Lessons learned
Spring brings the usual rush of new university graduates into the job market. My family is no exception. My daughter is ready to launch her professional career after years of university. She has applied and successfully interviewed for part time jobs over the years, but these are "the" interviews that will hopefully land her a full time job and begin her career. Like every good helicoptering paren't, I wonder what I can do to help.
I have talked to a number of colleagues and friends who have shared some random tips that they have gotten either with first hand experience or through books and I thought they might merit repeating.
Applying for jobs: Since most jobs are applied for electronically, when applying for a job by e-mail, take the time to find the name of a real person at the company to address your application to. When signing your e-mail, use a font that looks like a signature.
Once you have the interview: Get books or go to websites that offer sample interview questions. Have a friend (or paren't) do a mock interview. Practice answers, think of real experiences that you can use as examples of either problem solving or group work and/ or talking points that will help you during the interview, when you may be too nervous to think of them.
Beginning of the interview: Many interviews begin with the query "tell us a little about yourself". They don't want to know how many brothers and sisters you have – they want you to put yourself in context with the job you are applying for.
End of the interview: Many interviews end with the query "is there anything else that you would like to add that we haven't covered in the interview?" Take this time to thank the interviewer for the opportunity to be considered for the job and use this moment to make a final "pitch" of your qualifications and fit for the job at hand. You can address any "holes" in your qualifications that might have come up in the interview.
Post interview: Take a minute after you walk out of the interview and write down questions that you were asked. They will help you practice for the next interview. Take a minute to write either a card or e-mail and thank the person who interviewed you and if there was something that you failed to mention in the interview about yourself – now is the time to add it.
And remember – you learn something from every interview you have – and an unsuccessful interview gives you a chance to build and improve for the interview that actually does land you the job.
One thought on “Lessons learned”
Thanks for these tips.
My daughter was until recently in a similar situation. She graduated from university last June and, after two internships, just landed her first permanent full-time job.
A couple of things she noticed about the interview process:
– She prepared a portfolio, which highlighted work she had done as a volunteer and an intern. Some interviewers asked if they could keep it while they were considering their decision. It sometimes took them weeks to get it back to her – and in the meantime she needed it for other interviews. She eventually made a copy.
– When she was contacted for a second interview, she was sometimes given an “assignment” to prepare. They required a lot of work; she spent about 10 hours working on one! I don’t remember this from my job interview days, but in her field at least (the non-profit sector) it seems to be increasingly common.
I hope these tips help other recent graduates. And I wish your daughter well with her job search.