Interview Advice 101

So, you have scheduled practice interviews with the Center for Career Development, utilized Interview Stream, and researched the company. You feel fully prepared...until you arrive and find 10 other students interviewing for your dream position. What now? Students tend to focus more on surviving the interview rather than strategizing on how to stand out during an interview. Here are some tips! 

1. Start off strong!  

Most undergraduate students tend to be nervous during the first few minutes of an interview and become more comfortable throughout the interview. By leading with a strong handshake and confident answers, the interviewer is more likely to remember you. Remember, first impressions ALWAYS matter.  

2. Highlight your experiences.  Undergraduates instantly reach for unrelated organizations or jobs to answer behavioral questions. Give yourself enough time to think about relevant experiences (related jobs, internships, co-ops, group projects in major specific courses, etc.) in order to highlight your exposure to the field.  

3. Be yourself...well the professional version of yourself!  

Websites and interviewing forums will attempt to persuade students to refrain from showing their personality during an interview. Although this is true in some cases, interviewers want to know who you are as a person and why they should hire you. Remain professional, but do not stage a false personality in order to land a job. Some of the most memorable interviews include students who are not afraid of showing their personalities.  

 

https://hbr.org/2012/09/stand-out-in-your-interview 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/06/08/how-to-stand-out-in-a-job-interview/#26e16b3a7a40 

http://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/how-to-stand-out-job-interview

Success Story: Amy Huddleston

SUCCESS STORY:

Amy Brannon Huddleston

Amy secured an interview, and subsequently an internship, with TVA by using Hire-A-Vol to search for internships and schedule her interviews! Congratulations on the internship Amy! We asked her a few questions to find out a little bit more about her internship and how the Center for Career Development helped her out!

How have these resources prepared you for the internship, co-op, or part/full-time search process?

Hire-A-Vol allowed me to see all of the available internships that I was looking for in one place. I was able to submit my resume easily and was contacted by TVA to set up an interview for an internship opportunity.

What organization have you worked for or will you be working for and where?

I work for TVA in Financial Operations and Performance. I started my internship in June and will continue as an intern until I graduate in May.

What was you most enjoyable experience or what are most you looking forward to?

This internship has been a great experience, and I look forward to the possibility of coming on full-time at TVA after graduation.

Best of luck graduating this semester and going out into the real world!

Upcoming Events

Hey, Friends! It’s about that time to announce this week’s upcoming events for the Center for Career Development. On the list for the next few days are the following programs:

Career Conversations: Social Services, Non-Profits, and Counseling

November 4, 2015 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Join us for Advise, Advocate and Aid: Careers in Social Services, Non-Profits, and Counseling. This event is part of the Career Conversations for Arts and Sciences series, and it will feature a panel of individuals working in these fields. Explore real-world options via a facilitated panel discussion and questions and answer session.

Center for Career Development- Student Union 225

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How to Meet the Challenge of a New Era in Job Interviewing, featuring Zachariah Ballinger

November 4, 2015 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Hear from Zack Ballinger, a UT alum with 13 years of experience in the sales, leadership, and hiring fields. Zack will share insider tips on how to ace your job interview through the preparation stage, the actual interview, and in the post-interview follow up.

You will also have a chance to practice your interview skills at the end of the presentation!

Haslam College of Business Room 402

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Careers in Patents for Engineers and Scientists

November 5, 2015 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

If you have (or will soon have) a degree in engineering, computer sciences, or the hard sciences (chemistry, biology, physics and related disciplines), you can take the Patent Office's Registration Exam to become a Patent Agent. Patent agents can make up to $20,000 a year more than similarly situated engineers and scientists. The Exam is available virtually on-demand via computer. Becoming a patent agent can also be a step toward the even more lucrative career of becoming a Patent Attorney.

If this sounds intriguing, come join Practicing Law Institute (PLI) for a presentation by Mark Dighton, PLI's Director of Law School Relations and a Director of their Patent Office Exam Course. Topics for discussion include:

·Careers for patent agents (what the work is like and where you find it),

·The qualities and skills that will make you happy and successful in this field (e.g., communication skills), and

·The latest info on the Patent Office's Registration Exam (who can take it, how it works, and recommendations on how to study for this very difficult Exam).

Center for Career Development Room 229- 201 Student Union

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Construction Science Career Fair

November 6, 2015 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

The Construction Science Career Fair will be Friday, November 6th from 9:00am-12:00 noon in the Hollingsworth Auditorium, Ellington Plant Science Building located on the Ag campus. Approximately 30+ organizations are registered to attend. They are seeking students for full-time entry-level positions and/or internships.

The Construction Science Career Fair is targeted to students in the concentration Construction Science, Civil Engineer, Architecture and Landscape Architecture majors.

For a list of organizations and employers attending, visit http://bit.ly/Construction2015 

Hollingsworth Auditorium, Ellington Plant Science Building

Make sure you mark your calendars and come out for some great opportunities and experiences! 

Yours Truly,

Prep for Your Interview

Interview tomorrow? In a few hours? There’s still time to properly prepare so that you can be confident! Practice answering common interview questions on InterviewStream! You can get to Interview stream through your Hire-a-Vol account.

Steps to Start Practicing:

1) Log into your MyUTK

2) Open the “Hire-a-vol” link under My Services

3) Click on the Interview Stream icon on the left (Middle)

4) Choose “Conduct an Interview” to practice on your computer or “Mobile Interview” to get a password to practice on-the-go.

5) Review your video to make proper corrections to your answers, posture, and gestures.

This will give you valuable practice and help you organize your thoughts into appropriate answers before the real deal.

Good luck on your upcoming interview! You will do great! (Make sure you have a webcam on the device you practice on)

Accepting a Job Offer

It is always nerve-wrecking to look for a new job. Searching for the right job, with an open position
to fill, can be a difficult task. Then, once you find a position to apply for, there is the dreadful interview process. However, the light at the end of the tunnel appears when you get that call from an employer offering you a position! Have you ever stopped to think if there was a specific and appropriate way to accept a job offer? Check out some of the links below to find out how to successfully accept a position.

Related Articles:
http://www.career.vt.edu/jobsearchguide/acceptingoffer.html
http://pages.jh.edu/~careers/handouts/offer_negotiation.pdf