Even in today’s job market, it is not uncommon to find people frantically preparing for a job interview. Interviewers and interviewees alike, are concerned with effectively presenting information and asking the right questions in order to find out if the job is a good fit for the candidate. Mind Mapping software can help both job interviewers and job interviewees to better prepare for the interview, by helping them to organize the information they want to get across. With Mind Maps, both parties have access to a tool that will help them “map out” their thoughts in a creative and intuitive manner, facilitating a much smoother interviewing process.

What is Mind Mapping Software?

Mind Mapping software is any software that is used to create diagrams, images, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information.¹ With Mind Maps, the key concept or main idea of the information being presented is represented by a central image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main topic are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central topic, with subsequent themes of less importance attached by “child branches” or “twigs”. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information shown in a spatial, rather than linear, format. Moreover, along with the ideas shown on the map are images, visual graphics, and colors that the constructor of the “map” associates with each of the themes and ideas. Mapping out information in this manner is widely believed to allow the brain to process the information in a way that is more consistent with its natural functioning.

Using a Mind Map to Prepare for a Job Interview

Both job interviewers and job interviewees are concerned with being prepared for the interview. However, consider an example in which you are the job interviewee. You’ve accomplished the all-important task of landing a job interview, and now you want to make sure that you land the job. You, therefore, begin preparing for the interview in order to put your best foot forward and present yourself in the best light. As you begin your preparation, you wonder what you should highlight and what questions you should ask the interviewer, so you decide to “map out” your thoughts using a Mind Map. The first step you might take is to represent the main topic of your Mind Map in the center of the map, in this case, the points you want to cover during the interview. Next, you might divide the map into different sections, such as “Background and Experience”, or “Project Management Capabilities”, and list these sections on “branches” that are attached to the main theme. You then might list all aspects within each section that you want to make sure to highlight during the interview on “child branches”. You finally might complete your map by adding any graphics or colors that you feel will help you better conceptualize the map. All of the information you want to ensure you convey to the interviewer, including the questions you have for him and her, would now be organized in a visually stimulating, spatial layout. The attached Mind Map shows a diagram of what your map might look like if constructed in this manner.

The Effectiveness of a Mind Map vs. Traditional Notes in Job Interview Preparation

Another option for preparing for a job interview is to write all of the information you want to highlight on paper, in note form. Here, you would simply list the items, by category, that you want to cover in a linear format, using only words. However, studies have shown that the “brain functions best when it compares, integrates, and synthesizes” the information it receives. This is because the brain naturally associates every word it learns with an image.² Therefore, using the Mind Map has the advantage of not only organizing the points you want to cover, but doing so in a way that naturally allows you to process and remember these points. This advantage can be particularly helpful when under the pressure of the actual interview and trying to remember what to talk about next. For example, you want to make sure to reference your experience managing projects for soda campaigns. The graphic of the glass of soda next to this point on your Mind Map helps jog your memory during the interview, and you are able to remember to highlight this experience. Had you simply listed this point on a piece of paper, you would likely have had a more difficult time remembering to bring it up during the interview, and then later regretted the missed opportunity to showcase this experience. With Mind Mapping software, the stress of preparing for a crucial job interview is so much simpler; Mind Maps make it easy to remember and organize everything you want the interviewer to know about you. And, in today’s job market, being calm, organized, and mentally prepared for an interview can give you an edge over other candidates.

1. Farrand, Paul; Hussain, Fearzana and Hennessy, Enid (May 2002). “The efficacy of the ‘mind map’ study technique”. Medical Education 36 (5): 426–431.
2. Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/mind-maps-maximize-your-learning-power-1417918.html