Post-Mock Interview Reflection
1. How do you feel the interview went overall?
I believe that, overall, my interview went very well. After watching my video, I seemed way more confident than I felt like I was internally. I was able to think quickly on my feet when the interviewer asked questions that caught me off guard or ones that were difficult to answer. I also think I did a great job articulating the message I was trying to communicate and remained calm but professional throughout the entire interview. There were times where I would stumble over my words and struggle to bring my answer back around to what the question was asking. I think this was due to my brain working faster than my mouth could, so I think I can definitely work on slowing down the pace of my talking in future interviews.
2. How did you prepare for the interview?
I prepared for this mock interview by viewing the websites that Dr. Lancaster posted, listing some of the common questions from those links, and then brainstorming what I would answer for each of those questions. I also just thought through my strengths and weaknesses while driving or walking so that I could self-reflect on my own character and how that relates to the workplace.
3. What went differently than you expected?
I was the second person to be interviewed in my session, so as I sat and listened to my classmate answer the questions, I assumed that those were the questions I would be answering as well. As she talked, I was already thinking about how I would answer those questions similarly or differently. However, when I sat down to be the interviewee, the interviewer asked a couple of the same questions, but the rest were new questions. This caught me off guard, but I adapted easily to those new questions and believe that I answered them well.
4. What's something you would change if you could go through this process again (or something you'll do differently when you're in a real-life interview situation)?
Something I will do differently when I’m in a real-life interview situation is come prepared with more intentional questions to ask the interviewer at the end of our time together. During this mock interview, I feel like I had to fish for questions in my mind for something to ask her that sounded professional but also not pushy. I ended up asking her about what the main value of their company is and what their OT/COTA supervision looked like, but I feel as if I could have asked more intentional questions regarding topics such as benefits available for their employees or current mentorship opportunities that they provide. These are topics that would be especially important for me to be aware of before accepting a job offer as an entry-level practitioner at a facility.
5. What's something you learned during this process that may be helpful to you as you prepare to enter the workforce as an OT practitioner?
I learned very valuable interviewing skills during this mock interview. I feel like it was especially helpful for understanding what topics are relevant to bring up in an interview at this level of my career as I am about to graduate from occupational therapy school in a few months. I did a few mock interviews prior to interviewing for OT school, and they looked very different from this mock interview since I have much more experience related to OT at this point in my career as a student and future OT. After the interview ended, the interviewer allowed my classmate and me to ask her any questions related to the interview process. I asked her how she would answer any questions related to expected salary, and she told us that it is fair game to answer that question respectfully and professionally if the interviewer asks you that question first. She also advised that it would be wise to research average entry-level OT salaries for your geographical location and setting you are interviewing for, and we can then recommend an anticipated salary based off of those numbers and research. She also made the point that we should not bring up that topic unless we are asked first by the interviewer so that we don't give them the idea that we are only wanting the job for the money aspect. This was a very valuable lesson that most definitely prepared me for interviews I will face in the future as a recent graduate of UTHSC.
I believe that, overall, my interview went very well. After watching my video, I seemed way more confident than I felt like I was internally. I was able to think quickly on my feet when the interviewer asked questions that caught me off guard or ones that were difficult to answer. I also think I did a great job articulating the message I was trying to communicate and remained calm but professional throughout the entire interview. There were times where I would stumble over my words and struggle to bring my answer back around to what the question was asking. I think this was due to my brain working faster than my mouth could, so I think I can definitely work on slowing down the pace of my talking in future interviews.
2. How did you prepare for the interview?
I prepared for this mock interview by viewing the websites that Dr. Lancaster posted, listing some of the common questions from those links, and then brainstorming what I would answer for each of those questions. I also just thought through my strengths and weaknesses while driving or walking so that I could self-reflect on my own character and how that relates to the workplace.
3. What went differently than you expected?
I was the second person to be interviewed in my session, so as I sat and listened to my classmate answer the questions, I assumed that those were the questions I would be answering as well. As she talked, I was already thinking about how I would answer those questions similarly or differently. However, when I sat down to be the interviewee, the interviewer asked a couple of the same questions, but the rest were new questions. This caught me off guard, but I adapted easily to those new questions and believe that I answered them well.
4. What's something you would change if you could go through this process again (or something you'll do differently when you're in a real-life interview situation)?
Something I will do differently when I’m in a real-life interview situation is come prepared with more intentional questions to ask the interviewer at the end of our time together. During this mock interview, I feel like I had to fish for questions in my mind for something to ask her that sounded professional but also not pushy. I ended up asking her about what the main value of their company is and what their OT/COTA supervision looked like, but I feel as if I could have asked more intentional questions regarding topics such as benefits available for their employees or current mentorship opportunities that they provide. These are topics that would be especially important for me to be aware of before accepting a job offer as an entry-level practitioner at a facility.
5. What's something you learned during this process that may be helpful to you as you prepare to enter the workforce as an OT practitioner?
I learned very valuable interviewing skills during this mock interview. I feel like it was especially helpful for understanding what topics are relevant to bring up in an interview at this level of my career as I am about to graduate from occupational therapy school in a few months. I did a few mock interviews prior to interviewing for OT school, and they looked very different from this mock interview since I have much more experience related to OT at this point in my career as a student and future OT. After the interview ended, the interviewer allowed my classmate and me to ask her any questions related to the interview process. I asked her how she would answer any questions related to expected salary, and she told us that it is fair game to answer that question respectfully and professionally if the interviewer asks you that question first. She also advised that it would be wise to research average entry-level OT salaries for your geographical location and setting you are interviewing for, and we can then recommend an anticipated salary based off of those numbers and research. She also made the point that we should not bring up that topic unless we are asked first by the interviewer so that we don't give them the idea that we are only wanting the job for the money aspect. This was a very valuable lesson that most definitely prepared me for interviews I will face in the future as a recent graduate of UTHSC.
Comments
Post a Comment