BING! sounds your inbox.
You've received an email invitation from a job you've been applying for!
An interview invitationcould trigger anxiety for most people, whether this is your first or tenth time interviewing.
But the good thing about receiving an interview invitation is you can prepare a job interview script to help you anticipate which questions may come up and formulate answers for them.
Two days before the interview
Zoey was anxious about the interview invitation she had received from Gen Z company for an IT managerial position. Immediately, she called her sister, Amanda, to share her concerns and anxieties about it.
Thankfully, Amanda had a great idea! They would write a job interview script together and practice a mock interview to help Zoey overcome her anxiety and make the best impression at the interview.
Why write a job interview script?
A job interview script and mock interview can help you:
Build confidence — You want to appear as confident as possible to your interviewer(s). Confidence includes maintaining eye contact, speaking clearly, and listening actively.
Know your strengths and weaknesses — You can reflect on your strengths and weaknesses that may help or interfere with your chance of getting a job offer.
Identify your relevant experience —You can use this opportunity to list your relevant experiences for the job.
How do I write a job interview script?
When writing an interview script, you want to ensure it is relevant to the company's goals and the job you're applying for. Take these steps:
Research the company and highlight what interests you to join them.
Review the job description and reflect on keywords that match your skills and experiences.
Write down :
Key Job Interview Script Techniques 💬
Present-past-future: frames your current role, related past experiences, and future goals.
Passion to mission: links things you're passionate about with the company's goals, values, or culture.
Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR): effectively structures answers for behavioral questions.
Sell yourself: highlights your qualifications, skills, and experiences to what the company is looking for.
Practice your job interview script
Improve your interview skills by practicing your script with someone or yourself.
Learn from Zoey's mock interview below:
1. Tell me about yourself.
I'm an IT specialist. I oversee security threats in our company's information system. I also led staff training for best practices in preventing malware attacks in the past.
My IT experiences and leadership skills led me to consider IT management, which I tried to build as a career for the last two years.
Key Technique 💬
Zoey framed her answer using the present-past-future formula to describe her current position, past projects, and future intentions.
2. What attracted you to this company?
I’ve been following posts from your company on LinkedIn. I admire how your company fosters a work environment built on trust, dependability, and respect. I’d love to join a company that shares my values.
Key Technique 💬
Zoey used the passion to mission strategy by linking the company's unique attributes with her values.
3. How do you handle criticism?
I once thought it was best to meet all our new staff and walk them through the basics of secured browsing, which my IT Director disagreed with.
After meeting with him and our management team, we've agreed to create a blended training program that gained 100% engagement from our new staff.
Key Technique 💬
Zoey used the situation, task, action, and result (STAR) method to turn criticism into growth.
4. Why should we hire you?
I'm a well-rounded IT Specialist, from securing a company's information system to conducting workshops and programs about IT best practices for regular staff and top employees, which I plan to bring to your company.
My passion matches your company's culture and values.
Key Technique 💬
Zoeyused the sell yourself technique by highlighting skills and experiences that make her a stand-out candidate for the IT managerial position.
Quiz: Can you help Zoey?
Zoey got up early to prepare for her interview today. She compiled all the information about the company and the list of her skills, experiences, and values that match theirs.
Upon arriving at the interview venue, she introduced herself enthusiastically to her interviewer and placed her resume on the desk.
The interviewer asked, "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
Quiz
Which technique can help Zoey answer this interview question?
Take Action
Customize and practice your job interview script by following the activities below:
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