The Center for Career Development at the
Université Antonine is organizing for the first year mock interviews for
students, which is a simulation of a job interview.
The student is put in a real job interview situation and will be able to get an idea of what is waiting for him during a professional interview and therefore, will be ready for it.
The Université Antonine made it a weekly service for students, every Tuesday and Thursday, from 12 to 2 p.m: one student per day can do the 20-minute long interview with one professional coming from a Human Resources Management company or with the qualified personnel of the for Career Development.
Mr Fouad Abdallah, Director of this Center, explains the importance for a senior student or fresh graduate of doing the mock interview: “The goal of this interview is to prepare the students to do the simulation so that they can have an idea of what will be required of them during a professional interview, and get examples of the nature of questions that will be asked. We also ask the student to give us his CV so we can ask him specific questions based on his job experience and personal skills and we update it with a professional templateâ€.
The questions asked are related to the job experience and personal interests of the student. The interviewer tries to get a complete idea of the student’s personality and skills, since the very first eye contact and handshake to the final goodbye, all while paying attention to his body language, tone of voice and gestures.
The interview is recorded and screened directly so the student can visualize his behavior and attitude during the interview. He will then fill a self-evaluation sheet, highlighting what he thinks were his strong and weak points. At the end of the meeting, the interviewer will give the student a professional report summarizing his areas of strengths and areas to enhance, focusing on 4 main points: verbal and non-verbal communication, attitude & appearance (dress code, first impression, body language…) and competences and skills.Mr Abdallah also focused on the positive feedback the students got: “They discovered some strengths they didn’t know they had, and now they develop them while working on their weaker areasâ€.
This opportunity given to the UA students & Alumni will train them to do a good first impression in a real interview and will help build their self-confidence. So hurry up and book your mock interview, your career is waiting for it!
By Carmen Yazbeck
