Critical Reflection on Mock Interview: Communication Skills

This report presents a critical reflection on a mock interview experience, focusing on the development of essential communication skills for a nursing professional. The student received feedback on verbal, non-verbal, and visual communication aspects during the mock interview. The analysis highlights areas for improvement, including eye contact (Oculesics), body language (Kinesics), and the need for positive framing in responses. The report emphasizes the importance of these skills in the nursing profession, particularly in patient interactions and job interviews. The student plans to work on these areas to enhance their interview performance and achieve their career goals. The feedback received from a peer during the mock interview was instrumental in identifying weaknesses and developing strategies for improvement. The report underscores the significance of non-verbal cues, such as body language and eye contact, in conveying confidence and building trust with patients and interviewers. The student recognizes the need to demonstrate optimism and frame responses positively, especially when discussing challenging situations. The goal is to improve communication skills to succeed in future interviews and the nursing profession.

Running head: CRITICAL REFLECTION ON MOCK INTERVIEW
CRITICAL REFLECTION ON MOCK INTERVIEW
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CRITICAL REFLECTION ON MOCK INTERVIEW
As a part of the assignment, we got the opportunity of reflecting on our skills of attending
interviews. Mock interview sessions were set, where a peer helped me by providing feedback on
my interview skills. I believe her feedback would help me develop such skills and succeed in
handling real life scenarios.
According to her feedback, the area that was found most concerning was my
communication caliber. An interviewer expects the interviewee to excel in three types of
communication skills. These are verbal communication, non-verbal communication and visual
communication. Usually, the interviewer tries to test communication skills of a job applicant by
making them communicate an idea or describing a concept or responding to a scenario. My
friend conducted an interview in a similar way by discussing a technical question of handling a
patient and the way I would respond to that particular strenuous situation. She mainly asked me
the various ways of how to handle a patient suffering from pressure ulcers and the care plan
associated with it.
One of the negative aspects that were found during the interview was my non-verbal
communication cues. Nonverbal communication cues are described as the ability of an individual
in picking up on and reacting or responding to body language, symbols and others. Firstly, she
commented about my eye contact with her during the discussion session. She made me
understand the ways I was avoiding eye contact with her. Eye contact needs to be steady as it
ensures presence of confidence and stability in the speaker. This is an area where I need to work
on.
Secondly, another concern of my friend was about my body language in the interview. In
the nursing profession, a positive body language is extremely important to handle patients and
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CRITICAL REFLECTION ON MOCK INTERVIEW
their families in distress. It helps in developing trust among the patients on the nurses who are
caring for them. During the time of interviews as well, the interviewer tries to ascertain whether
the candidate is showing an assertive behavior or not. My body language was not appropriate as
it was quite fidgety. I made too many hand gestures. I was also tapping my feet continuously,
involuntarily and this was also noted by her. Experts state that our body posture as well as its
movements and even the placement of different parts of our body play an important role in
letting out our feelings and emotions even when we do not want to exhibit our emotions
voluntarily. As a future nursing professional, I need to work on developing positive body
language. This is because; it is not only liked by other people but also helps to get more attention
as well as favor in any discussion.
Third issue pointed by my friend was the lack of positivism. Nursing professions is
intricately associated with displaying optimism in every harsh and crucial situation. Experts
comment that exhibiting optimism and framing responses positively are essential for job
interviews. When my friend asked me about the ways I tackled stressful situations in my
academic life, I only focused on aspects that did not work out. My correct approach would have
been discussing the lessons that I have learnt and the ways that I had solved the issues instead.
She gave me the feedback that instead of simply saying that a particular intervention did not
work; I should have come up with alternative solutions which would have given the desired
results. This helps in sending the message to the interviewer that I would be the right candidate
to be hired for the position.
From the above discussion, I have understood that I need to work on three major aspects.
These are my eye contacting skills (Oculesics), maintaining positive body language (Kinesics)
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and ensuring optimism in my words. I hope that I can work on them more effectively and get
hold of opportunities that help me to reach my goals in life.
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