I am a 23-year-old college student and am currently working on my internship. I will be starting my journey into the “real world” soon and I just wanted to share some of the helpful tips I've learned about job interviews. At UNF, I took a speech class that had an entire interview unit in it. Here are some of the most helpful tips I learned: 1. Dress Professional. How you present yourself will be your interviewer’s initial impression of you. If your clothes are wrinkled or stained, they may think that you are not serious about your appearance, therefore, not serious about the job. 2. ALWAYS research the company. Before your interview, research the company to learn as much as you can about it. Searching its web site is a good start. During the interview, bring up a few key points about the company that impressed you. This will show that you have a genuine interest in that particular company and that you are not just applying anywhere to find a job. 3. Bring spare resumes, a pen and paper to your interview. The interviewer may have lost your resume and want a new one. By having a spare on hand, you will look organized and prepared. It will also be helpful if you have a copy for yourself to look at. Also, taking notes during the interview will show that you are interested in the company and serious about wanting to the job. 4. The "Tell Me About Yourself" Question. This is a good starting point for telling the interviewer a little about you... but where to start? I learned that it is best to start by telling them where you are from. Next, if you are applying at a company that requires lots of teamwork, you could talk briefly about team sports you played in high school or college and how it helped you learn to work as a team player. You could also talk about the high school/college you went to and why you chose that school. If you did any team activities in classes and/or had any leadership roles, you could also talk about the experience and the type of skills you needed to possess to be a leader. Also, you could possibly talk about any new skills you learned after stepping into the leadership role. Remember to keep your answers brief. Reveal enough about yourself to show the interviewer what you are about, but you don't want to tell them your life story. Shorter answers yield better attention spans. 5. Don't brag about yourself, but point out traits that would make you an asset to the company. 6. The Two-Question Rule. Always have at least two questions to ask your interviewer at the end of the interview. In my class, I learned that if you don't have any questions after an interview, interviewers may think that you are not really that interested in the job. Also, NEVER ask about money. Here are some possible questions to ask: · What made you want to come and work for this company? · What is it like during a typical day at this company? · What is your favorite thing about this company? · What is your favorite part of your job? · Are you where you want to be in your career? · If I was hired, what duties would I be in charge of? What tasks would I be responsible for? 7. Follow up. Before you leave the interview, ask the interviewer when you should contact them if you don’t hear back from the company. Once you get home, send the interviewer a thank-you note (hand-written or E-mail) for giving you the opportunity to interview for the position. Good luck girls and I hope these tips help you stand out and get that next great job!!
I am a 23-year-old college student and am currently working on my internship. I will be starting my journey into the “real world” soon and I just wanted to share some of the helpful tips I've learned about job interviews. At UNF, I took a speech class that had an entire interview unit in it. Here are some of the most helpful tips I learned:
1. Dress Professional. How you present yourself will be your interviewer’s initial impression of you. If your clothes are wrinkled or stained, they may think that you are not serious about your appearance, therefore, not serious about the job.
2. ALWAYS research the company. Before your interview, research the company to learn as much as you can about it. Searching its web site is a good start. During the interview, bring up a few key points about the company that impressed you. This will show that you have a genuine interest in that particular company and that you are not just applying anywhere to find a job.
3. Bring spare resumes, a pen and paper to your interview. The interviewer may have lost your resume and want a new one. By having a spare on hand, you will look organized and prepared. It will also be helpful if you have a copy for yourself to look at. Also, taking notes during the interview will show that you are interested in the company and serious about wanting to the job.
4. The "Tell Me About Yourself" Question. This is a good starting point for telling the interviewer a little about you... but where to start? I learned that it is best to start by telling them where you are from. Next, if you are applying at a company that requires lots of teamwork, you could talk briefly about team sports you played in high school or college and how it helped you learn to work as a team player.
You could also talk about the high school/college you went to and why you chose that school. If you did any team activities in classes and/or had any leadership roles, you could also talk about the experience and the type of skills you needed to possess to be a leader. Also, you could possibly talk about any new skills you learned after stepping into the leadership role.
Remember to keep your answers brief. Reveal enough about yourself to show the interviewer what you are about, but you don't want to tell them your life story. Shorter answers yield better attention spans.
5. Don't brag about yourself, but point out traits that would make you an asset to the company.
6. The Two-Question Rule. Always have at least two questions to ask your interviewer at the end of the interview. In my class, I learned that if you don't have any questions after an interview, interviewers may think that you are not really that interested in the job. Also, NEVER ask about money.
Here are some possible questions to ask:
· What made you want to come and work for this company?
· What is it like during a typical day at this company?
· What is your favorite thing about this company?
· What is your favorite part of your job?
· Are you where you want to be in your career?
· If I was hired, what duties would I be in charge of? What tasks would I be responsible for?
7. Follow up. Before you leave the interview, ask the interviewer when you should contact them if you don’t hear back from the company. Once you get home, send the interviewer a thank-you note (hand-written or E-mail) for giving you the opportunity to interview for the position.
Good luck girls and I hope these tips help you stand out and get that next great job!!
These are great tips. Here are a few more from one that did her internship over 12 years ago...1) Stay in touch with your clients and old bosses. You never know when you might need a glowing reference or they know someone in another city that can give you a fabulous job, 2) Save copies/samples of all your work from each position you hold. Once you leave, it is hard to get this stuff and 3) network, network, network...never loose touch with your peers. At the end of the day, it really is about who you know. Good luck out there!
Wow! These are great tips and useful no matter where you are in your career. I agree with Caroline that networking cannot be emphasized enough, especially in tough economic times like this. There are many qualified professionals out there looking for jobs and if you can distinguish yourself because they can put a face with a name on a resume, that can be the difference between getting an interview or not.
The only other recommendation I have is let your current job be your best reference for a future job. I have moved around a lot in my career; literally and figuratively. Not all jobs are dream jobs, but there is always a customer, internal or external, who needs that job to be done. Do it to the best of your ability and serve that customer.
I am so glad to hear all of these points. I may be in a position in the next few years to interview again, believe it or not. Who knows?? Most of the tips were a little common sense, but remember, I've been working a long time. The best point made is, keep in touch, don't burn bridges and get to know a lot, lot, lot of people. The most famous saying for this generation...."at the end of the day", it is all about who you know......
I'm an HR Director....these are excellent tips.
One more important tip....spellcheck!! We have a special file for resumes with misspelled words. :)
These are very helpful, and even though much of it is common sense...it is always good to review! Unfortunately, I'll be going through the interview gauntlet again soon and as it’s been over 9 years since I’ve actively had to look for employment. I’m not looking forward to it!
Another interesting tidbit I recently picked up on the networking front (because as several others have already pointed out, it is all about who you know!) is that you should always have an elevator pitch ready to go. A 15 to 20 second statement that makes an impression. It’s harder than you think to come up with, but well worth the effort!
Liz, these are great points....many could also be helpful in setting the tone for advancement in your current company. Always remember, an interview is as much about how you fit in the company as it is about what you can do for the company. And #7 is great! Always follow up, again and agin, there will be a job eventually. Good luck!