{"id":3412,"date":"2014-12-15T20:35:41","date_gmt":"2014-12-15T20:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.hult.edu\/?p=3412"},"modified":"2022-06-29T14:37:05","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T13:37:05","slug":"job-interviews-feedback-power-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a good chance you know the magical number of hours you must put in to get good\u2014I mean, really good<\/em>\u2014at something. Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the \u201c10,000 hour\u201d rule in his book \u201cOutliers,\u201d a concept Herb Simon<\/a> first explored over 30 years ago.<\/p>\n

Reaching a level of mastery, at anything, takes time and persistency. But you don\u2019t have to clock in at 10,000 hours exactly in order to hone a skill, or see marked improvement.<\/p>\n

Consider this: any personal trainer worth her weight in gold will tell you to \u201cwarm up\u201d prior to a training session to receive the maximum benefit. Now apply the same thinking to a job interview. You will perform your best if you have prepped a very important tool beforehand: your brain.<\/p>\n

There is a growing body of research in the field of neuroscience that\u2019s been shedding a bright light on how the brain works. In \u201cThe Brain That Changes Itself,\u201d author Dr. Norman Doidge writes: “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” The implication? Much like we would make repeated trips to the gym to work on becoming fit and strong, with consistent \u201ctraining\u201d we can strengthen our brains, whether or not we have the time to put in that magical number.<\/p>\n

Before continuing, I must offer this qualifier\u2014no one (including me) is suggesting that you can change your brain to the extent that you will be capable of producing miracles. But if you want to become really good at acing interviews (a true superhero ability in my book), science is on your side. Through practice, practice, and more practice, it\u2019s possible to get better at almost anything. Always remember: \u201cNeurons that fire together, wire together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most business students understand the importance of preparing for an interview; they conduct research on the company and industry, and brainstorm clever questions to ask. But not as many pour the same amount of time and effort into practicing how they will actually respond<\/em> during an interview.<\/p>\n

For example, there\u2019s a high probability that an employer will ask the following question during an interview (or a variation of it): “Why are you interested in this job?” Rehearsing this question with another person\u2014this part is important, but more on that in a bit\u2014helps you (specifically your brain) to rise above the stress of the moment to answer coherently.<\/p>\n

Informational interviews are a great way to learn and master the art of asking excellent questions, and I encourage job seekers and the fully employed to make informational interviews part of their ongoing career development. But when it comes to recreating the pressure cooker environment of a job interview, it\u2019s the mock interview that can help students the most\u2014and for more reasons than you might think.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not hard to understand why mock interviews are helpful; the more students practice answering challenging questions, the better they get at articulating their responses, which also builds their confidence along the way. But that\u2019s not all. Mock interviews give students the chance to learn an incredibly essential skill: how to give and receive feedback. The ability to hone this skill has implications beyond a job interview\u2014it can make or break careers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all struggled to give critical feedback, and I\u2019d argue that struggling through it is better than not giving it at all. But most people will say it\u2019s much harder to accept tough feedback. Natural responses to this are to argue, become defensive, or cast blame on the giver. As someone with over three decades of professional experience, and years of counseling thousands of students on their careers, I can say without equivocation that your ability to accept critical feedback is one of the biggest indicators of your potential for a successful career.<\/p>\n

At Hult, we\u2019ve built in many opportunities in our Masters programs for students to practice giving and receiving feedback\u2014particularly the receiving part. One of the biggest tips we give is to answer with one simple response: \u201cThank you for your feedback.\u201d What my team and I have seen over and over again is that practicing this succinct reply helps students bypass the knee-jerk reactions they might otherwise have. It rewires<\/em> their brains to help them to behave professionally in what could be a tough and stressful situation.<\/p>\n

Our recent graduates\u00a0will change jobs an average of 15 times during the course of their careers. This translates into many more interviews than previous generations ever went through. Certain elements of the job search process, like resumes and cover letters, are evolving and may eventually give way to new formats. But one thing won\u2019t ever change: employers will still use interviews to get a good sense of what written and digital materials cannot provide: the ability to communicate and relate well to others. This means that if you want to put your best foot forward during a job interview, you need to train your brain through practice\u2014and it need not take 10,000 hours.<\/p>\n

