Learn how to prepare for a job interview the right way! This unique collaboration between Big Interview and Coursera will teach proven techniques to help you turn your interviews into job offers. You'll learn what interview questions to expect and how to answer them. You'll also get access to interactive tools to guide you in outlining answers to key questions and practicing until you feel confident. The course also provides guidance on how to optimize your resume using the Big Interview resume builder and how to use networking to uncover more job leads.
This course was created by career coach Pamela Skillings, founder of Big Interview and featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other publications. For those new to interviewing, we'll take you from beginner to expert. For those with some interview experience, we offer advice and tools to help you address any weaknesses in your current approach and get better results.
Please note that you will need a webcam and microphone to use the interactive practice interview tools in some sections of the course.
Welcome! This course will help you level up your job search results, whether you're a beginner or an experienced job seeker looking for new tricks and techniques. The first few weeks focus exclusively on the art of the job interview. That's because we want you to be ready for your next interview invitation. You don't want to waste any opportunities! The interview is where job seekers make the most self-sabotaging mistakes. After getting you interview-ready, we will move on to strategies for finding more exciting job leads and getting more interview invitations.
In Week 1, we're going to cover the fundamentals of interviewing well. You will learn some best practices for selling yourself and presenting your strengths authentically, the different types of interviews you can expect and the kinds of hiring managers you may encounter, as well as practical advice on what to wear on the big day, body language, and how to analyze the job description during your preparation.
We'll also introduce you to the Big Interview Answer Builder and Practice Interview tools, which you will see more of next week when we dive deeper into the most common interview questions and how to answer them. You'll see instructions for how to access and use these tools and, when you're ready, how to easily return to Coursera.
What's included
10 videos5 readings3 assignments2 app items
Show info about module content
10 videos•Total 53 minutes
Course Welcome Video•2 minutes
Introduction to Big Interview Curriculum•1 minute
Job Interview Best Practices•6 minutes
Evaluate An Interview Answer•0 minutes
Types of Interviews•8 minutes
Types of Interviewers•6 minutes
Answering Inappropriate Questions•5 minutes
What to Wear•4 minutes
Mastering Nonverbal Communication•10 minutes
Analyzing the Job Description•11 minutes
5 readings•Total 60 minutes
Course Introduction•10 minutes
10 Interview Rules to Live By•10 minutes
Think Like An Interviewer•10 minutes
Common Mistakes You Need to Avoid•10 minutes
Job Description Analysis Worksheet•20 minutes
3 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Evaluate an Interview Answer•20 minutes
Week 1 Summative Quiz•10 minutes
Lesson 2 Quiz•30 minutes
2 app items•Total 60 minutes
Improve Your Nonverbal Communications•30 minutes
Communicate Your Fit•30 minutes
Acing Common Questions
Module 2•4 hours to complete
Module details
Now that you have a more in-depth understanding of the job interview process, this module will prepare you to answer the most common (and tricky) interview questions that you're sure to face. Learn how to start strong with a great response to "Tell me about yourself." Prepare to put your best foot forward when answering the other questions that are likely to come up in all of your interviews. For each question type, we will teach you what to do and then guide you in using our Answer Builder and Practice Interview tools to prepare and practice your own answers. Read the assignment instructions for guidance in accessing and using the Big Interview tools.
What's included
4 videos1 reading1 assignment10 app items
Show info about module content
4 videos•Total 32 minutes
Tell Me About Yourself•9 minutes
Why Do You Want to Work Here•5 minutes
Talking About Strengths•10 minutes
Questions to Ask•7 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
Closing the Deal•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Acing Common Questions•30 minutes
10 app items•Total 190 minutes
Answer Builder: Tell Me About Yourself•25 minutes
Practice "Tell Me About Yourself"•15 minutes
Answer Builder: Why do you want to work here?•20 minutes
Practice: Why do you want to work here?•10 minutes
Answer Builder: Talking About Strengths•30 minutes
Practice: Talking About Strengths•10 minutes
Answer Builder: Questions to Ask•15 minutes
Asking Questions•10 minutes
Practice Interview Level 1•25 minutes
Finalize Your Answer Bullet Points•30 minutes
Acing Advanced Interview Questions
Module 3•5 hours to complete
Module details
Now that you know how to ace the most common basic questions, it's time to get into some of the trickier questions that are likely to come up.
