Simulated Interviews – Self doubt and hiding nerves

The interview process, the ultimate ‘pick me’ experience, part self-obsessed crippling doubt, and part being both the product and the salesman rolled into one. What’s not to love?

“Yes Mr/Mrs interviewer, I am in fact shaking violently on the inside, however a simple shake of the hand and I smile is all I’d ever show to indicate such a thing.”

But no matter the nerves or doubt, the fact is the only way to make it in an industry is convincing others that you’re the person for the job. So I take a deep breath, pull up my britches and get to work, after all, practice makes perfect. Using Gibb’s reflexive model I will recount my simulated interview experience, outlining my preparation, the day of reckoning itself, and the succeeding feedback.

Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail

For my job role I thought it important to practice for the likely transition into the industry. Being a film/media student for the past 6 years, my exposure to the industry has shown me that experience reigns supreme, and my job choice reflected that in the form of a paid internship. Totem are a London based, virtual and hybrid event platform, that are interested in a variety of applicates from the film/media sector and their application page is very detailed and informative concerning their wants and what the internship would entail.

Regardless of their seemingly endless desire for new employees and company growth, such a wide net being cast served to only further my nerves, and so I knew that I would have to hone in on what I could provide the company as an individual.

Given Totem’s detailed job description, I had a clear vision of what the company was excepting as a minimum for their applicants, and so the important part of preparation would be my ability to articulated my experience and how it relates to the job at hand. With this in mind I employed the STAR technique which had been outlined by the Queen’s career advisor Emma Lennox as a useful tool for the interviewing process. Using STAR, as well as additional resources, such as reviewing previous lecture slides concerning the interview process and information available on the QUB Website. I was now armed with an effective method of selling myself as an individual to an employer without falling into the trap of presenting myself as simply a cog in the overall machine, which I find an easy trap to fall into, in such a groupwork focused industry as film and media.

Analysing the interview process through the lens of the STAR technique reaffirmed the importance of detailed preparation and factoring in all relevant material. As an example I found that my experience as a Volunteer Youth Leader served as a constructive way to communicate my ability to function as member of a team without detracting from my personal contributions when it came to film and media work.

In retrospect I considered my preparation as detailed and well thought out as necessary, with the only outlying factor being how I would be able to perform on the interview day itself. However it does occur to me that going forward it would be worth practicing my oral ability, as a feel now that even though I was aware of what to say and how to say it, I had not in fact practiced saying it out loud and so put myself in position where fumbling my words or not articulating correctly could easily be my downfall.

Interview Day

And so the moment of truth had arrived, time to see if my preparation had been enough to propel me through the dreaded interview. I had my notes loaded onto my phone and spiralling around in my head, pacing and nail biting wouldn’t save me now, it was time to sink or swim.

The funny thing about the interview process are the strange mixture of emotions, I found my self both wanting to storm in and get things over with, on top of wanting to turn and run in the opposite direction. I found myself overthinking my own emotions, am I nervous? Excited? Will the interviews be able to tell? But before I could even unpack these thoughts the interview began, and within a flash it ended. And I felt… fine?

The questions asked were mainly things I had prepared myself for, and so was able to give relevant information and examples without much thought. I became comfortable in conveying my well of experience, and outlining the various software and production jobs familiar to me making sure to mention how they might serve useful in the filled of event organising and advertising.

Additionally an invaluable resource as a result of this simulated interview was the feedback provided by my peers, which provided a clear view of my overall performance free of any subconscious bias I might have for being proud of merely surviving the interview. This outlined faults in my approach, such as speaking too generally when attempting to convey a variety of skills, and a lack of eye contact when addressing interviewers directly. As well as affirming my stronger points, being my ability to appear confident, which I certainly didn’t feel, and the detail concerning general experience in various roles.

Finally my anxiety fuelled reading and researching and re-reading had bore fruit, and the process had finished. Leaving me with a number of areas to feel proud of and an equal number to improve in future, namely practicing my delivery out loud so that don’t ramble about general experience, and instead focus in more clearly on specific experiences that prove relevant to the job role and relay my capabilities. And eye contact, I’ll have to bother a friend about practicing eye contact.