Back to activities
Together timeTalking togetherCalm

Mock Job Interview

Parent runs a practice job interview so the teen builds real interview skills in a low-stakes setting.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child at home doing Mock Job Interview.
  • Age12 to 14 years
  • Time15 to 30 minutes
  • EnergyModerate
  • CostFree
  • WhereIndoors
  • PrepNone

A playful mock interview where you play interviewer and your teen tries out real interview-style questions together. Think rehearsal with someone in their corner, not a performance to get right.

How to do it

  1. Ask your teen to pick a job to practice for: a real one they are curious about, or a fully made-up one just for fun (professional snack tester, dragon trainer). Either works.
  2. Set up two chairs facing each other, or just sit across the kitchen table: keep it casual, not formal.
  3. Explain the game with something like "I'm going to be the interviewer for a bit. Answer however feels natural, and we can always try a question again."
  4. Ask 4-6 questions one at a time, pausing so your teen can think. Try starters like "Tell me about yourself," "Why does this job interest you?," or "Tell me about a time something didn't go as planned." Offer a "redo" any time they want a second try.
  5. Swap roles if your teen is up for it, letting them interview you for a job of your choosing. This usually gets funny fast and takes the pressure off.
  6. Afterward, talk about which questions felt easiest and which felt trickiest. Stay curious about their experience rather than running through a list of what to fix.

What you need

  • Notepad

Signs it is working

Your teen gets through at least one full round of questions without stopping to ask if they are doing it right. They ask to switch roles and interview you, or suggest a tougher or sillier question themselves. They bring up a specific question again later, on their own, days after the practice round. They ask to run through it again before a real interview or big conversation is coming up

If it is not quite clicking

Your teen gives one-word answers and seems put on the spot: Drop the "interview" framing for a minute and just talk through the job idea together, then ease back into a question or two: or let them interview you first so they see it is not a test. They say the whole thing feels awkward or embarrassing: Lean into the awkwardness on purpose: answer one question in a ridiculous, over-the-top way so it is clearly a game and not a real evaluation. Your teen cannot think of a job to practice for: Offer a low-stakes invented job (ice cream taste-tester, theme park mascot) so nothing real is riding on the answers. The debrief starts turning into a list of what they should have said: Ask what they would want to try differently themselves before you say anything, and skip comments on questions you never actually asked

Make it yours

Younger end, 12 years: Use a fully invented, silly job for the whole round (theme park mascot, snack taster) so it stays playful rather than realistic. Older end, 14 years and up: Use a real job, internship, or program they are curious about, and let them look up a question or two from an actual posting to practice with. Sibling or friend around: Let the sibling or friend take a turn as interviewer too, with your teen coaching them the way you coached your teen. Repeat sessions: Swap in new questions each time, and once your teen is comfortable, let them suggest the weird or funny ones

Try this with your child.

Tell PLAI™ about your child and this moment. It shapes the activity to fit.

Try it in the app