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Career advice
My questions about career advice :
What should i expect for my first interview ? Where can i find a job/internship in my field?
How can I improve my online presence ?
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3 answers
Updated
Mark’s Answer
There's a lot to unpack in so few questions!
YOUR FIRST INTERVIEW - If you mean "I've never interviewed before", then you are in for a treat. Interviews are THE way to really make yourself shine. Expect to be nervous, even with practice. Why? Simple, you are having a conversation with someone and the results are likely going to either get you to your goal or keep you from it. I know, that makes it sound scary. Here's the thing, knowing what you can expect (in terms of how you will physically and mentally respond) can help you mitigate this because if you know it is likely to happen, you can plan for how to deal with this. Now, it's not so scary; this goes back to practicing talking in front of someone (believe it or not, man find talking to a mirror helps tremendously!).
* If this is NOT your first interview, then you likely remember how you reacted to the situation. Think on that and prepare how to deal with it to keep yourself appearing calm and collected.
* What you might expect during a this-is-my-future interview will differ depending on the type of company to which you are applying . Smaller companies may "spitball" questions they think are relevant to how the person being hired will fit into the scheme (making the owner's life easier, allows for organic growth, etc) whereas a larger business likely has an HR department that has set questions with some leeway for interviewer interspersion.
* Everyone wants to know why YOU are the best hire they can make, so doing your research on the company can make you shine above the rest. There are lots of online resources for common (and very uncommon) interview questions. Elon Musk is infamous for asking a mind-bender of a question. What each question really wants to get out of you is "how do YOU fit into what we have and what we are doing"; think ahead and chose words that not just everyone is going to use or that show off your creativity.
FINDING A POSITION IN YOUR FIELD - First stop is deciding where you want to live. That is the basis for your search. There are more "remote" work opportunities than there used to be, but certain positions require you to be on-site (PLUS, let's not forget that the remote option can change as the employer feels it must).
* Then, go to your career counselors. Every school has one; their job is to help you get employed (it really helps your alma mater in their future recruiting for new students) so they WANT you to come visit them. Think of this visit as a "mock" interview; they will ask about your major/area of study/concentration, your GPA, what your strengths/weaknesses are...a lot of the same things that recruiters/interviewers want to know. Bonus, many will even set up mock interviews so you get that feel what it will be like. You may have to ask for it, but their goal is to help you get hired.
* If you've already moved away or it's not feasible to talk to your school's career counselor, then get on LinkedIn.com. A lot of recruiters will post their openings there and your profile may lead them to contact you for an interview.
* Other areas are local employment offices. Granted, they may not have a lot of professional openings provided to them to fill, but they do know the folks that likely will. PRO TIP: Always cultivate contacts whenever you can. There is really no such thing as a useless contact.
* Find a company(ies) that you respect or think would be good to work with/for, visit their website and submit a resume. This can be a lot more hit-and-miss since they use word-search algorithms to sift for their preferred skill words. However, it costs you little to have a resume on file for a year or two.
PRO TIP: ALWAYS tailor your resume to each position you are applying for (this means each opening, per company).
IMPROVING ONLINE PRESENCE:
* Keep an updated LinkedIn profile. Noted the why previously.
* Have a 'professional' profile for the social media services you like. Keep your personal separate (or just don't have a personal, since some companies will search this out) as that now-questionable joke you found mildly amusing 8 years ago could be brought up.
* Set aside time to join an organization in the field you want to be in and volunteer with it. The more of a participating member you are, the more likely you will appear in their promotional materials (events photos, member features, etc).
I know this was long, but I feel this deserves explaining the 'why' of something. This is also how I approach an interview. Not every answer needs a lot of explanation, but the ones that do benefit from allowing the "you" of the answer to ingrain itself in the mind of the interviewer.
A final PRO TIP: Every interviewer will ask you what questions do you have; it will happen. Have a couple of questions, not related to benefits, ready about how the company will (do a specific thing, handle a type of situation, deal with something negative) and, then something the interviewer mentioned in the session that piqued your interest. It shows that you are interested in the company itself AND that you were paying attention to when the interviewer spoke.
YOUR FIRST INTERVIEW - If you mean "I've never interviewed before", then you are in for a treat. Interviews are THE way to really make yourself shine. Expect to be nervous, even with practice. Why? Simple, you are having a conversation with someone and the results are likely going to either get you to your goal or keep you from it. I know, that makes it sound scary. Here's the thing, knowing what you can expect (in terms of how you will physically and mentally respond) can help you mitigate this because if you know it is likely to happen, you can plan for how to deal with this. Now, it's not so scary; this goes back to practicing talking in front of someone (believe it or not, man find talking to a mirror helps tremendously!).
* If this is NOT your first interview, then you likely remember how you reacted to the situation. Think on that and prepare how to deal with it to keep yourself appearing calm and collected.
* What you might expect during a this-is-my-future interview will differ depending on the type of company to which you are applying . Smaller companies may "spitball" questions they think are relevant to how the person being hired will fit into the scheme (making the owner's life easier, allows for organic growth, etc) whereas a larger business likely has an HR department that has set questions with some leeway for interviewer interspersion.
