Mock Interviews, they're not as scary as you think!

This past week, I participated in a Mock Interview with the Virginia Department of Labor & Industry. Initially, I was very nervous and not sure how to prepare for it. After talking to different people at the Career & Academic Planning Office and reviewing tips on the jmu.edu/cap website, I was feeling more confident.

The night before, I looked up some information about the Department on the Internet, gathered some work samples to show them, prepared a few questions to ask at the end of the interview, and rehearsed answers to typical questions like, "What is your greatest strength/weakness?" in the mirror!

On the day of the interview, I arrived 15 minutes early. When it was finally time for my interview, we sat down and the interviewer gave me a brief overview of the process, I asked a few questions and then we got started!

The interview ran very smoothly; all that preparation definitely helped the night before and as soon as we started, my nerves ran right out the door!

The questions, as I suspected, were based on behaviors and past experiences, so I felt very comfortable answering them.

At the end of the interview, I was given very insightful and constructive feedback about how I did, ways to improve for future interviews, and questions to ask future interviewers.

The overall process was very helpful and I would highly recommend that every student completes at least one Mock Interview before graduation. It gave me a chance to get out all my nerves before an interview that counts! I felt extremely comfortable after the process and was able to ask any questions that I wanted and make any mistakes without any repercussions.

For more information and to sign-up for a Mock Interview, log in to Recruit-A-Duke and complete the online tutorial to access On-Campus Recruiting and Mock Interviews.

By Desirae Vivian Stevens
Contact: desiraevivian@gmail.com

Exciting Opportunities on Recruit-A-Duke

The Recruit-A-Duke website contains vast opportunities for any major and career direction.  Login to view the wide variety of jobs listed by our many employers.  From camp counselors to technical writers, there is someone looking to employ you!  Here is a list of jobs you may not have been aware of on Recruit-A-Duke. 

·      Personal trainer- Lifetime fitness, Centerville, VA

·      Speech Therapy-  Nursing Facilities, In-House Rehab, Statewide in VA

·      Recruiter- TEKsystems, Junior Recruiter in Richmond, VA

·      Camp Counselor- YMCA Bethesda, MD

·      Technical Writer Interns- Troubleshooting/ Designs illustrations, workflows, scripts for AOL in Dulles, VA

·      Graphic Design Interns- Design newsletters, brochures & direct mail for the MS Society in Washington, DC.

·      Cardiac Technician- assistant for Virginia Heart in Arlington, VA

Apply Now on Recruit-A-Duke

·      Login with Your Username

·      Click the Purple Tab “Job Opportunities”

·      Drag down to the “On Campus Recruiting- Job Posts for JMU Students”

·      Narrow Your Search with “Keywords” or the Position Type drag down

Quick Recruit-A-Duke Tips

Want to use the Recruit-A-Duke site to the best quality possible?  Here are two quick tips to ensure you are getting the best results when job searching.

1.  Quotation Marks: Just like searching on Google, using quotation marks can narrow your results to be more specific to your needs.  For example, searching Technical Writer will result in jobs containing "Technical" and "Writer" and give you too many irrelevant choices.  Searching "Technical Writer" will only give you the jobs that have that exact title in the description.  This will give you only jobs in the field you want.

2.  Firefox: When using Recruit-A-Duke, it is best to use Mozilla Firefox as your web browser.  Others like Safari and Internet Explorer will not give you the best service possible.

These are just two ways to make sure you are getting the best experience from the website.  If you have any more questions, post a comment, Tweet us @JMURecruitADuke or send us an email.

Best of luck in the job searching process!