In years past, upcoming interviews caused me much stress. Without knowing what to expect or the best way to prepare, I knew I had to work on my interviewing skills and strategies. I sought interview feedback from jobs I did not get so that I could improve and be better for the next opportunity. In doing so, I found success in landing my current role as a Manager of Employee Experience.

My name is Joe Connolly, and I am a Loup Solutionist. As the Manager of Employee Experience, I can share what I have learned through my all my ups and downs trying to navigate the best formula for getting that next position or securing a promotion. As part of our in-seat promotion program (promotional opportunity within a current role) I added interview preparation training, which begins with informative tutorial videos that provide interviewing strategies. This content is very valuable in any setting but does offer some direct tips that apply to Union Pacific and Loup internal interviews. Armed with the knowledge from these videos, I then have team members and potential applicants take a mock interview with Big Interview. Big Interview is a web-based application that allows us to have prerecorded questions available for employees to record their own live responses. The system grades the interviewee on eye contact, the use of filler words (um, ah, etc.), body language, and many different criteria that can be preselected. It is a unique experience, and most people are a little uncomfortable seeing and hearing themselves. I remind them that even if it is uncomfortable now it is better to find any way to improve and be ready for the job they really want.

Finally, once they complete the mock interview, I host a panel feedback session accompanied by the participant’s direct supervisor. Everyone attending the feedback session has seen the interview and we go over all the questions one by one and provide individualized observations as well as general interviewing practices. This program has been so successful that the accompanying supervisor has asked to participate in the mock interview process. I plan to put this training out for anyone who would like to learn some best practices about interviewing. Anyone that is wanting to know how best to prepare for their next steps in their career can benefit from this training. I know there is always going to be some form of anxiety surrounding any interview. However, with this training I feel more confident about the interview process, and I hope that everyone who participates feels the same way.

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