University of Manchester Careers Blog

Written by Hannah Thomas, Careers Advisor at the Careers Service

Throughout November 2021, here at the Careers Service we will be highlighting some of our key resources and activities to help you prepare as much as possible for your next interview.

What can I get involved with during Interview Practice Month?

There’s plenty of things you can get involved with during the month to boost your interview skills. You can complete a practice video interview on Shortlist.Me, watch a range of resources and have a go at Pathways in CareerConnect! Are you a final year? Come along to our Interview Practice Day.

Check out below to discover more about what you can get involved with throughout Interview Practice Month.

What is Interview Practice Day?

Would you like to brush up on your interview skills before you have to do it for real? To kick off Interview Practice Month, we are hosting an Interview Practice Day on Monday, 3 November. Aimed at final year students, the session is an opportunity for you to experience a mock interview with one of our Careers Consultants in a safe environment.

During your 25-minute practice interview, you will be asked a few interview questions and there will be a chance for feedback and discussion afterwards. Places are limited for this session, so make sure you sign up by Monday, 26 October. To apply for a place and to find out more click here.

What are Pathways on CareerConnect?

Pathways are guided learning journeys through specific tasks that will help you become confident in a range of practical skills. To help you become career ready, we have recently launched the brand new Pathway, Get Assessment, Test and Interview Ready, which has been designed with graduate and placement assessment processes in mind.  Here, you’ll find videos of your Careers Team and some fellow students providing their tips and advice, alongside blog posts and resources to make you think.

You can learn at your own speed, whenever and wherever you want! Follow the steps in order, or dip in and out depending on your preference. Log on to CareerConnect and access the pathway for yourself by clicking here.

What is Shortlist.Me?

Shortlist.Me is an interview preparation platform that helps you practise a range of different video interviews, used commonly by recruiters in many companies. There are industry and role specific interviews, for example, Engineering, Legal, Banking and Finance, Teaching, Consultancy or you can even try one of the company-specific practice interviews, such as AstraZeneca, IBM, NHS or Teach First. Some Schools and Departments have also created their own practice interviews, including guest appearances from some of your lecturers! Visit our website and take a look!

In a competitive job market, feeling comfortable in interviews is key and this can take practice and experience – the more you interview, the more you learn about yourself and what is expected. So make sure you visit Shortlist.Me to build your confidence.

Shortlist.Me is available 24/7 from any location with an internet connection. You can access the platform directly and complete practice interviews independently at a time that best suits you. Try one of our Shortlist.Me interviews by clicking here.

What are Interview Simulations? 

Once you’ve been invited to an interview, either for a placement/graduate role or for postgraduate study, you can access our Interview Simulation appointments. 

They are bookable 1:1 appointments on CareerConnect and usually take the form of a role play, where a Careers Consultant takes the part of the interviewer. They can be tailored to the type of interview you need to practise or want to improve. Our friendly Consultants will go at your pace and help you to overcome nerves and concerns that you have. At the end of the session, you will receive some personalised feedback.

We can’t wait to see you hone your interview skills throughout November and beyond! For further interview resources, visit our website.