By Joe Giovannetti
On Jan. 30, the MSLCE cohort gathered with Amanda Schonfeld for a professional seminar centered on the art of interviewing. Schonfeld, a professional recruiter, shared some of the insights she has gained over her seventeen-year professional career.
Schonfeld focused on several different situations that the MSLCE cohort may find themselves in as they grow in their creative careers. Schonfeld dove right in, discussing some of the most popular interview questions that appear in most professional situations including the most prominent: “Tell me about yourself.” Schonfeld helped the students work through their own personal value propositions, and stressed the importance of being authentic but clear about your goals, experience, and value in a short period of time.
Schonfeld identified three main interview situations that young professionals may find themselves in: generic, behavioral, and situational interviews. Schonfeld effectively used personal examples to help understand how to prepare differently for answering questions about yourself, about what you have done in the past, and about what you would do in a future situation.
In order to practice these theories, Schonfeld paired the students up in pairs: One student researched a potential company and prepared questions to ask the other, while the second student prepared potential answers for a particular interview. After conducting a mock interviews for each other, the students gave honest and constructive feedback to each other about their styles, habits, and areas of improvement.
One piece of advice from Schonfeld rang true across every situation: preparation is key. Between research of the company, preparation of potential answers, and developing your own questions to ask the employer, Schonfeld suggests a minimum of four hours of preparation for any interview situation.
The MSLCE cohort left the seminar with a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses in interview situations, as well as insight into their unique qualities that they possess as a potential employee. Schonfeld’s natural humor and enthusiasm made for a fun, informative, and engaging day of self-discovery.
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