* Everyone wants to know why YOU are the best hire they can make, so doing your research on the company can make you shine above the rest. There are lots of online resources for common (and very uncommon) interview questions. Elon Musk is infamous for asking a mind-bender of a question. What each question really wants to get out of you is "how do YOU fit into what we have and what we are doing"; think ahead and chose words that not just everyone is going to use or that show off your creativity.
FINDING A POSITION IN YOUR FIELD - First stop is deciding where you want to live. That is the basis for your search. There are more "remote" work opportunities than there used to be, but certain positions require you to be on-site (PLUS, let's not forget that the remote option can change as the employer feels it must).
* Then, go to your career counselors. Every school has one; their job is to help you get employed (it really helps your alma mater in their future recruiting for new students) so they WANT you to come visit them. Think of this visit as a "mock" interview; they will ask about your major/area of study/concentration, your GPA, what your strengths/weaknesses are...a lot of the same things that recruiters/interviewers want to know. Bonus, many will even set up mock interviews so you get that feel what it will be like. You may have to ask for it, but their goal is to help you get hired.
* If you've already moved away or it's not feasible to talk to your school's career counselor, then get on LinkedIn.com. A lot of recruiters will post their openings there and your profile may lead them to contact you for an interview.
* Other areas are local employment offices. Granted, they may not have a lot of professional openings provided to them to fill, but they do know the folks that likely will. PRO TIP: Always cultivate contacts whenever you can. There is really no such thing as a useless contact.
* Find a company(ies) that you respect or think would be good to work with/for, visit their website and submit a resume. This can be a lot more hit-and-miss since they use word-search algorithms to sift for their preferred skill words. However, it costs you little to have a resume on file for a year or two.
PRO TIP: ALWAYS tailor your resume to each position you are applying for (this means each opening, per company).
IMPROVING ONLINE PRESENCE:
* Keep an updated LinkedIn profile. Noted the why previously.
* Have a 'professional' profile for the social media services you like. Keep your personal separate (or just don't have a personal, since some companies will search this out) as that now-questionable joke you found mildly amusing 8 years ago could be brought up.
* Set aside time to join an organization in the field you want to be in and volunteer with it. The more of a participating member you are, the more likely you will appear in their promotional materials (events photos, member features, etc).
I know this was long, but I feel this deserves explaining the 'why' of something. This is also how I approach an interview. Not every answer needs a lot of explanation, but the ones that do benefit from allowing the "you" of the answer to ingrain itself in the mind of the interviewer.
A final PRO TIP: Every interviewer will ask you what questions do you have; it will happen. Have a couple of questions, not related to benefits, ready about how the company will (do a specific thing, handle a type of situation, deal with something negative) and, then something the interviewer mentioned in the session that piqued your interest. It shows that you are interested in the company itself AND that you were paying attention to when the interviewer spoke.
Updated
Edwin’s Answer
Hello,
It's great to understand a little bit about the company, usually search their website for their mission statement, goals, values, etc.
I would network, by asking close friends and family about any jobs. Also, you could search online like LinkedIn which makes it really easy to search for jobs nearby.
Before the interview, I would search for practice questions and try to come up with answers. Some of the most popular that I was asked were "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" and "where do you see yourself in the next 3 years?". Then, it would be great to have some questions to end the interview.
You go this! Feel free to let us know how it goes.
-Edwin
It's great to understand a little bit about the company, usually search their website for their mission statement, goals, values, etc.
I would network, by asking close friends and family about any jobs. Also, you could search online like LinkedIn which makes it really easy to search for jobs nearby.
Before the interview, I would search for practice questions and try to come up with answers. Some of the most popular that I was asked were "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" and "where do you see yourself in the next 3 years?". Then, it would be great to have some questions to end the interview.
You go this! Feel free to let us know how it goes.
-Edwin
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Great questions!
For your first interview, I'd recommend having a copy of your resume. Your resume should include your name, address, email, phone number, followed by any extracurricular activities and/or volunteer work that you've done. Since this is your first job, that would take the place of an "employment" section. You can also list your education. There are great (and free) templates online that can help you structure your resume.
During the interview, you can expect to be asked questions about yourself as they relate to the job. They may ask you why you'd like to work there, for starters. If it's a job working with children, they might ask you about your experience working with children, how you would handle a situation like a child crying or getting hurt, or how you might handle a parent who is upset. If it's a job working at a restaurant, they might ask you how you handle being under pressure, and ask you for an example of a time that you did well under pressure.
For your first interview, I'd recommend having a copy of your resume. Your resume should include your name, address, email, phone number, followed by any extracurricular activities and/or volunteer work that you've done. Since this is your first job, that would take the place of an "employment" section. You can also list your education. There are great (and free) templates online that can help you structure your resume.
During the interview, you can expect to be asked questions about yourself as they relate to the job. They may ask you why you'd like to work there, for starters. If it's a job working with children, they might ask you about your experience working with children, how you would handle a situation like a child crying or getting hurt, or how you might handle a parent who is upset. If it's a job working at a restaurant, they might ask you how you handle being under pressure, and ask you for an example of a time that you did well under pressure.