Dress to impress and put on your best Sunday shoes, because mock interviews are back in session at West.

As much of the student body is beginning to reach out into the professional world, encountering an admissions team or any interview board is becoming nearly inevitable to many. The Student Services Department, foreseeing the need of students to become acquainted with the interview process, has taken measures to ensure every prospective student is well prepared and confident for the road ahead of them.

Two years ago Student Services counselor Sean Sandag obtained the role of Mock Interview Coordinator and has since been in charge of conducting the formal meetings. Several faculty members will typically join Sandag in questioning interviewees, similar to a real-life job scenario. Many students participate in the program in order to reap the benefits of firsthand experience of professional interviews.

“What really inspired this program was the realization that nothing would help more with a real interview than directly practicing with a mock interview. The point of these sessions is to bring out the best in a person, so we try to make the interview as accurate and tough as possible in order to help the students,” Sandag said.

Interviews can be scheduled at no cost by contacting the Student Services department or one’s respective counselor to set a time and date for the session. The questions can vary depending on the need of the interviewee, ranging from broad academic questions and insights to specific employment qualities and capabilities.

“The participating students can find the interviews to ease their nerves and realize what it takes to perform well at an interview. This gives them a holistic viewpoint on their upcoming futures, and it can really be a fun process to help them,” Sandag said.

As a significant portion of the student population can claim to be employed, seeking employment or pursuing higher education, the impact of the program onto the lives of the students is evident.

“I really wanted to make a good first impression with colleges for potential scholarship interviews. The process allowed me to learn how to answer more open-ended questions that ask you to describe and differentiate yourself to the interviewers,” interviewee senior Shaurya Jamwal said.

The program will continue year round and is open to all students inclined to immerse themselves in the experience. Whether to aid in building a future career or to bolster any prospective applicants’ strengths, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.