Mock Interviews: The Ultimate Guide

Alex Woodward |
Alex is a Growth Marketing Manager at Snagajob, where she works with sales to help connect businesses with the right workers. Her first hourly job was as a barista at Caribou Coffee.

Interviews can be kind of scary so you should do all you can to prepare, including researching the company and coming up with questions to ask the interviewer. A great tool for interview prep is a mock interview. We're going to give you advice on how to do one yourself.

What is a mock interview?

A mock interview is like a fake version of the real thing, but you want to make it as realistic as possible. This allows you to see what is expected in an interview, what you may need to work on and gives you the opportunity to practice.

How do I set up my mock interview?

All you need is a friend or family member to get started in your mock interview. Sit across from one another like you normally would in an interview setting and have them ask possible interview questions. It can be helpful to record your mock interview to catch things that you may not have noticed before. Maybe you say "um" a lot or twirl your hair. It's good to catch these things beforehand so you don't do them in the actual interview.

What questions should be asked?

No matter if you are going in for a cashier position, a server position, or even a receptionist position, you should always be prepared to answer common interview questions. A few examples are:

Tell me about yourself.

Why should we hire you?

Where do you want to be in five years? 

Now what are you waiting for? Get out there and practice! Doing a mock job interview will help you prepare for the actual job interview and give you confidence. Good luck!