expect was a very valuable experience. I was very impressed with it.”
Ward described VCU as a “feeder” school.
“Employers love to participate in these events, and typically they will hire numerous VCU students,” she said. “I’m just very pleased to do this every year. It’s great for employers. It’s great for students. It’s great for everyone.”