#HMP

Tag: #HMP

My Experience as an Interviewer – Big Interview

Serving as an interviewer gave me a new perspective on how important communication and confidence are during interviews. While reviewing recorded interviews, I noticed that the strongest answers were the ones that were clear, organized, and easy to follow. Candidates who explained their experiences step by step and highlighted the results of their actions were much more memorable. Their responses felt natural and showed both preparation and confidence. 

I also realized that interviews are not only about giving the right answer, but about how effectively someone tells their story. Small details such as eye contact, tone of voice, posture, and enthusiasm made a strong impact, especially in recorded interviews where body language becomes even more noticeable. Candidates who sounded engaged and interested immediately stood out compared to those who seemed unsure or unprepared. 

This experience also helped me understand the value of feedback and self-reflection. Watching interviews closely showed me how preparation, practice, and confidence can improve communication skills over time. As an interviewer, I learned that every interview is not just an evaluation, but also an opportunity for growth for both the interviewer and the interviewee. 

Computer & Data Science double major, and Mathematics minor at Lawrence University, and the President of the Lawrence University Data Science Club. Connect with Sabin on LinkedIn

My Experience as a Career Peer Educator: Nadika Sharma

Working as a Career Peer Educator has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time at Lawrence. This role helped me see career development from a different perspective. Before this position, I mostly thought about career preparation as something personal, like improving my own resume, preparing for interviews, or searching for opportunities. But as a CPE, I learned how important it is to support other students as they figure out their own goals.

One of my most memorable experiences this year was doing graduate school research. As I started looking into different programs, requirements, faculty, courses, and application materials, I realized how much planning goes into the graduate school process. This research helped me understand that choosing a program is not only about ranking or name recognition. It is also about fit, location, funding, faculty interests, and long-term career goals. Through this experience, I became more comfortable comparing programs and thinking critically about what kind of environment would help a student grow.

Another memorable experience was practicing interview skills during our staff meetings. These practices helped me understand how important it is to prepare clear, specific answers instead of trying to memorize perfect responses. I learned how to use examples from my own experiences, organize my thoughts, and speak with more confidence. It was also helpful to hear feedback from others because it showed me what sounded strong and what could be improved. This experience made interviewing feel less intimidating and more like a skill that can be practiced over time.

I also enjoyed contributing articles to the Career Center blog. Writing these articles helped me turn career topics into information that students could actually understand and use. Some examples of articles I wrote this year include “My Experience as an Interviewer: Nadika Sharma,” where I reflected on what I learned from reviewing recorded interviews, “Siemen’s Project Management Forage Simulation Experience,” where I wrote about practicing project management, dashboards, and communication and “Niche Job Sites and Decoding Job Descriptions,” where I explained how students can search more strategically and understand job postings better.

Professionally, I have grown in several ways through this role. First, I became more confident in communication. Whether I was speaking during meetings, practicing interviews, or helping students think through career questions, I learned how to explain ideas more clearly. I improved my research skills, especially through graduate school research. I learned how to compare programs, look carefully at requirements, and think about long term fit. I also became more comfortable with professional feedback. Staff meetings and interview practices helped me see feedback as something useful, not something to be nervous about.

Being a Career Peer Educator helped me grow as a communicator, researcher, and peer mentor. It also reminded me that career development is not always a straight path. Students are often figuring things out step by step, and sometimes the most helpful thing is to give them support, resources, and encouragement. This role helped me do that for others while also learning more about myself and my own professional goals.

Her Next Play: Sophie Morey’s Summer Experience

As we approach the end of Spring term, summer is almost here! With that comes summer jobs or internships for the 2026 summer. Yet, what were Lawrentians up to last summer?

Sophie is a current senior about to graduate with two Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Gender Studies, with a minor in Government. As well, she is on the Women’s Basketball and Women’s Lacrosse teams.

In the 2025 summer, Sophie was an intern for Her Next Play, a nonprofit in the Twin Cities focused on developing the next generation of female leaders through sports. She worked virtually and helped maintain and run their social media accounts, primarily on Instagram.

With this, she started cleaning up their page, mainly matching color schemes and aesthetics. Sophie has been running the Wellness Center’s social medias for the past three years, so this felt very natural. She also created posts for events and various spotlights, such as the intern alumni series “Motivation Mondays”. Here, she would post a female athlete with a quote about their leadership style, including both incredibly famous and more lesser known athletes. The goal was to motivate and encourage women and girls in sports in every capacity.

“Leadership takes many different forms and I wanted to encourage girls to find their voice and leadership style that works best for them! I really enjoyed my experience at Her Next Play and would really encourage folks to check them out and consider partnering/donating!!” exclaimed Morey.

Her Next Play works directly with Lawrence University, as a Lawrence Funded Internships. When applying for these kinds of internships, you are only competing with other Lawrentians, as they hold spots directly for us. Keep an eye out for Her Next Play around winter term next year, and a huge congratulations to Sophie as she graduates in a few weeks!

