EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW PREPARATION: ASSESSING THE WRITING- TO-LEARN APPROACH

ABSTRACT In this study, the authors test whether a Writing-to-Learn approach to employment-interview preparation that involves composing written responses to typically asked interview questions in advance of a job interview may improve job-seekers ’ performance in the interview. The paper draws from the literature on Writing-to-Learn theory, employment-interview preparation, and related areas to support an assignment to college students requiring written composition of responses to typical job-interview questions. Many career experts, including the authors, agree that job-seekers are better prepared and perform better in job interviews when they have written and rehearsed answers to common interview questions. Novice job-seekers, such as college students, often have little or no interviewing experience, and because of this inexperience, some college instructors assign various interviewing-related projects to students. This paper suggests that, based on solid theory taken from a variety of fields, the experiential practice of mock interviews accompanied by written preparation of interview responses may enhance students ’ preparation for real-world job interviewing. The paper describes a study to test whether using a writing-to-learn approach to interview preparation made a difference in an actual interview situation. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE This literature review examines employment-interview preparation techniques, especially those that entail writing exercises and preparing responses to interview questions. It then explores Writing-to-Learn theory, especially in relation to its possible application to employment-interviewing preparation. The review briefly looks at the concept of “rehearsal ” as an approach that is both closely related to Writing to Learn and applicable to interview preparation. Finally, the authors explore possible connections between employment-interview preparation and Writing to Learn