Practice interviewing skills and you will erase stress and anxiety from the interview

Follow this plan and be prepared for your college interview

It is very important to practice interviewing skills if you want to get through the college interview with a minimum of stress and anxiety. It is a widely known fact that the best student does not always get accepted by the college after the interview. Many qualified students are passed over due to lack of interview preparation or an inability to articulate why they should be accepted by the college. Once you arrive at the interview stage, it is your ability to sell yourself that will help ensure the college interview will see you in the best light possible.

The following suggestions outline proven methods of enhancing your interviewing skills and improving your chances of acceptance into the college of your choice:

Make a List of Supporters

You are now going to enlist a group of family and friends to help you while you practice interviewing skills. Make a list of people you feel comfortable with. This can be any family member, your best friend, your neighbor, your employer, a teacher or anyone you feel would want to help you in this endeavor. Try not to ask you parents unless you feel they could be completely unbiased. I personally don't know any unbiased parents, but if you feel they could help you, put them on the list.

When making your selections and asking for help, be sure you are asking people who will take this practice seriously. Perhaps some of you friends are also applying to colleges and would love to exchange practice time with you. Once you have your list, talk with your choices and see if this is something they are willing to spend time doing. Now you have a group of supporters and are ready to practice interviewing skills.

Prepare A List of Subjects and Questions

Match your lists with various people. For example, your best friend will know your strengths and weaknesses, while a teacher will be of help when you are speaking of school subjects. An employer would come at it from your work ethic and a neighbor would have a good sense of your personality. You may set up a time of only 5-10 minutes with some of these supporters, while others may take 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your list and the depth of your subject.

Remember, this is not a mutual admiration meeting. Ask the person interviewing you to be fair and ask hard questions of you. Record the session so you can go over this later to see where you need to beef up your answers or do more research on a question. Have paper and pen handy so the "interviewer" can write down thoughts and ideas to discuss with you later. Never stop the interview in the middle to do this. It will stop the flow of questions and ideas. Offer coffee and dessert after the interview and go over whatever ideas may have come up during the interview.

Prepare a Chart for Feedback

Not only should you expect feedback on your verbal performance, but have a chart ready that the interviewer can use to evaluate non-verbal signals. Print off the chart below and use it for some useful feedback.

Evaluation of non-verbal signals

BEHAVIOR	GREAT	GOOD	POOR	COMMENTS
Eye contact
Posture
Smiled
Relaxed
Voice-volume
Voice-speed
Grammar
Confidence
Sincerity
Enthusiasm

Choose the Best Interviewers to Practice Interviewing Skills

Once you have followed this program, you will be relaxed and prepared for whatever comes your way, even if it is your first college interview. When practicing interview skills, these same skills will come in handy through your entire working career. Start now and get a jump on this talent. You will be forever grateful that you have done this.

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