Students can ease their job interview fears by watching themselves answer employer’s questions.

Perfect Interview, a computer program offered through Career Services, allows students to record their responses to questions they may encounter in a job interview, said Brian Pillsbury, assistant director for team supervision. The session is conducted in private. NIU is one of only six schools in the state to offer this service.

The answers can be reviewed individually or with help from a career counselor, Pillsbury said. The program provides tips on how to correctly respond to the questions after the interview is done, he added.

Pillsbury said students can judge the content and their overall presentation of their answers.

“They can judge their body language, posture, whether they answered in a monotone [voice] or are speaking too quickly, and how much energy they showed during the response,” he said.

Pillsbury hopes students practice before going to an actual interview.
“The first three rules for a successful interview are preparation, preparation and preparation,” he said.

Some students who hadn’t heard of the program think it could be worth a shot.

“I would use it because I would rather speak in front of a computer, because I get nervous to speak in front of a person. Then, I could look at it so I could fix it,” said Lacevon Manning, freshman computer science major.

Pillsbury implores students to understand all the components needed for an interview.

“It is very important to approach career planning and interviewing with your eyes open, in a very intentional, proactive way,” Pillsbury said. “Students learn about the skills they are developing at NIU and how to sell those skills to employers.”

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