BUAD 3000 Mock Interview Assignment-65 Points Two Components Due: Friday, February 24, 2012, 5 p.m.

Late assignments will not be accepted 1. Employer/Self Evaluation (students enter employers and their responses), due in Blackboard Survey Folder (50 points) 2. Mock Interview Thank-you due in Blackboard Assignment Drop Box (15 points) Purpose Students will gain experience researching an organization, preparing for an interview, developing potential interview responses, participating in an interview, and communicating gratitude and interest in the position through thank-you communication (written or video). Tasks-at-a-glance You will schedule and participate in a mock interview; accept employer feedback; capture and submit the employers and his/her self-evaluation by entering it in the Blackboard Survey Folder; and send the employer thank-you communication, written or video. Written communication will be reproduced and deposited in the Blackboard Assignment Drop Box. If students choose to compose and produce a video thank-you using Optimal Resumes Video Resume, they will need to access this technology on the Optimal Resume site, https://utcoba.optimalresume.com/. (See page 5). Checklist 1. Secure the mock interview (if this is not done, yet, please contact Amy for brainstorming assistance) 2. Conduct research on the company, using the resources discussed in the Discovery Project lecture or the CareerShift webinar. Your interview responses must be targeted toward the company you have selected. 3. Practice interview responses based on the questions provided in this document (see page 3) or in Optimal Resumes Interview Preparation Module, using the strategies addressed in the Interviewing lectures. 4. Compose three questions to ask the employer. This practice tells the employer you are interested in a career with their company, not just a job. (Note: see Questions You Can Ask at the Job Interview for acceptable questions. You will not be asking, Whats the position for which I am interviewing? or How much money will I make? Your questions will be evaluated by the employer. 5. When meeting with the employer, offer the Suggested Mock Interview Questions (see page 3) and the Mock Interview Employer Evaluation (page 4) for his/her use. 6. Upon conclusion of the interview, accept the employers feedback, which will be driven by the Mock Interview Employer Evaluation 7. Enter the employers and your self-evaluation responses in the Mock Interview Evaluation in the Blackboard Survey Folder by 5 p.m., Friday, February 24, 2012. 8. Send the employer thank-you correspondence within 48 hours of your interview. (See sample on page 2). 9. Copy/re-type your thank-you and submit it in the Assignment Drop Box by 5 p.m., Friday, February 24, 2012. If you would like to send a video thank-you, see page 5. Submission requirements would involve submitting the link for viewing. Tips for Scheduling a Mock Interview 1. Contact the employer by phone or email. Ask the person who has referred you for the best method of contacting the individual. 2. Prepare a script or some key words to help you through the request process. In essence, you are asking someone to give of their very valuable time to meet with you solely for your benefit, so be prepared and polished. Address the interviewer by introducing yourself and identifying the reason for your contact Ask if the individual if you may take about 45 minutes of his/her time to conduct a mock interview Inquire as to appropriate times to meet
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Thank the individual for the opportunity to meet Secure any necessary travel/parking directions Follow up with a confirmation email Perform research on the company prior to your interview Following the mock interview, send the interviewer a thank-you

Example: Hello Ms. Smith. My name is ________________ __________________ and I am a student in the College of Business and Innovation at The University of Toledo. My Career Development professor has asked my classmates and me to complete a mock interview to enhance our professionalism. Currently, Im interested in becoming a __________________. Would you be willing to spend about 45 minutes with me to conduct a mock or practice interview and offer feedback following? I can provide you with questions, if desired, and a feedback form needed for my class. Note: Remember, your mock interviewer can be a potential member of your network. Take advantage of this opportunity to perform effective follow-through. Thanking Your Mock Interview Participant It is critical that you demonstrate your gratitude for the career development assistance the new network contact has given you as soon as possible after the interview. Thus, you should send thankyou correspondence, preferably within 24 hours, to the persons work location or email address whatever is preferred. In addition to standard elements (contact information, address, closing etc.) your thank-you should include the following elements: Thanks for meeting on the date, time and location Reason for the meeting Particular items of interest or areas that were appealing to your Any follow up information While this example is a Re-statement of your gratitude word-processed document, Refer to the Sample Thanks below. Sample Thanks 111 Local Address Toledo, OH 77777 MOCK 555-5555 email address.com
hand-written notes are also highly valued. Email communication may be employed as well. Whichever means is chosen, the text must be captured and submitted in the assignment drop box.

