Today’s real-world companies demand potential employees who can think on their feet, problem solve and discover visions  for the future. Yes, I’m sure some students who attend HU and graduate might open a business – or try to save the world by joining the Peace Corps, or fall back on that all too often scenario of being the smartest person working at the local bistro; so they think. There are many reasons to do practice interviews to keep you away from that all too common coffee shop scenario. Practicing with mock interviews prepares you for the real thing. You can practice answering behavioral-based interviewing questions; you learn the art of how to answer those ‘tricky’ questions like what you’ll do if you don’t get the job or how well you work with people from different backgrounds. You can get advice on wardrobe selections and accessories (think twice about yoga pants unless you are interviewing with a gym; advice for men and women) and students can get tips on how to avoid getting nervous and making common mistakes in the interview. One of the most valuable assets is to get important feedback on your interview to improve your performance and to learn what employers are really looking for when checking out your personal brand. With that said, do you know your brand?

Each semester HU’s Career Development Center (CDC) conducts onsite practice interviews for students associated with a class. Mine was English 3020. Each student is scheduled for a practice interview with a real employer that has volunteered to be a part of this wonderful teaching and learning process. HU’s CDC gathers representatives from local-based national companies like HealthPartners, Target Corporation, the State of Minnesota, 3M and the Star Tribune to give students a real sense of how the interview process works. Last year, the CDC brought in heavy-hitters from Medtronic and General Mills. Two weeks ago, the Anderson Center was buzzing with students in suit and ties, dresses, sweatshirts, and yes even yoga pants, heading to interviews scheduled by the CDC.

Terry Middendorf, Director of the HU CDC spoke positively of the Center’s work:

“For some students, this is their first professional interview experience.” Alan Sickbert, HU’s Dean of Students was one of the many campus figures who gave interviews said, “This is a wonderful experience for students to take part in – so is J-term.”

Hamline’s CDC interviews are meant to sharpen the people and problem-solving skills of HU students. The interview process should not be looked as just another task, but something your future depends on. The professional employers HU CDC have tapped to be interviewers might see something they like while talking to you. Jobs are a funny thing, in many cases they fall out of the sky into your lap…from my experiences. Some students might not take this process seriously. While bathing in dyads in the Anderson Center during the interviews, I noticed it’s probably not a good idea to be eating chips and heading to your interview with a big cup of coffee talking to fellow students about how baked you got the night before to just go through the motions.  In my 25 years of corporate experience, I’ve seen the young and the green that don’t think they ever need to do a practice interview. This becomes problematic because some students have not lived outside HU’s campus – meaning there is a brave new world beyond Hewitt and Snelling.  This world demands you to coexist with people you might not think you ever will encounter in the business world. Simply put, there are hundreds of people like the CDC interviewers who could possibly be the deciding element in hiring, supervising or being a colleague on a new job.

It’s true, interviewing is a process that creates a level of nervousness like taking a test or jumping out of an airplane. HU’s CDC has positioned themselves as the intermediaries between a students nerves and what someday might be looked upon as a most valuable experience by talking to business professionals on campus in a comfortable space.

For the HU student who will go into the business world in the areas of law, business management, accounting or direct services, HU’s CDC is offering a class for J-Term (winter 2015) – for all students called “Piper to Professional.” P2P is a four-credit class designed to help HU students develop their personal brand, resumes and learn how to market their skills to a potential employer. In a world branded by the Internet, building a personal brand, or what you want people to know about you is very important. Almost every employer, date, friend or enemy will Google your name. The results, some fictitious, some outrageous, will surprise you. If you are truly concerned about a personal brand, the HU CDC practice interviews and the “Piper to Professional” class will give you the right information to assist in brand development, employer research and financial management to help launch a successful job hunt and career. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Do you know what people say about you when you are not in the room? I do. #bridgesscholar