Interview Workshops

Your ability to do well in interviews will improve with practice. However, many students avoid practicing and consequently use live interviews for practice. The insights from practice are useful, but using live interviews for practice may seem a waste of a potential job when there are better (free) options.

Interview workshops typically take one of two forms. A talk on interview skills, how to prepare and the pitfalls to avoid. Or face-to-face practice with people in industry who can give you constructive feedback on how you come across. Do both, getting the theory saves having to figure out basic skills using trial and error. Much of it is obvious once it is pointed out.

Vic Careers and Employment

Careers and Employment offer an Interview Skills workshop that is well worth attending. It will answer questions around why companies use interviews and what you might expect. Careers and Employment Workshops are adverised.

They also offer drop-In times to check draft copies of CVs and Cover Letters, and to offer professional advice.

The bi-annual job fair for IT employers is organised by Career services and the employers are specifically looking for students with your talents.

Summer of Tech

Summer of Tech runs events twice a week at Kelburn. Typically these are technical events, however they also do CV and interview workshops plus speed interviews.

Summer of Tech is free to register, and they run free workshops from March onwards.

Engineering NZ

Engineering NZ runs a major Interview skills and CV event every year, staffed by people from industry who are there to give constructive advice on how you can improve your CV and interview skills. This event caters for all engineering disciplines.

Real Interviews

Real interviews are an excellent source of experience. Look to get as many as you can and do not be concerned if you do not get the job. The practice alone is invaluable. Interviews tend to be similar for both tech and non-tech positions, both are looking for good people with skills the company can use or develop.