Reflection on Mock Interview

My mock interview in Second Life was much easier than I expected. I wasn't as nervous as I would have been if I were having an interview face-to-face. Although my interview went well, I came away with the opinion that Second Life interviews are not a great idea. My interview started late due to technical difficulties. It was a little confusing in the beginning because there were a lot of people in the room. It got better once everyone's issues were addressed, and I was able to actually start my interview.

The thing that I found difficult was the time lag due to having to wait for the other person to type. When I was answering a question, I would type the first part of my answer. Then after submitting the first part of my answer, I would continue to answer the question. I felt that is was easier to break up my answer, so I didn't type a really long paragraph and then have the other person bombarded with a lot of text all at once. This strategy seemed to work pretty well, except for the fact that there were a few times that this caused us to be on slightly different pages. I would want to continue to add to my answer to a previous question, and I would already have another question waiting on my screen. Without being in person, it is hard to tell how much they are looking for in each answer, and also it is hard to express that you have more to add to your thoughts.

The waiting aspect also limits the amount of conversation you can have in a short period of time. I felt like a lot more could have been said in a 10-15 minute face-to-face interview, and I did not feel like I got to say a lot during my interview.

Although I did not like having an interview in Second Life, I think it is good experience to have. Additionally, I was able to see the kinds of questions I will be asked in an interview. I think that my responses to all the questions were good, and the only question I hesitated with was responding about a weakness in my character. Obviously everybody has weaknesses, but I was afraid to say something that would make me look really bad; however, I think that employers like to see that you are able to identify both your strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses just show where there is room for imrpovement, and it is not necessarily a bad thing. Although it was not the most ideal interview, I think that my good responses and the experience gained from a SL interview led to an overall good experience for me.