Loading…
18
Mock interview at a local workshop flipped how I handle tough questions
Last month I sat through a mock interview session at this small career center in Austin. The volunteer interviewer kept pushing me on a gap in my resume and I froze, so he showed me a simple STAR outline format. After 2 tries I answered without rambling and even got a nod from him. Has anyone else found a trick like that for staying calm when they hit a question they dont expect?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
victor_robinson18d ago
The STAR thing is solid but it's not really a trick for staying calm. It's more of a structure that keeps you from spiraling once you're already freaking out. What actually helped me was practicing out loud with a friend who threw random curveballs at me, stuff like "tell me about a time you failed" or "why is there a six month hole here." After doing that a bunch of times, the surprise factor wears off. Your brain starts to go "oh, this again" instead of going blank. Two tries in a mock session is good but you gotta run it over and over until the format feels automatic.
4