INTERVIEWEE (419)

September 18, 2011

Ms. Mock Interviewer Marketing Director A Great Place to Work 222 Networking Ln. Toledo, OH 00000 Dear Ms. Mock Interviewer: Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to conduct a mock interview with me. Your willingness to lend your professional expertise was surely valued. I learned much from our time together; however, what stands out most in my mind is your suggestion that I focus on developing specific examples of how I developed my skills. Like you said: anyone can say they possess certain skills, but, noting specific examples where you practiced them validates the experience. Rest assured: Ill brush up on my responses.
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Thank you, again, for your time and assistance. I will keep you posted on my search and professional development. Sincerely,

Mock Interviewee

Suggested Mock Interview Questions (for Employer use) You may supplement these questions with your own. After completing the interview, please share feedback with the student using the evaluation provided. The student will replicate your responses by submitting them into an online evaluation form, allowing them to receive credit for participating in the interview. Thank you! 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. What most interests you about working for this company? 3. Describe a time when you had to handle multiple, competing priorities. What did you do? Provide specifics. 4. You are competing with a lot of other business school applicants. Why should we pick you? 5. What are some qualities that an individual possesses that makes it difficult to work with them. 6. What is your greatest weakness? What have you done so far to try to improve in this area. 7. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself as a candidate for this position? 8. What would you consider to be your one greatest strength? 9. What makes you unique? 10.Where do you want your career to go in the next 5 or 10 years? 11.Have you ever faced an ethical or value conflict in your job? Explain the situation and how you handled it? 12.Tell me about a time when you had to solve a problem with very little guidance or direction. 13.What additional questions can I answer for you?

Student Name: Mock Interviewer Organization

Mock Interview Employer Evaluation Date Position Title Email Phone

Mock Interviewer: Please rate the student on a scale of 1 to 5 (1-2=Needs Improvement, 34=Acceptable, 5=Excellent) on the following criteria. (Note: these criteria are guidelines only feel free to use your own as well). Share your ratings with the student and offer constructive feedback on how s/he might improve interviewing performance. Your candid feedback will enhance the professionalism and job search preparedness of our students. Your interviewee will capture this information in an online evaluation form in order to secure credit for the assignment. Thank you for your commitment to The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation! RATING CRITERIA COMMENTS 1-5 1. Appearance Grooming Posture Dress Neatness Manners Professional 2. Non-verbal Communication Gestures Movements Eye Contact Overall Presence Hand shake 3. Verbal Communication Delivery and Animation Presentation/Articulation of Ideas Grammar and Vocabulary 4. Personality Enthusiastic Aggressive Extroverted Unresponsive Motivated Noncommittal 5. Direction Well-defined Goals Confidence in Abilities Realistic and Practical 6. Interview Preparation Comment on the quality of the students pre-mock interview research on your organization React to the questions the student posed to you 7. Overall Evaluation Long-range Potential Ambition Perceived Abilities and Qualifications 8. How does the student need to improve?

9. Does this student seem to understand the realities of the workplace? 10. Could this student advance to the next stage of the interview process?

Enhancing Your Mock Interview Experience Using Optimal Resumes Interview Preparation Module and Video Resume 1. The Interview Preparation Module, which has a bank of 900 interview questions, several different types of interviews, and the ability to practice interviewing by recording your responses in three categories: written, audio/video, or just audio. One of the selections is the BUAD 3000 Mock Interview Assignment. Users can receive coaching from Optimal coaches while practicing. These interviews can be saved and critiqued by Amy or other trusted colleagues. 2. The Video Resume allows users the chance to present a visual representation of themselves to employers. Students may select from pre-styled scripts/formats (Broadcast, Industry, Employer etc.) or self-generated styles/scripts. Note: you could use this module for a Personal Brand Pitch.

For Assistance with the Interview Preparation Module and the Video Resume Module, log in to Optimal Resume and select Help from the Document Center. Print or review the documents Interview and Video Resume. These documents lead the user through a step by step process of using both modules.

After reading the documents, you may wish to return to the homepage to select the training tutorial for the Interview Module (See Optimal Webinars). A video is not currently available for the Video Resume itself, but the technology is similar.

Please Note: you will need access to a web cam for both of these modules (unless you are using the written only or audio only Interview Preparation Module options). If you do not have a web cam, or a friend or colleague does not, we may be able to assist you if you are on campus. Please advise Amy as soon as possible if this is the case.