Amidst pulling all-nighter’s before finals, and wrapping up the video for the classroom presentation, your college senior is feeling mighty stressed.
Not because of the classwork. That much he can handle. What has him nearly over the edge is his first job interview.
If you’re the parent of a college student who’s feeling anxious about landing up with the right job or an internship, here are some tips you can pass along to your child. These advices from career and workplace experts can help ratchet down the tension and help keep them stress-free.
Be prepared: There are so many resources available today to research companies. In addition to websites, read the annual report, if available.
Practice: The more you practice interviewing, the better you’ll become. Whether at the campus career centre or in your room or apartment, work on mock interviews. Come up with several examples of stellar classroom work or previous job experiences that you can cite during the real interview.
Appearance counts: Unless you’re applying for an oceanfront lifeguarding job, a T-shirt and flip-flops probably won’t cut it as the interview dress code. As Lindsey Pollack recommends in Getting from College to Career, choose the right clothing and "always err on the side of formality".
After making a good first impression by dressing appropriately, remember all those charm school touches — keep your head up and shoulders back, extend a firm handshake, make eye contact with the interviewer and break the ice with small talk.
Don’t dodge the oddball question: "What is your favourite ice cream?" "If you were a tree or animal, what would you be and why?" If you were a billboard that could be read by the world, what would you say?"
Some interviewers, particularly in areas such as marketing and advertising, toss out these types of surprises to see how candidates think on their feet. The more creative the position, the more likely an odd question may come up, said Mike Theobald, director of career services at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.
"Be truthful and use your imagination and creativity," he said.
That doesn’t mean blurting out the first thing that pops into your mind. Even if you are prepared with an answer, it doesn’t hurt to pause and reflect a little before responding. An appropriate response might be: "That’s a really good question. Do you mind if I take a moment before answering?"
Silence is not golden: With the session wrapping up, the interviewer will likely ask if you have any questions. That’s your cue to fire away. That shows you’ve done your homework on the company. Don’t end the interview with a lame "I think you’ve covered everything."
The pay question: Even before making an offer, some interviewers will ask about salary expectations. Again be honest, and if you’ve done your research, you can say that you’d expect your salary to be at least within the range generally offered for that position.
Take it or leave it: What if you get an offer on the first interview?
Theobald encourages students to take their time and exhaust all their questions before accepting the offer, even if it comes from their first choice.
And if there’s not much time to kick around the offer? "Ask for an extension on the decision timeframe," Theobald said.
His final piece of advice: Go with your gut instinct. If you’re comfortable with the people, job duties, benefits, salary and the like, take the job. On the other hand, Theobald said, "If you feel uncomfortable before walking through the front door on the first day, how comfortable will you be walking through that door each day after?"
Look at the interview process as a learning opportunity. And, if you don’t get the job, don’t be crushed. Consider the process a good test run for the next go-round.
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