William Bahrt ⋅ Sequim, WA Arizona Public Service Company ⋅ 15 years experience

Jim:
A person that knows how to conduct a good job interview is a rare person indeed. The fact is that when a person is promoted to, or hires on as a hiring manager he or she is often automatically vested with the skill of interviewing. This just does not happen. Good interviewers are rare on the market. Here are some things that should happen during a well conducted interview. If you go into an interview and the interviewer makes an effort to help you relax by offering a cup of coffee or a glass of water followed by a brief but complete explanation of the job being offered, you probably are working with a person who knows what s/he is doing. The good interview should then inform the interviewee of how the interview will be conducted. A good interviewer would then offer the interviewee a pad and pencil to take notes with during the interview. This is followed by questions that relate specifically to the job at hand and the skills that are required on the job. Once this phase is complete, the good interviewer will ask if there are any questions the applicant has regarding the job and/or the company. This can be one of the most important parts of the interview. Remember, two sales are being made in the employment interview; first, the company is deciding whether to buy an employee, and two, the interviewee is deciding whether he/she wants to buy that particular company. Because of this, it is to the credit of the interviewee if they do some research on the company and its philosophies. When the interview is completed, a good interviewer will tell the interviewee when the decision will be made and wish them well. As soon as possible after the interview, the interviewee should send the interviewer a note of thanks to the interviewer. In that letter it is a good idea to reinforce one or two good points that were discussed during the interview.

Maria Erchul ⋅ Spokane, WA Incyte Diagnostics ⋅ 15 years experience

Jim,
Per a quick search: "Minnesota mock interviews" - google came up with several resources. Find a group that best suits your needs and has the staffing/volunteers who are familiar/knowledgeable with your career path. Churches are often another resource/network opportunity.
The best to you.

Robert Brockman ⋅ San Diego, CA San Diego State University now Self Empl ⋅ 52 years experience

Here is a reply I just left as a response to a similar situation regarding thank you messages. It supports what is said above by others who have responded so take it with that grain:

The interview is what sells. Very little that you do before it (other than being prepared) or after is going to influence the decision. Sure, a quick Thanks is a polite gesture at the end of the interview and for a follow up note. But the only time you really have the attention that can make a difference is from when you walk into the interview until you walk out.......unless of course you have an inside connection. All changes if you have an inside connection where prudent and carefully guided follow up might be in order. Do not under estimate the advantages of mastering interviewing skills and practice, practice, practice them. You should be as comfortable an interviewee and they are an interviewer.

Karin Reidy ⋅ Bethesda, MD AmLaw 100 firm ⋅ 25 years experience

Contact alums. People love their alma maters. So much so that they usually jump at the chance to speak with alums needing job hunting assistance. Get on the web, find people in your preferred industry who attended the same school as you did, send an email asking for either a cup of coffee, an informational interview a mock interview or a Skype chat.
You will be surprised at how many people will make efforts to help a fellow alum. This can work with any schooling you have completed, be it high school, university and graduate school.
The very best of luck to you!

Karl Koelle ⋅ Olathe, KS J&J Printing ⋅ 18 years experience

Here in Kansas City there are a variety of job-seeker groups that offer support and assistance to all. Many of them offer practice interviews as part of their regular program to prepare candidates for success in the interview environment. Helps to cut the stress and prepares the candidate to answer typical interview questions and structures. Behavioral interviewing was a key topic at one such event I attended.
You could check with local churches or this website also: http://mn.gov/deed/job-seekers/workforce-centers/networking/

Morgan Keasler ⋅ Valley City, ND Valley City State University ⋅ 7 years experience

Jim,
I used to work for Hennepin County in Minneapolis, so I may have some contacts. What type of work are you interested in? I'll check with my contacts and can get back to you.
Morgan

Jim Schreier ⋅ Milwaukee, WI 212 Leadership/Career Coaching ⋅ 50 years experience

I have been offering to "interview" job seekers via a couple different options on my website.
Here's one of the options: http://www.212-careers.com/interview-critique/

I am going to make the offer on a complimentary basis to veterans on this site. It's become much harder over the last few years to secure "informational interviews." Usually requires a direct contact like you got from your mentor.

You can just submit the contact form on my site it you're interested -- no need for payment!