Good luck Lawrentians!

Branding and Design Forage Simulation: What to Expect

Job simulations can be great tools when it comes to understanding an industry you aren’t yet in, or aren’t sure if you want to go down that route. It helps you get a decent idea of what kind of work someone in your simulated role would be doing, so you can get a feel for if this job is something you may want to do. I recently completed the Branding and Design Forage Simulation and simulated working with a clothing company called Lumea. The entire simulation was about their new tote bag.

With this tote bag, there were tasks that had to be completed, but don’t worry I won’t give you spoilers. Thinking about branding and what that means, the tasks were related to how to set yourself apart as a brand and how important continuity and consistency are. Think of any brand, maybe Apple, Google, Old Navy, or lululemon. They all have very specific things that make them unique and well known. This simulation walks you through how that may look in practice.

Social media is a huge aspect of branding, and of course design. Knowing how to use it properly is key to success in this industry. How do you engage your followers? Local communities? How do you partner with other brands? What about influencers? How do you choose which influencers to work with? How do you go about expanding your audience? Or keeping those already in yours? These are all questions that this simulation actually works through pretty well.

Overall, I enjoyed this simulation and it felt more engaging than i was expecting. I think you learn a lot of valuable information, and it’s definitely worth your time.

Good luck Lawrentians!

Learning UX Design with Lloyds Banking Group: My Forage Experience

I’ve always been curious about what UX (user experience) design really is and how designers create digital products that are easy and enjoyable to use. Recently, I explored this through the UX Design Introduction Job Simulation with Lloyds Banking Group on Forage, and it was both eye-opening and very helpful.

In this simulation, I took on the role of a junior UX designer, working as part of a team tasked with creating a new digital banking feature. My first challenge was to conduct a competitive analysis, researching what other banks were offering and analyzing customer spending data. This helped me understand how companies identify market trends and make decisions based on data, skills that are useful in almost any field.

Next, I focused on customer research, designing surveys and observing user behavior to see what real customers need. This experience taught me practical ways to collect feedback, analyze patterns, and use insights to make digital products easier and more enjoyable to use. I especially enjoyed learning how UX design combines research, creativity, and problem-solving. It showed me that great design is not just about aesthetics, but about truly understanding the user.

This simulation was incredibly helpful because it gave me a hands-on experience with real-world UX tasks. It clarified concepts I had only read about and gave me tools I can use in the future, whether in design, marketing, or other creative projects. For someone like me, always curious about UX, it was a clear way to see how research and creativity come together to improve user experiences.

Overall, completing this simulation strengthened my skills in research, analysis, and designing with the user in mind, and it gave me confidence in exploring careers that combine creativity and data-driven decision-making.

Try it for yourself: https://www.theforage.com/virtual-experience/N65hfzBKXRiATv6yd/lloyds-banking-group/ux-design-introduction-xhef/intro-scenario

What Reviewing Interviews Taught Me About Communication

Before this assignment, I mostly thought about interviews from the perspective of the person answering questions. Reviewing asynchronous interviews through Big Interview completely changed that. Watching multiple responses back-to-back made it easier to notice what immediately captured attention and what made answers difficult to follow. The strongest responses were not always the most polished or formal. Instead, they felt genuine, organized, and easy to connect with. The students who stood out usually explained a real experience, gave enough context for the listener to understand the situation, and spoke with a sense of purpose instead of sounding overly rehearsed.

One thing I especially noticed was how important structure becomes in recorded interviews. In a live conversation, interviewers can ask clarifying questions, but in asynchronous interviews, the recording has to speak for itself. Answers became confusing when people jumped straight into details without explaining the bigger picture first. On the other hand, some responses worked really well because they balanced storytelling with clarity. A few students also did a great job connecting their experiences back to the role or skill being discussed, which made their answers feel more meaningful instead of just descriptive. I also became more aware of things that are easy to overlook when recording yourself, such as pacing, lighting, eye contact, filler words, and nervous habits. Even small adjustments in those areas made interviews feel more professional and engaging.

After reviewing these interviews, my biggest advice for students completing asynchronous interviews is to practice communicating naturally rather than trying to sound perfect. Interviewers are not expecting flawless delivery. They want to understand how you think, communicate, and reflect on your experiences. Watching your own recordings can definitely feel uncomfortable at first, but it can also be one of the best ways to improve. Instead of focusing only on mistakes, students should pay attention to what is already working well and build from there. Peer feedback is not about criticizing someone’s personality; it is about helping each other grow into stronger and more confident communicators.

Dennis Boakye ’26 is a senior with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Mathematics. Dennis is the current career peer educator for the Health and Medicinal Professions (HMP) and the Physical and Natural Sciences (PHN) career communities at Lawrence University. Connect with Dennis on LinkedIn.