Career Services Event Reaction Blog

Acing the Interview

              On March 9th,  Career Services of Georgia Southern University held their annual Acing the Interview Workshop. The event was held in the university Russell Union building in room 2047 and began at 5:30 p.m. Hosted by Rachel Barrett, a Career Services staff employee, the workshop introduced several tips for resume critiques, interview success, personal accounts and potential questions for an interview.

              The first thing Mrs. Barrett discussed were resumes. She explained that resumes should be “dynamite”, should not contain any typographical errors and should focus on tasks rather than skills. She encouraged students to get involved within the university and join leadership positions because such items can be included on a resume. According to Mrs. Barrett employers take approximately 15 to 30 seconds to scan an individual resume before they evaluate the possibility of discarding it. With this in mind, it is important to create a unique resume that stands out from other job seekers. It is important to be honest while also taking a different approach and grab the employers attention. In a resume be sure to include the objective, education, leadership and work experience, project experience, relevant courses, skills, honors/awards and any volunteer experience.

              Another aspect of the workshop included the tips for having a successful interview. To prepare for an upcoming interview Mrs. Barrett suggested visiting the Office of Career Services to have a Mock Interview conducted by the office staff.  It was emphasized that students should use the same language as the employer. Terms and vocabulary should represent the field of interest and the position being applied for. She also recommended researching the company for which you apply. An important point Mrs. Barrett explained was that recruiters often ask students to do more research regarding the company they have interest in and read articles that relate to the company and its employees. She discussed that completing the research of the company and the position shows preparation that employers like and prefer. It is also imperative to know yourself. This means that you should have knowledge in your skills and abilities and be able to verbalize what you have accomplished and why it is important.  Essentially, when speaking with an employer utilize transferable skills which include managerial, organizational and analytical roles and special skills which consist of bilingual and computer literacy.

A crucial point of the workshop targeted the proper etiquette of an interview. Although it may seem like common sense, it is paramount to not only act the part, but also dress the part. Mrs. Barrett’s personal opinion was that the interview experience begins as soon as you leave your house. She mentioned that interviewees should maintain a clean vehicle and they should watch their actions and non verbal communication on the way to the interview. She explained an instance that occurred with Enterprise where a potential candidate was observed getting dressed for the interview in their car in the parking lot of Enterprise. Unfortunately Enterprise is comprised of large glass windows and everyone caught a peek of the lady getting dressed. To avoid such instances, she suggested that applicants be completely prepared before leaving their house. She also mentioned to be dressed professionally when dropping off an application and also during the actual interview. During the interview Mrs. Barrett emphasized turning off cell phones, not chewing gum, limiting cologne/perfume and dressing conservatively. At the conclusion of the interview be sure to ask for clarification for anything you are confused about, make eye contact, thank the interviewer for their time and give a firm handshake.

              Although I was the only student present to the workshop, I found Mrs. Barrett’s tips to be very helpful when preparing for an interview. I found me being the only audience member a benefit because I was able to have a one on one conversation with Mrs. Barrett rather than the standard lecture. She kept my interest with personal accounts of horror stories and successful interviews that I found quite entertaining. However, during our conversation it was apparent that GSU should place more emphasis on advertising the workshops to provide information to more students. The location seemed to be a problem for the event because it was separate from the normal flow of student traffic. The time of the event also proposes a problem for students who take a full load of classes and are eager to go home because the event was held in the evening. For future workshops it would be important for the university to advertise on the GSU homepage, send out e-mail notifications to students and distribute fliers or provide incentives for attendance so that the Office of Career Services can reach their maximum potential audience of students and have the ability to learn as I did.

 

For more information on career services you can visit the university website:

www.georgiasouthern.edu/careerservices

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