About this event
Job Interview has you prepare professional application materials and then interview for a position. Individual event. How it runs: there is no test. You choose a part-time, internship, or full-time job you are (or will soon be) qualified for and submit a one-page cover letter and a resume of up to two pages as a PDF, judged before the conference. Then you complete a 10-minute interview with judges; no technology or materials may be brought in. Internet access is not provided. At the National Leadership Conference your pre-judged score and preliminary interview score are added together to choose finalists, who do a second 10-minute interview; the final interview decides the winners.
FormatInterview
Duration10-minute interview (preliminary and final rounds), plus a cover letter and resume submitted before the conference
Solo or teamIndividual
CategoryCareer Development
Your plan
How to study
Built from the official rating sheet and the event's own clock.
Read the guidelines and the sheet
Everything is scored on the rating sheet below. The official guidelines give the rules, the deadlines and what to submit.
Official guidelines (opens in a new tab)Outline it against the sheet
Give each part of your entry the room its points earn, starting from the biggest rows, so nothing on the sheet is left out.
See the sheetWrite it yourself
Your entry should be your own work. ChapterPrep's judge scores it and asks questions; it never writes it for you.
Rehearse the interview
Type or say your interview. The judge scores it on the official rating sheet and times you against the 10-minute limit.
Get judged on your interviewRehearse to the clock
You have 10 minutes. Time every run, out loud, start to finish.
Judging
What judges score
The pre-judged cover letter and resume50 points
Cover Letter
- States the job applying for4
- Promotes self, listing skills, achievements, volunteerism and experience8
- States that the resume is included and asks for an interview4
Resume
- Targets the job on the cover letter4
- Reader friendly, with categories easy to find, white space and professional fonts8
- Includes education, activities, awards and honors, and volunteerism or work experience8
- Brief, concise information4
Spelling and grammar
- Documents are free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors5
- All directions followed5
The interview120 points
- Job readiness and qualifications15
- Interview preparation and research15
- Response quality and critical thinking15
- Presentation of strengths and experiences15
- Career goals and motivation15
Presentation Delivery
- Demonstrates proper greeting, introduction and closing10
- Displays confidence, poised body language, engaging eye contact and effective voice projection15
- Demonstrates proper verbal and nonverbal communication skills10
Presentation Protocols
- Adherence to Competitive Events Guidelines10
Guidelines and resources
Bookmark to saveCurated by ChapterPrep. Free unless noted. External links open in a new tab.
Free guides for this kind of event
- Article · Purdue OWLPurdue OWL: Cover Letter Body Paragraphs (opens in a new tab)
- Article · Purdue OWLPurdue OWL: Researching Companies (opens in a new tab)
- Article · CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)CareerOneStop: Get Ready to Interview (opens in a new tab)
- Article · MIT Career Advising & Professional DevelopmentMIT Career Advising: Using the STAR Method for Behavioral Interviews (opens in a new tab)
- Book · OpenStaxIntroduction to Business 2e, Sec. 17.5: Get Your Career Off on the Right Track (opens in a new tab)