Mock Interview Panel

Interview for a real Colorado job as yourself, then sit on the hiring panel for your classmates.

1

Pick a job

Choose a real Colorado posting from the Job Board and prep a short pitch.

2

Interview for ~7 minutes

Your pod of about 4 plays the hiring panel. You answer as yourself.

3

Rotate

Then you join the panel for everyone else. Each panelist plays a character.

Nothing to print. Everything is on this site, on your phone or laptop.

TipOnline student?

Same activity, at a time you choose: join a pod time in Canvas (People → Groups), then meet by video. See Online Students.

Before class

About 30–45 minutes.

  1. Pick a job on the Job Board, plus a backup. It’s fine if a podmate picks the same one.
  2. Read the real posting (linked on each job page). Find their top 3 must-haves, and jot down a real example of yours for each.
  3. Practice a 60-second pitch out loud. Use the toolkit below.
  4. Write one question you’d genuinely want to ask the panel.
  5. Bring a charged device.

On your own job’s page, stop at “Know the employer.” The Interview room below that is for the panel. Not knowing the questions is part of the practice.

In class

Each round takes 10 minutes, and the Timer keeps every pod in step.

Time What happens
1 min · Set up The candidate names their job. Panelists open that job’s page, scroll to the Interview room, open their own seat, and draw a mood card.
1 min · Pitch The candidate gives their 60-second pitch. The panel listens.
5 min · Questions Each panelist, in seat order, asks one question in character and follows up.
1 min · Your question The candidate asks the panel their question.
2 min · Debrief Everyone drops character. Each panelist gives three one-line notes (below).

Then rotate to the next person.

What’s my seat?

Number off around your pod (1, 2, 3, …). Then pick your pod size and your number:

Pod size
I'm number

    Pod of 4

    Round Person 1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4
    1 Candidate A B C
    2 C Candidate A B
    3 B C Candidate A
    4 A B C Candidate

    Pod of 5 (adds Seat D)

    Round P1 P2 P3 P4 P5
    1 Candidate A B C D
    2 D Candidate A B C
    3 C D Candidate A B
    4 B C D Candidate A
    5 A B C D Candidate

    Pod of 3 (one person plays A+B)

    Round P1 P2 P3
    1 Candidate A+B C
    2 C Candidate A+B
    3 A+B C Candidate

    Debrief: three one-liners

    When the debrief starts, drop character. Each panelist says:

    1. Hired-peer moment: when they sounded like a colleague you’d want.
    2. Hedge moment: when they rambled, hedged, or sounded like a seminar.
    3. One thing to try next time.

    Be specific (“When you walked through cleaning the streamflow data, I believed you”) rather than general (“Good job!”).

    Candidate toolkit

    “I’m [name], and I [your focus]. Most recently I [one concrete thing you built, analyzed, or managed]. I’m interested in [this role] at [this employer] because [something specific from the posting]. I’d bring [the one or two skills they need most].”

    • Situation: one or two sentences of context.
    • Task: what you were responsible for.
    • Action: what you did. Spend most of your time here, and say “I,” not “we.”
    • Result: what happened (with a number if you have one) and what you learned.

    “I haven’t used [X] directly. The closest thing I’ve done is [Y], where I [specific]. Here’s how I’d get up to speed on [X]…”

    This beats bluffing every time.

    Ground rules

    • Tough but fair. The point is realistic practice, not “winning.”
    • No illegal questions, even in character: nothing about age, family, pregnancy, religion, national origin, or disability.
    • Stumbling is the point. Better to freeze here than in a real interview.