Angelina WagnerInterview communication is key
Communicating effectively in a job interview is important to obtaining a job or starting a career. There are many steps for a person to take to effectively communicate in the job interview.
Dawn Francis, who teaches a course called career preparation and job search techniques, said, “I break down the interview process into two parts: the steps that a person takes during the interview and the preparation steps before the interview.”
Director of Cooperative Education and Career Services, Nancy Hutchison said, “The most important thing for an interviewee is to research the position for which they are applying.” Researching the position and researching the company are preparation steps that a person can utilize in the interview. “The worst thing a person can do in an interview is ask a question about the position he or she is seeking that is obvious to the position, which signifies the person doesn’t know what they are applying for.”
Researching a company allows the interviewee to use the information that they learned to specifically tailor their answers to the company’s needs. “A person should anticipate questions that they have prepared valid responses to and practice like it’s the real interview,” Francis said. “An interviewee should also have questions prepared to ask the interviewer in an interview about the company and questions related to the position.” Questions like, “What are some of the tasks facing someone in this position?” or “with whom will I be working?”
Researching a company or position can be done by via the Internet, the Career Services and Cooperative Education office, annual reports, networking and the Alumni Affairs office.
The next part toward communicating effectively in an interview involves the actual interview process. There are obvious actions to take, like dressing professionally and arriving five to 10 minutes before the interview. However, there are some not so obvious actions.
Verbal and nonverbal communications are important to expressing one’s self. “Facial expressions and hand gestures should be open,” Francis said. “Slowing down and thinking of how to respond to a question can avoid power robbers like ‘uh’ and ‘um.'” Eye contact and speaking clearly are essential. When hand gestures are used they should not be “too big or jerky.”
“Be honest and don’t round up your grade point average,” Hutchison said. “Companies have ways of checking qualifications, especially GPAs, since all they need are your transcripts.”
Hutchison said, “Writing a thank you note has become a lost art form. A small personal hand written note can go a long way.”
Job fairs offer opportunity
What’s a better way to get your foot in the door than a job fair?
Today, it is about who you know and what experiences you have had in order to land yourself a prime job opportunity.
Nancy Hutchinson, director of Cooperative Education and Career Services said, “The significance of job fairs is that they are a leading chance for students to be able to start networking in order to find full-time employment upon graduation.”
This is also a method for students to acquire an internship or co-op.
Many job fairs are held throughout the surrounding areas as well as in Philadelphia. They provide a wide variety of employers who attend these events and they are offered to all majors. According to Hutchinson, four of these job fairs she finds particularly good for the Cabrini students: Intercollegiate Career Fair, Greater Philadelphia Teacher Job Fair, Teacher Recruitment Day and Great Valley Job Fair. “They are fairly local, free and offer 60 to 110 employers who represent their company at these job fairs.” Students may find companies such as Vanguard, Unisys, Shared Medical Systems and U.S. Health Care among others at these events who are frequently recruiting for all kinds of jobs.
“Even if students do not find employers they are particularly interested in working for, it is a wonderful opportunity to go and learn how to conduct themselves, how to speak to someone and how to dress and that is very valuable in and of itself,” Hutchinson said.
To find out more information regarding job fairs, they are publicized in the Co-op and Career News Letter as well as on Cabrini’s website under calendar of events and are regularly updated on the Co-op and Career Services website.
Posted to the web by Alaina Robinson
