Purdue Fort Wayne Interview Prep Services

Heather McMahan

Interviews can be considered intimidating for some students at Purdue Fort Wayne, and so the campus has thought about this small factor by having the PFW Career Development Center offer a variety of services for students to use when preparing for any upcoming interviews they may have. 

The interview preparation services the Career Development Center offer include online mock interviews, feedback and advice from career counselors, a career closet and information regarding what to do and ask during interviews.

Tracey Hanton, PFW’s associate director for the Career Development Center, said career counselors help students to understand the job industry that they are looking at and what might be some pieces of information that are important to know about their industry that is going to help them prepare for their interview. 

Purdue University Fort Wayne students have access to Big Interview, an online service to practice and record virtual mock interviews.

The service allows you to virtually practice as many interviews needed, and you can choose questions created by a specific industry and major. All responses can be reviewed if needed later. You can even send recorded interviews to our staff, and we’ll provide feedback,” according to the PFW Career Development Center’s website.

Ryan Pezley, a PFW Communication senior who has used the Career Development Center for interview prep, said, “The mock interviews really help you focus in on what kinds of questions the interviewer might ask, and how to appropriately respond to those questions, and doing the mock interviews helped me kind of get an idea on how to craft those responses.”

Students are able to send their mock interviews to staff, along with make appointments to talk with career counselors about any questions or concerns they may have dealing with interviews.

The Career Development Center also offers an opportunity for students to get professional clothing at no cost. The Mastodon Career Closet is located in Neff Hall, Room 361. Currently, students get to keep the clothes and are able to get up to one complete outfit per semester. 

“Students don’t have to use it just for an interview. They could have a presentation in class and maybe everyone is dressing up and they don’t have a shirt, or they don’t have a tie or they don’t have dress shoes. It’s anything that is career related,” Hanton said. 

The Career Development Center has a career guide that has a section offering a variety of information dealing with interviewing and etiquette. It provides information like types of interviews, a guide to interview research, tips on proper attire and etiquette, types of behavioral and illegal questions, along with how to negotiate salary and more.

“Successful interviews require preparation to make a good impression,” according to the PFW career guide.

For more information on interview preparation, visit the PFW Career Development Center website at https://www.pfw.edu/offices/career-development-center/students-and-alumni/interview or the PFW career guide at https://www.pfw.edu/offices/career-development-center/docs/PFW_Career_Handbook.pdf.

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