By Greta Gould | Reporter
Students at Baylor University are constantly applying to jobs and internships around the country, and many of these companies are starting to hire through digital interviews more often. The Hankamer School of Business helps prepare students for these interviews by hosting seminars and information sessions after hours and reviewing interview tactics in class.
London, England senior Emily Buchen has already successfully completed digital interviews and has landed a job with Call Box in Dallas as a junior database engineer.
“The company I had my first digital interview for came to Baylor and hosted an information session on what to expect, how to respond to the questions, tips on how to work the system and just overall anything we needed to know before the digital interview which was so helpful,” Buchen said.
These information sessions are giving students the opportunity to visualize what a digital interview looks like and allow them to ask questions to professionals who have experienced these interviews from both sides.
Great Falls, Va. senior Abby Ferguson completed a Baylor course where she was able to practice video interviews. She was also able to attend information sessions like the recent Ernst & Young Digital Interview Information Session that the business school organized on Feb. 7.
“When I took my business 3101 course, it was the first semester they started having students complete a video interview as one of our assignments,” Ferguson said. “The technology they used was the exact same technology that a lot of companies use to conduct interviews and give feedback on your responses and the attitude you conveyed through eye contact, body language and tone of voice.”
Students were able to receive the feedback and use it to perfect their digital interview skills for future opportunities, Ferguson said.
Sulfer, La. senior Lizzy Portie shared her experience in the business 1301 class as well.
“I think the class is so beneficial … It’s not something you think about when you’re looking for a job, so whenever a company does ask [for a digital interview], it’s something that you’re prepared for,” Portie said.
According to Business school website, the course “consists of a variety of practical and challenging career exercises that are designed to increase the hit rate of your internship and job applications and prepare you to excel in an interview.”
Raleigh, N.C. senior Rachel Essary has completed over five video interviews throughout her job application process. Things such as in-class assignments, professional development events and seminars have prepared her for these interviews, she said. This preparation helped her to land a full-time position at the information technology company Allscripts as a business analyst and data specialist, Essary said.
“Since the Allscripts office I’ll be working for is in North Carolina, I had to be able to have solid digital interviewing skills, since I wouldn’t be able to fly there on short notice,” Essary said.
As technology is beginning to take control of the job application and hiring process, schools are adjusting their methods to help prepare students to succeed. More and more students have been required to apply to jobs through a video interview process due to proximity or availability, which causes the demand for more information sessions or courses being taught on this skill.
