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Software provides new way to prepare for job, grad school interviews

By Becca Heistad '09
October 6, 2008

St. Olaf students can now improve their interviewing skills without ever leaving the privacy of their dorm rooms by using InterviewStream, an interview preparation software program made available by the Center for Experiential Learning (CEL).

InterviewStreamLarge
Betsy Volkman '09 hones her interviewing skills using InterviewStream, a new software program made available by the Center for Experiential Learning.
Using a Flash-compatible computer with a Web cam and a microphone, which can be found in the CEL and the World Languages Center, students are able to record themselves responding to interview questions. Responses can then be reviewed, alone or alongside a CEL staff member, to identify communication missteps and non-verbal behavior.

The InterviewStream program, which St. Olaf implemented this fall with the help of a grant from the Minnesota Private Colleges Career Consortium, is the only online video-based practice interviewing system available and was created specifically for career resource programs like those offered by the CEL.

The new program will allow the college's career services to expand across campus and will give students the opportunity to increase the number of practice interviews they perform. Kirsten Cahoon '98, senior associate director of career connections at St. Olaf, said that the convenience factor of the program is important for a college community.

"Oftentimes students come in to the CEL the day before an interview asking for preparation techniques, most times because they've only just heard back about the interview," Cahoon says. "This program gives us a real-time solution to interview preparation. Now students can work out the kinks on their own, at their leisure, in an innocuous environment."

Using InterviewStream
The InterviewStream interviewing process is simple; students follow the InterviewStream link on the CEL website, create a free account and access their personal "dashboard," where they start by learning interview techniques from a "webinar" presentation and then begin recording a video interview.

Following user-friendly instructions, students choose to either conduct an interview from a question set previously selected by the CEL on topics ranging from graduate school interviews to nonprofit organizations, or to customize an interview by combining questions from various subtopics. Questions are presented via video of a real person speaking, with two minutes allotted for answering each question.

Upon completing a practice interview, students may review their answers as many times as needed by accessing their log of previously recorded interviews. After playing back a recording, they are given the option to redo or expand upon any particular response. Students then schedule a time to come into the CEL for a 30-minute critique of their interview with a CEL staff member.

Initial response to the program
David Dassenko '09 used InterviewStream this fall in preparation for an osteopathic medical school interview. Before using InterviewStream, Dassenko practiced for interviews using questions prepared by the CEL. "InterviewStream was nice in that it simulated a real interview," he says. "It helped me think on my feet as opposed to having answers already predetermined."

Betsy Volkman '09, one of the first St. Olaf students to use InterviewStream, says, "The coolest thing about the program was that as I was playing back my responses, I could keep track of the number of times I said, 'Um,' 'Like,' 'I mean' and 'Ya know' on the screen. That feature was really helpful for me."

Students and CEL staff agree that InterviewStream is a good place to start when preparing for an interview, though they also recommend following up with an in-person "mock interview" in the CEL to strengthen communication skills.

"There are limitations to any simulation program when it comes to interviews," Dassenko says. "For example, the nerves are virtually subsided when talking to a computer. The real interview was much more anxiety filled."

Volkman agrees, saying that recording interviews online was "like practicing with a roommate."

"The program is great for relieving that initial anxiety that comes with a formal interview," she says. "But I recommend coming into the CEL to follow up."

InterviewStream is designed to complement a counselor's guidance, Cahoon says. After getting feedback on InterviewStream recordings, students may then choose to schedule a second, hour-long practice interview to be conducted in person by a CEL staff member, which is videotaped for further critique. "Interviewing is definitely a practiced skill," Cahoon says. "The more practice opportunities, the greater chance for success."

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.