If you don’t have prior interview experience or feel like your experience is not enough, UW-Madison provides the necessary support. I had some interview experience but didn’t think it was enough, and I hadn’t practiced in English before. To begin feeling more comfortable, I practiced mock interviews with the director of my risk and insurance MBA specialization, where we identified my strengths and weaknesses. Afterward, I started weekly meetings with my career coach. During orientation and after, we students received information about the interview process and general career planning to refine our skills. The MBA program also provides an excellent guidebook on career management, which I use in practice sessions with my career coach.
During the mock interviews, we primarily focus on story-type questions using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. This approach helps me prepare for interviews while also improving my English. Additionally, we conduct mock interviews with members of the Risk Management and Insurance MBA Advisory Board. This allows us to connect with professionals in the industry related to our MBA and improve ourselves based on their feedback. Furthermore, we can request mock interviews from our director or career coach anytime. Through these exercises, I discovered my weaknesses and began to improve.
These practice sessions gave me self-confidence and provided me the opportunity to become more fluid in English. I learned how to structure my answers more effectively and handle unexpected questions. I receive personalized feedback that allows me to highlight my achievements more clearly.
I am becoming more comfortable answering questions in English. The feedback and tips from the advisory board members gave me real-world insights into what the companies are looking for. It is helping me adapt my responses to the industry expectations. With the help of these practices, not only have I improved my interview experience, but I am also improving my communication skills.