How to succeed in the on-campus interview

Black Collegian, Oct 2002 by Shakoor, A Tariq

CAREER PLANNING & JOB SEARCH GUIDE

If you are feeling a little nauseous and your palms are sweaty, you probably are suffering from an illness that often strikes seniors this time of year-it's called interview phobia, or fear of the on-campus interview. While it is normal to have some nervousness about the interviewing process, you don't have to get stuck with an acute case of interview phobia. Sound preparation and a good sense of who you are and what you want will pull you through. This article will provide you some guidelines and insights to a successful on-campus interviewing experience.

Preparing for the Interview

Probably the very first thing you need to do to ensure a successful on-campus interviewing experience is to ask yourself some very important questions. On-campus interviewing is more than finding out what companies are going to be interviewing, submitting a resume and waiting to be selected. While that's the strategy a lot of seniors take, it's a strategy that is certain to lead to frustration and disappointment. You have to put more work into the process and the work has got to begin with you.

Susan Denman-Briones, a professional career counselor at Southern Polytechnic State University of Georgia, encourages students to "develop a summary sheet of your skills and accomplishments." Employers look for and hire persons with specific skills sets. Taking a personal inventory of your skills, interests, values and accomplishments is a necessary and critical first step in preparing for the successful interview experience. This very simple step is important because it will help guide your decision on what you want to do and where you want to do it. Before you even look at the list of companies coming to your earnpus, you should be able to comfortably articulate your skills, interests, values and accomplishments. Ask yourself some very simple questions such as "What am I good at (skills and accomplishments)" and "What do I like doing (interest and values)?" Take a closer look at your hobbies and extracurricular activities to help you determine what you really like doing.

Once you have a handle on what you are good at (skills) and what you like (interests) it would be a good idea to make an appointment with a counselor at the career center. A counselor can help you shape your skills and interests into a clear career focus. Career counselors can also help you to develop viable career options, so that your job search will be focused, yet flexible. For example, your strongest skill set may be writing and oral communications. What a counselor can do is to help you look at specific careers where those skill sets may be valued. Those particular skill sets are valued in a number of diverse careers such as: advertising, banking, book and magazine publishing, education, public relations and technical writing just to name a few. The bottom line is that employers expect you to have some sense of what you want to do in terms of career goals.

Research: A Major Ingredient for Success

After you have completed a personal inventory, have an idea of what you're good at and what kind of work you want to do, you're ready for the next step in preparing for the interview. If you know the kind of work you want to do and the type of environment you want to work in, you can now begin to target the organizations that seem to be a match for you. The interview is more than a chance to exchange information; it is also an opportunity for you to sell yourself as a top candidate. One way to convince the recruiter of your genuine interest is to know as much as you can about the company. At the very least you should know what industry they are in, what their top products or services are, and who are their customers and competitors. The pre-interview research you do on companies is a major ingredient for a successful interview. Every employer I have ever talked with suggests that researching a company is the best way to show your interest in them. The worst thing you can do is to go to the interview and say to the recruiter, "So, what exactly does your company do?" You can rest assured that your resume will be tossed in the 'No' pile before you leave the building.

There is no excuse for not coming to the interview with at least a working knowledge of the company for which you are interviewing. So, do your homework in advance. You can research the company and industry via the company's website. The Internet is a powerful tool for research, and is right at your fingertips. Other places you can get information on companies are at your school's career center, in business directories and in trade journals. While the business section of most local newspapers can also provide good current information, the internet is by far the most powerful and accessible tool for research. Even if you are interested primarily in nonprofit organizations or work in the government, research is still the key to a successful interview. The time you put into the research will significantly lessen your anxiety and help you navigate the interview in a comfortable manner.