Career Services launches software program today

Career Services has come up with a new way for students to improve their interviewing ability without fear of rejection.

Perfect Interview, a software program that Career Services is launching today, is aimed at helping students and alumni prepare for their next interview through a simulated live interview session.

“It’s a way for students to practice interviewing from the comfort of their dorm or the (Career Services) office,” said Carla Owens, assistant director of career education at the Career Services Center.

Some professors, such as Audrey Kraynak, practicum instructor for human development and family studies, will also be using this program in their classes.

Kraynak said by using this program, she hopes that it would give students the chance to think about interview questions and give them some self-confidence when going through the interview process.

Owens said she’s working with other departments on campus to make the system more career specific.

But Kraynak is one of the faculty working with her department to come up with some more questions they could possibly add to the program.

“It has to fit a range of positions, and so some of the questions are very general,” she said.

With a webcam, students can log on to the service at home, their residence hall or the Career Services Center (by appointment) to record a mock interview and send it to a career counselor to be critiqued, Owens said. They can also save the video and send it to family or friends.

“Sometimes people feel more comfortable doing it at home,” she said.

If student aren’t sure how to answer a question while using the program, there is a coach who can pop up by request. The coach will provide some insight as to why a certain question is being asked and give advice about a good way to construct an answer.

First-time users need to create an account on the Career Services Web site, but from there they can record as many interviews as they want. Owens said the 1500-question bank almost guarantees the same question won’t be asked twice.

Contact alumni affairs reporter Theresa Edwards at [email protected].