Interviews are hard. Let’s see if we can make your job hunt smoother with #AceThatInterview

What’s the best way for college students or other career starters to take the stress out of job interviews? Practice. With this post, I'm testing #AceThatInterview -- an initiative that combines common questions, personal video, expert feedback, and public acclaim for those who are improving and proving how to interview. 

You may know me today as the author of multiple books about college and careers, but years ago, I was that ill-prepared job candidate in a tiny campus conference room, bombing the interview and wondering: “Why?” There’s no reason today’s great candidates, starting out their careers, should suffer through similar setbacks. This initiative is meant to help you sharpen your interviewing game in a brisk, low-stress way.

Here’s how #AceThatInterview works. We’ll start with a classic interview prompt: “Tell me about a time you showed initiative.”

Ready to answer it? Great! Create a 60-second video with your response and share it on your LinkedIn profile as a post with the hashtag #AceThatInterview. You don’t need Hollywood-level production values; just use your phone or computer. Make use of LinkedIn's native video tools, and concentrate on delivering the same energy and clarity that you’d bring to a good class discussion. For best results, record yourself in business-casual clothes, with a neutral background.

Once your post is live – as long as it carries the hashtag #AceThatInterview — you’re part of the initiative. Set your post’s distribution to “Public” so we can find it. If you would like visible feedback from others, enable comments; if not, it’s fine to disable comments. Please don’t forget the hashtag; we can’t find you otherwise.

I'm offering three ways this initiative can be a "win" for you. The strongest entries will be reviewed by expert judges from the employer community, who will vote on the entries that impressed them the most. They will post articles on LinkedIn, showcasing what made the top five entrants stand out. Meanwhile, I will provide 1:1 feedback to as many entrants as possible, saluting the best aspects of your entry and offering suggestions for improvement. You can apply that feedback to future interviews, or you can upload a new, improved version of your video post -- strengthening your profile and making it easier for employers to get to know you.

Be sure to post by Nov. 10 if you can -- or Nov. 17 if you need the maximum possible extension. This initiative isn’t designed to win you a job by itself. But we hope it will bring you one step closer. Remember, you’ve got allies.

#AceThatInterview