Interviewing Best Practice = Lots of Practice

Whether your endeavor is baseball, piano-playing, interviewing or conducting employee evaluation, the only way to begin to be comfortable, to develop and hone skills, and to find a path to excellence is to practice.

In Katie Yezzi's NYTimes Job Market  piece "At Work, Practice Puts Perfection in Reach," she described how her boss urged her to practice before conducting employee evaluations, and showed how he practiced with her.

"Doug demonstrated some language I could use, and I rephrased it and tried it out, and then went over and over the main pieces of the conversation. When it was time for the review, I felt competent and calm, and was able to be entirely present and to listen," she wrote.

A message for interviewers and  interview candidates

Conducting employee evaluations is just one activity that benefits from practice. Yezzi notes, "In fields like music and sports, the best performers always keep practicing."

Being interviewed (and interviewing) are activities that requires attention and practice. Make sure that you have prepared for your next interview by asking and answering hard questions.

_______

Susan Gainen will present 2nd, 3rd or 4th Careers: Concrete Steps for a Life Changing Process at the 2013 Wisconsin Careers Conference (a program for undergraduates and graduate students), and Alternative Careers at the 2012 NALP Annual Educational Conference. Her creativity workshop, Watching Paint Dry Can Be Fun, is for all ages.