Most college students need a job to finance their career or support their families. College students find difficulties when seeking a job because few employers are willing to adapt to the college student’s schedule. However, working students are challenged with balancing their classes, homework, social life, extracurricular activities and a part-time or full-time job.
Once college students find a job then they have to prepare for their important job interview. The goal of a job interviewer is to objectively rate if each candidate is qualified to perform the job, for example, their knowledge, skills, education, and abilities.
According to the office of Human Resources at CSU, Bakersfield, “Study the duties and responsibilities of the assignment and the job requirements to determine the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the job.”
College students should do research on the company, organization, or business to learn about their challenges and accomplishments. This information will give them a clearer idea of what type of questions they might ask during the interview.
Practice being interviewed by selecting the most common job interview questions that align with the company’s goals, challenges, and accomplishments.
“Reread the job description. You may want to print it out and begin underlining specific skills the employer is looking for. Think about examples from their past and current work that align with these requirements,” advises the Indeed Career Guide.
“Prepare a list of the top five qualities, skills, and areas of knowledge or experiences that would best equip you to excel in the position,” states Alison Doyle.
Job applicants must be prepared to provide more information about their work experience and the reason why this job position was appealing to them. Even if an applicant doesn’t have any prior work experience in the field, they will need to provide proof of at least one job that can be related to the current position they are applying for.
Remember that employers are expecting applicants to ask questions about the job’s details such as job responsibilities, how often will their performance be measured, is this a teamwork position, or the challenges that you will be facing in your role and so on. Asking questions will suggest that an applicant is serious about the job and is interested in being part of the company or business.
“Scheduling [their] interview carefully is important, make sure you have enough time to get to and from [their] interview if you have classes that day,” stated Doyle.
Be prepared to bring copies of your resume to your interview.
Don’thave one? Check out Resume Development Guide/Sample Resumes online page at https://www.csub.edu/cece/Student%20and%20Alumni/Resumes%20and%20Cover%20Letters/Resume%20Development%20Guide/index.htmlfor tips and samples. This webpage will guide you step by step to build the perfect resume.
Few students know that CSUB has a portal to search for jobs on campus and/or employer connections available for CSUB Students at https://csub.joinhandshake.com/. CSUB students can create their account for free and find an amazing job on this website.
With these tips you can accomplish a good job interview, find resume assistance, and job positions only available for CSUB students. Good luck!
Sources:
Interview Questions Guide & Sample Interview Questions (Office of Human Resources at CSUB)
https://www.csub.edu/bas/hr/_files/_Recruit_Files/Recruit-InterviewQuestionsGuidelines.pdf
Doyle, Alison. Top Job Interview Tips for College Students. The Balance Careers. Jan. 21, 2020
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/job-interview-tips-how-to-make-a-great-impression
Resume Development Guide/Sample Resumes / Career Education and Community Engagement (CECE )
https://www.csub.edu/cece/Student%20and%20Alumni/Resumes%20and%20Cover%20Letters/Resume%20Development%20Guide/index.html