Job Interview Tips For New Graduates

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Article Author: Jenna Smith

When in college, you’re used to competition. Right from scholarships to  internships, you compete at every step with other students. Although you  may think applying for internships and scholarships is just a lesser version of  a job hunt, the world of employment is a much more competitive landscape.

Cleaning out your dorm, ridding school supplies with a textbook buy and sell back service, shopping for business  attire, and getting student loan bills should be the signs that the party is  over and it’s time to pay the tab. One thing that might not dawn on you is  thousands of other kids your age are in the same boat and there are a lot less  dream jobs than dream seekers.

Landing an interview is never enough. You need to go beyond the usual to  impress your potential employer and grab the job. Here are a few job interview  tips to help you improve your chances of success:

Prepare To The Core

We all know preparation is the key to succeed at any interview. But most  fresh graduates don’t prepare enough, which is why they fail. If you want to get  the job, then you need to prove it that you’ve done your homework.

Preparation doesn’t simply mean skimming through the company’s Wikipedia  page. You need to go out of your way to find out as much as you can about the  company, about its culture, the industry trends, and so on. That’s how you  demonstrate your worth to the interviewer.

Draft Stories

Your interviewer wants to see how your current skills complement the  requirements of the job. The best way to prove them is to draft stories about  your previous achievements. Why? Because stories are more convincing than  factual data.

Make sure your stories are interesting and to the point. Have a good opening  line and see to it that you’ve learned them by heart. Be clear and avoid  sounding like a robot.

Avoid Overselling Yourself

You know how they say that you should “be yourself” to make the best  impression? It’s an advice that you should stay away from when being  interviewed. While it’s good to be enthusiastic, energetic, and positive during  your interview – don’t oversell yourself.

The simple reason for this is, employers know that there’s a lot of talent in  the market. And candidates can go to any extent to get the job – even exaggerate  their skills and experience. So if you’re going to say something, you better  back it with solid proof.

Focus On Your Potential

Like any other candidate, you too are not perfect, which is why you shouldn’t  give the interviewer a chance to talk about where you lack. Instead, lay more  emphasis on your potential, which clearly shows that you have what it takes to  succeed at the job.

If you don’t have real world experience to boast of or if your past  achievements aren’t relevant to the job, thennyou should talk about your quick  learning and adapting abilities. It helps you win the confidence of your  interviewer to a great extent.

Remember, as a fresh graduate, you might not have highly specialized skills  and years of experience under your belt, but you do have some unique to offer.  That’s the uniqueness that you need to use to make an impact on your  interviewer.

Read more at http://www.careerealism.com/job-interview-tips-graduates/#I2FZCXeySCLLxKiQ.99