Mock Interview Reflection

Overall, I thought the interview went extremely well. I made appropriate eye contact, gave concise but not "wordy" responses, and I was unusually calm from the moment I walked in until the interview was concluded. In preparation, I watched several videos on mock interviews and tips and tricks from professionals of how to answer certain questions and what to and what not to say which helped me form my thoughts. Normally, I would have written a script of exactly what I would say if they asked specific questions, but instead, I had specific thoughts/talking points prepared in my head that could have been used for any questions the interviewer asked which was something that was extremely helpful and also allowed me to be genuine throughout the whole interview. The one thing that went differently than I expected was how calm I was. Any time I have to speak or give a presentation, I start off fine, but then get extremely nervous and almost get out of breath because I'm talking too fast and my voice becomes shaky, but I was able to keep my composure and remain calm and talk slowly during the interview which is also something I am proud of. One thing I will do differently in a real interview is to make sure I am more assertive with introducing myself from the beginning. I walked in and she introduced herself and then asked me how I was and there was an awkward transition to where she had to ask me my name rather than me introducing myself. I felt like this made me not seem as confident from the beginning, although it was just an awkward transition, so going in and making sure to say hello and introduce myself first is something I would do differently in a real interview. Something I learned during this process that may be helpful to me as I prepare to enter the workforce as an OT practitioner is to be yourself. It's much easier to give genuine answers and to be honest because it makes the experience much easier if you don't have to fabricate or rehearse responses and it shows the interviewer who you really are and if you are honest in the interview and they don't like you, you had nothing to lose (except the job...) but it might not have been the right fit for you anyways! If I am genuine and can build rapport with the person who is interviewing me and I feel good about their reaction to my interview, I think it will give me a better idea as to how I will feel entering into the workforce as a practitioner.