Two recordings a month apart, and the interview in between

The situation

The lab is bracketed by two recordings of the same answer. In between: the five answers written and timed, two four-part stories, the six difficult questions including a salary range from real research, a full mock video interview recorded and watched twice, and a dated four-week plan with a real mock booked. The second recording, compared honestly with the first, is the evidence.

What you'll be able to show

• Prepare the five must-have answers and two four-part stories in simple English
• Replace fillers with pauses and hold a steady pace under pressure
• Answer the difficult questions, including salary, from research not guesswork
• Run a video interview with the setup and backup handled
• Measure improvement against your own first recording

What you need

• A phone to record audio and video
• One friend for the mock interview, on the platform you expect to use
• Two real salary data points for your target role in your city

Tasks

1. 1The before recording
   Record 'tell me about yourself' now, before any preparation. Do not delete it. Listen back and note pace, filler words, and whether you gave a specific example.
   A correct result: The recording kept, with three notes on it.
2. 2Five answers, two stories
   Write all five must-have answers in full, in simple English. Time 'tell me about yourself' to about ninety seconds. Prepare two 'tell me about a time when' stories in the four-part structure, each with a specific example and a result.
   A correct result: Five written answers with the timing, and two stories with all four parts.
3. 3Clear under pressure
   Record the five answers standing up. Count filler words and collapsed sentences. Re-record deliberately slower with every filler replaced by a pause. Then once more with a friend interrupting with a follow-up question.
   A correct result: Three recordings; the filler count falling; the interrupted run held together.
4. 4The difficult six
   Write answers to all six difficult questions. For salary, state the actual range you will give, and show the two real data points it rests on. Rehearse the salary answer aloud until it comes out without apology.
   A correct result: Six answers; the salary range with its two sources; the rehearsed salary answer recorded.
5. 5The mock video interview
   A full mock on the platform you expect: lighting right, camera at eye level, notes off camera, backup agreed in the first minute. Record it. Watch it once with sound off for what your face and posture say, then once with sound for the words.
   A correct result: The recording, and one note from each watching.
6. 6The after recording and the plan
   Re-record 'tell me about yourself' and compare it with the task 1 recording: pace, fillers, specific example. Write the four-week plan with dates and book one real mock interview with a person this week.
   A correct result: Both recordings side by side with the three measures compared, a dated plan, and a booked mock.

What to hand in

The before and after recordings with the comparison, the written answers and stories, the difficult six with salary sources, the mock video with notes, and the dated plan.

How it is marked