Black Collegian Career Center

What is it about the on-campus interview that causes palms to sweat, pulses to rapidly accelerate, and brains to turn to mush? Ask seniors what they dread most and it will be close to unanimous—the on-campus interview. While final exams may also be high on the list, they don’t promote the kind of anxiety as the on-campus interview. Perhaps it's because they realize that the on-campus interview represents the culmination of four years of classes, writing papers and long nights. Or perhaps you know that this is the dress rehearsal for success after college. Whatever the reason, the dress rehearsal known as the on-campus interview can be mastered. Just like your final exam, it simply requires preparation and knowing what the audience (the recruiter) wants.

Getting started

Before you even sign up for your first interview, it would be wise to take stock of yourself. Over the years students preparing for an interview have often asked me, “What’s out there for a history major?” Wrong question. With few exceptions, employers are not nearly as concerned about majors as they are skills, personal attributes, grades and work experience. So, the first thing you need to understand is that unless you are going into a specialized area like accounting, engineering or computer programming, your major is not the essential part of the formula—you are. Step one then, visit the career center and get a counselor to help you identify your skills and interests in a systematic way. This self-assessment is the foundation for a good interview. Most students don’t like this part of the job search. They either don’t think it's that important or can’t find the time. A good personal assessment will help construct a good resume and a good interview—both essential to getting your first professional position. What the assessment will do is provide you with some focus. A good comprehensive assessment will help you identify career options and be able to articulate them when the time comes.

So, what are employers looking for in a candidate? What combination of skills and attributes are considered most important. According to the most recent annual survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the skills most sought after by employers were:

• Interpersonal
• Teamwork
• Verbal communication
• Analytical
• Computer
• Written communication
• Leadership

Now on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest, rate yourself in these areas right now. While ranking yourself, think of situations in part-time jobs or extra curricular activities where you have demonstrated these skills. Write down brief descriptions of how you have actually demonstrated these skills in those settings. Now put this aside for the moment and we will return to it later. Next, we are going to take a look at what personal characteristics are most desired by employers according to the same survey. Those personal characteristics are:

1. Communication skills
2. Work experience
3. Motivation/initiative
4. Teamwork skills
5. Leadership abilities
6. GPA/academic credentials
7. Technical skills
8. Interpersonal skills
9. Analytical skills
10. Ethics

The first thing you will notice about this list is that there are several items that overlap with the first list. As you prepare for the interview, knowing what recruiters are looking for will help you with your preparation. Review the list above and rank yourself as you did with the first list. Now notice what patterns emerge. You should be able to create a list of your strengths from this exercise. To confirm your strengths, have a close friend review the list and give you input.

Once you have a good idea of what it is companies are looking for, and what your individual skill profile looks like, you are ready to move into the next phase of the interview preparation. The next step in the assessment process is to decide where you want to work and what skills you most want to use. If you are uncertain at this point, it would be a good idea to talk with a career counselor at your school. A career counselor will be able to help you unravel the uncertainties that may stifle you. It is very important going into the interview for you to have some idea of what kind of work you want to do, that way you won’t be wasting your time or that of the recruiter. Sharon Anderson, college recruiter manager for SunTrust Bank says, “We like to see that prospective candidates have given some thought to their career options, and are not just going through the motions with the interview. We are looking for students who have a career focus and are serious about what they are undertaking. While quantitative skills are important in our business," says Anderson, "we rate personal leadership, integrity and team skills equally high.” So you see, it’s important that you come to the interview prepared to discuss your career aspirations as well as your strengths. As an old career axiom states, “know why you’re sitting there (the interview room).

Understanding the Recruiting Process

Going into the interview, it is important to understand the purpose and process of the on-campus interview. The purpose is very straightforward and simple. Chris Tabourne is Regional Recruiting Manager for Enterprise Leasing and Car Rental. Enterprise made the list of the Fortune 100’s top places to work for 1999. Tabourne says, “We try to determine which candidates have the skills and attributes we are looking for that will fit with our company culture. The on-campus interview helps us to do that. The fit for us is very important, because of the investment in time and money we make to train them to be productive employees. The critical trait we look for is a sense of entrepreneurship. In our business, we need to know two things, can the person sell and do they want to run their own business? Having a pleasing personality and being a team player are also essential to success at Enterprise.” Every organization that will visit your campus will have a similar “hit list” of skills and attributes they look for in candidates. Your job in the interview is to convince the interviewer that you have what they are looking for. One good way to determine if you are a fit before the interview is to research the company. Most companies have excellent information available on their Web sites.

Another way to prepare is to attend a company information session. These sessions are generally held on campus prior to the interview date. The companies use the information sessions as a means of introducing their organizations to students in an informal setting. You will learn a great deal about the company, the positions they are interviewing for, and the company culture at this session. You should consider attending an information session if you plan to interview well. “We are very favorably impressed when students come to the interviews prepared to talk about themselves and why they want to work in our industry, and specifically our bank," says Anderson. "On the other hand I think all recruiters feel a sense of disappointment when a student hasn’t done his/her homework and relies on the interview to find out about the organization.” You can find out about these information sessions from your Career Center. Use all the information resources available on your campus. Once you have all the information, you can then make an informed decision about what you want to pursue.

Know yourself and to your own self be true

Once you have been selected for an interview, you are ready to go on stage. As you know, any good performance requires practice. Think for a moment about the last really good concert you attended. If you feel you got your money’s worth, it’s because the group or individual met your expectations and performed well. You left the concert feeling good. Chances are the performer left the stage feeling good as well. But it would never have happened if they didn’t put in hours and hours of practice. The performer also performs within the limits of one's ability. They know what they are good at and they make sure they give you plenty of it. You would do well to take a page from their book and prepare to give your best performance based on your ability. Know your strengths and find a way to convey them in the interview. Again, if you have taken the time to do a comprehensive self-assessment prior to the interview, this part of the performance will be easy. If you feel uncertain about your interviewing skills, you should arrange for a mock interview with a career counselor. They will critique your performance and make recommendations on how to strengthen your presentation.

Besides knowing your skills' profile, it is also important to know what is important to you in life. Have you given any thought to what quality of life issues are important to you? You should talk with friends and family about work/life balance. Try to determine what your work/life ratio is and how working for a particular company will impact that. If you are a homebody, you may not want to consider a position with a consulting firm that requires travel three to four days a week. There are some things you may be willing to compromise on in your life, but you should know what they are before you decide to interview with a particular company. Be honest with yourself. Money may be the most important thing for you now, but that may change once you start to work full-time. If further education is important for you, be prepared to discuss that in the interview. You should want to know how the company feels about further education. Many companies have tuition reimbursement programs that will assist you with working on an advanced degree. Remember, your idea of a successful life and career should be your idea of success, not someone else’s.

In summary, the keys to being successful in on-campus interviewing are to: 

1. Know and be able to articulate your strengths, skills and work values.
2. Research companies and industries before you interview.
3. Match your skills and work values profile with the appropriate work environment.
4. Be ready to discuss how your work and academic experience have prepared you for working.
5. Practice interviewing with a career counselor or knowledgeable friend.
6. Be honest with yourself and recruiters about what you want out of your first full-time work experience.

These are some general guidelines that will help you achieve the performance of your life!

 Good luck!

A. Tariq Shakoor is the director of the Career Center at Emory University in Atlanta, GA..