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Running a mock interview drive: what a college must arrange

A practical checklist for placement cells: rooms, schedule, interviewers, student preparation, feedback sheets and follow-up after the day.

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Overview

A mock interview drive lets students practise a real interview with someone from outside the college, before the real drives begin. It is one of the most useful things a placement cell can arrange, and it is easier to run than most people expect.

The work is mostly planning. This guide is a checklist for the placement cell.

At a glance

Key takeaways

  • Pick the date before the real drives, with time left to act on feedback
  • Decide who each interviewer will see and for how long
  • Brief the interviewers and the students separately
  • Use one simple feedback sheet for every interview
  • Plan rooms, timing and a waiting area before the day
  • Follow up with students and with the interviewers

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Choose the date. Hold the drive a few weeks before the first real campus drive, so students have time to use the feedback. Avoid exam periods, and tell students at least two weeks ahead so they can prepare.

Decide the format. A common arrangement is one interview of twenty to thirty minutes per student, with an interviewer from outside the college. If there are many students, use several rooms in parallel and fix a schedule. Decide whether interviews are general or based on a student's branch, and tell the students.

Find and brief the interviewers. Working professionals, alumni and local business owners are good choices. Send them a short note beforehand: what the drive is for, how long each interview lasts, a sample of the questions and the feedback sheet. Ask them to be firm but kind, and to focus on what a student can improve in a few weeks. Make sure they know whether students will bring resumes.

Prepare the students. Tell them what to bring (a printed resume, a pen), what to wear and when to arrive. Ask them to treat it like a real interview. A short briefing the day before helps: what to expect, why it is useful, and that it is practice, not selection.

Fix the logistics. Rooms with a table and chairs and some privacy, a waiting area, a volunteer to bring students in order, signs for the rooms, water for the interviewers and a person in charge of timing. A simple printed schedule on each door keeps things moving.

Use a single feedback sheet. Keep it short: what was clear, what was not, and one thing to practise, plus a space for comments on communication, subject knowledge and the project. A page per student, given to them afterwards, is more useful than a score.

After the day, follow up. Hand each student their sheet, and ask them to choose two things to work on. Ask the interviewers what common patterns they noticed, and use these to plan sessions for the whole batch. If the drive went well, schedule another one a few weeks later, and compare.

TopicsCareer AwarenessInterviewsLeadership

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