First, you'll learn all about behavioral questions and how to respond using the STAR format for memorable examples. Next, we'll cover other common qustions that can get tricky -- including questions about weaknesses, where you see yourself in five years, and how much you want to earn! ln each section, you'll use our Big Interview Answer Builder and Practice tools to put your new knowledge into action. You can easily return to the course from these tools by clicking on the Coursera tab.
What's included
4 videos3 readings1 assignment10 app items
Show info about module content
4 videos•Total 34 minutes
Behavioral Questions•12 minutes
Talking About Weaknesses•9 minutes
Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years•5 minutes
Salary Questions•8 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
How to Practice Storytelling•10 minutes
Overview of Behavioral Interviews•10 minutes
Salary Expectations•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Acing Advanced Questions•30 minutes
10 app items•Total 195 minutes
Behavioral/STAR Answer Builder•20 minutes
Practice Telling a STAR Story•10 minutes
Answer Builder: Weakness•15 minutes
Practice Talking About Weaknesses•10 minutes
Practice: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?•10 minutes
Practice Talking About Money•10 minutes
Practice Interview Level 2•30 minutes
Write More STAR Stories•30 minutes
Finalize Your Answer Bullet Points •30 minutes
Review Your Videos•30 minutes
Optimize Your Resume
Module 4•4 hours to complete
Module details
Now that you know how to ace job interviews, we want to make sure that you're getting plenty of opportunities to show off your skills. To land more interviews, you need to make sure your resume is optimized to get past the gatekeepers and highlight your fit. The lessons in this module will teach you how to format your resume, write an incredible resume summary, and get past the algorithms of Applicant Tracking Systems. Once you have mastered the material, we will guide you in using our Big Interview Resume Builder to turn your new knowledge into a new resume.
What's included
7 videos2 assignments2 app items
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 56 minutes
Resume Format Part 1•7 minutes
Resume Format Part 2•8 minutes
Resume Writing for Robots•8 minutes
Resume Summary Statements 1•8 minutes
Resume Summary Statements 2•8 minutes
Writing Persuasive Cover Letters•10 minutes
Thank-you notes•7 minutes
2 assignments•Total 15 minutes
Resumes 101 •5 minutes
Cover Letters and Thank You Notes•10 minutes
2 app items•Total 150 minutes
Resume Builder: Summary Statement•90 minutes
Resume Builder•60 minutes
Ramp Up Your Job Search
Module 5•2 hours to complete
Module details
Congratulations! If you've made it this far, it means you're interview-ready and have a solid resume to market yourself effectively for your target opportunities. Now there's no reason to hold back from ramping up your job search to identify more leads and line up more interviews. Our focus here is on networking and targeting your job search more effectively. Of course, you should also continue to monitor job boards and follow other standard job search protocols. However, this course is on improving your results and we've found that networking and job targeting are the best ways to take your job search from basic to optimized.
What's included
3 videos5 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 29 minutes
Leveraging Your Existing Network•10 minutes
Reaching Out to Network Contacts•11 minutes
Expanding Your Professional Network•8 minutes
5 readings•Total 110 minutes
Networking Contacts Worksheet•30 minutes
Identify Networking Action Items•20 minutes
Targeting Companies•10 minutes
Target Company Worksheet•30 minutes
Course Review and Next Steps•20 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
Ramp Up Your Job Search Quiz•10 minutes
Instructor
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Big Interview is the world's leading AI-based, job interview training system. Used by over 500 universities, high schools, workforce agencies and libraries.
We collaborated with Coursera to create a curated version of the Big Interview system for Coursera learners featuring the most essential lessons and tools.
Big Interview es el sistema de formación para entrevistas de trabajo basado en IA más importante del mundo, empleado por más de 500 universidades, institutos, agencias de empleo y bibliotecas.
Hemos colaborado con Coursera para crear una versión curada del sistema Big Interview con las lecciones y herramientas más esenciales para los estudiantes.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.