Job interviews for practice? Right or Wrong?

NavyIT

I am currently in the Navy and I am getting out in about 7 months. I am currently in Florida and won't be staying here after I am done with my tour. I was thinking about putting my resume out there and possibly applying for a few local jobs here just to see if I can get into an interview and basically go to a couple of them with no intentions of actually taking a job. I would be doing this mainly for practice so when I get out and move back home I will know more of what to expect in an interview and how to handle myself better the first time around. Is this morally wrong? Does anyone think this is a good idea? Any thoughts or comments are appreciated. Thanks guys!

networker050184

Very morally wrong IMO. People are very busy. As someone who goes through the trouble of sorting through resumes and interviewing candidates on top of my normal work load, I'd be pretty upset if someone wasted my time without the intent of actually getting the job.

Imagine if people interviewed you for a job you really wanted, but they were just practicing their interviewing skills.

MrAgent

That's something I do not do. Think of it from a hiring managers perspective. You really only want to interview candidates who have an interest in the position.

Where are you moving to when you get out? I was also in the Navy, and was an IT2 when I seperated.

NavyIT

But isn't this kind of a "What they don't know, won't hurt them" kind of situation? What's to get upset about if you don't actually know the person has no intentions of taking the job?

MrAgent, I am also an IT2.. I'll be moving back home to Charleston, SC.

networker050184

It does hurt them by wasting their time and hurts another candidate that could have had that interview slot.

Zartanasaurus

networker050184 wrote: »

Imagine if people interviewed you for a job you really wanted, but they were just practicing their interviewing skills.

Sums it up very nicely. I hate having my time wasted and I try not to waste the time of others.

kgb

NavyIT wrote: »

But isn't this kind of a "What they don't know, won't hurt them" kind of situation? ...

A true measure of a person isn't what they do in front of others, but what they do when no one is around. With that logic, you'd be OK with your spouse running around on you, since "you don't know"?

Edit:
To be constructive, you have 7 months. You have plenty of time to prepare. Start now, rock it when you get out (or close too).

NavyIT

Ok, ok I get it. I am just worried because I joined the Navy straight out of high school and have never had a real job interview for a serious job. I just don't want to get into an interview for a job I really want and blow it because I did not know what to expect or was not well enough prepared for the kinds of questions they asked.

bigmantenor

The other issue with this (beside the moral issue) is that it won't really be a test of anything for you, since you have nothing on the line/don't really want the jobs. I imagine interviewing for a job you really want is completely different than just interviewing for the sake of interviewing. Part of what makes the interview experience authentic is a bit of anxiety, which you won't really get if you're just "practicing". I see no benefit to doing this, for yourself or for the people who would be wasting time interviewing you. You're better off studying concepts that are currently foreign to you but fall within the broader scope of what you want to do in IT.

Also, as someone who has conducted a few interviews before, it is not necessarily a defeat to say "I don't know, but I can find out". We hire people all the time that do not necessarily have all the requisite knowledge for the position they applied for. Soft skills (especially people skills) are in high demand in IT, because most of us interface with users, execs, other admins, etc. on a daily basis. It can actually be refreshing to ask a question and not have someone feign knowledgeable about topics they know nothing about.

cyberguypr

Concur with the guys, do not waster their time. Many community colleges and some non-profit institutions routinely conduct mock interviews and I am sure they will be more than happy to help you out.

Valsacar

Have you gone through TAP (I'm pretty sure the Navy calls it that as well, in the Army we called it ACAP)? If not, you are behind the power curve and need to get moving on it NOW. Your command MUST let you go to their courses (generally 3 days plus an optional half day on VA disability, which you should also do) as it is mandated by Congress.

They will cover the transition process, resume writing skills, interview techniques, mock interviews, etc. After the courses you can use them for up to 6 months for assistance with anything related to getting gainful employment. They have contacts with businesses, books and books of job openings, run job fairs, etc.