Related Content:<\/strong><\/p>\n

See\u00a0Katharine Boshkoff\u2019s LinkedIn profile<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Two Most Important Words in Your Career<\/a> by Katharine Boshkoff<\/em><\/p>\n

Befriend Rejection and Reflection\u2014They Will Help Your Career<\/a>\u00a0by Katharine Boshkoff<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more about our\u00a0Career Development and graduate career statistics<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Rosa Say<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hult offers a range of highly skills-focused and employability-driven business school programs<\/a> including a range of MBA options and a comprehensive one year Masters in International Business<\/a>. To find out more, take a look at our blog 4 tips to refocus your post-graduation job search<\/a>. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to learn about the business world, the future, and yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a good chance you know the magical number of hours you must put in to get good\u2014I mean, really good\u2014at something. Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the \u201c10,000 hour\u201d rule…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nJob Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice | Hult International Business School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You will perform your best during a job interview if you take the time to practice your responses ahead of time\u2014and it need not take 10,000 hours.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice | Hult International Business School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You will perform your best during a job interview if you take the time to practice your responses ahead of time\u2014and it need not take 10,000 hours.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hult International Business School\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-15T20:35:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-06-29T13:37:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Hult_Business\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Hult_Business\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Hult International Business School\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hultbusinessschool\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/hult\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/hult\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hult_Business\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Hult International Business School\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Hult International Business School\",\"description\":\"The latest insights and stories from Hult International Business School\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/\",\"name\":\"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice | Hult International Business School\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-15T20:35:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-29T13:37:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"You will perform your best during a job interview if you take the time to practice your responses ahead of time\u2014and it need not take 10,000 hours.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#webpage\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2bb1871542ba56ed2c59876d1ce63afa\"},\"headline\":\"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-15T20:35:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-29T13:37:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#webpage\"},\"wordCount\":961,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Careers\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2bb1871542ba56ed2c59876d1ce63afa\",\"name\":\"Gabi Barragan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a0348023c4f6e6274d5eee400d7550e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a0348023c4f6e6274d5eee400d7550e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gabi Barragan\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice | Hult International Business School","description":"You will perform your best during a job interview if you take the time to practice your responses ahead of time\u2014and it need not take 10,000 hours.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice | Hult International Business School","og_description":"You will perform your best during a job interview if you take the time to practice your responses ahead of time\u2014and it need not take 10,000 hours.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/","og_site_name":"Hult International Business School","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult","article_published_time":"2014-12-15T20:35:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-06-29T13:37:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Hult_Business","twitter_site":"@Hult_Business","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization","name":"Hult International Business School","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Hult","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hultbusinessschool\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/hult\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/hult","https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hult_Business"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hult-social-profile.png","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Hult International Business School"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#logo"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/","name":"Hult International Business School","description":"The latest insights and stories from Hult International Business School","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg","width":1280,"height":720},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/","name":"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice | Hult International Business School","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2014-12-15T20:35:41+00:00","dateModified":"2022-06-29T13:37:05+00:00","description":"You will perform your best during a job interview if you take the time to practice your responses ahead of time\u2014and it need not take 10,000 hours.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice"}]},{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#webpage"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2bb1871542ba56ed2c59876d1ce63afa"},"headline":"Job Interviews, Feedback, and the Power of Practice","datePublished":"2014-12-15T20:35:41+00:00","dateModified":"2022-06-29T13:37:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#webpage"},"wordCount":961,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/media\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Practice-Makes-Perfect_1280x720.jpg","articleSection":["Careers"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/job-interviews-feedback-power-practice\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2bb1871542ba56ed2c59876d1ce63afa","name":"Gabi Barragan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a0348023c4f6e6274d5eee400d7550e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2a0348023c4f6e6274d5eee400d7550e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gabi Barragan"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3412"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28462,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3412\/revisions\/28462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}