Preparing for a Job Interview

By Devan Lau

In the process of gaining a job or a career, everyone has to write a cover letter to the company they want to work for and create their resume. However, the most important process is interviewing with the company. Interviewing can make the person feel nervous and anxious, but thanks to STAC’s Office of Career Development, there's a program that helps reduce the anxiety of the interview.

The Office of Career Development and Business Communications instructor Professor Elaine Winship held a Mock Interview Program on April 2 in Maguire Hall Room 133. Five recruiters participated: Lisa Brady, Human Resource Manager at Instrumentation Laboratory; Kimberly Ann Girardi, Talent Acquisition from Sterling National Bank; Marian Adams, NEA TAT Connector for Verizon Wireless; Laura Knopf, President of the North Jersey/Rockland Chapter for the Society for Human Resource Management; and Barbara McDonnell, Senior Technical Recruiter for Panasonic.

Most of the students who participated in the program were from Professor Winship’s CA 312 course, including myself. We were all dressed in professional attire and had our resumes in our possession in preparation for meeting the recruiters.

The program was both fun and an interesting learning experience. We were placed in groups of 4 to 5 students with one recruiter shuffled at each table. It ran for two sessions, with each group having 15 minute meetings per recruiter. Throughout the session, the recruiter gave out questions for each  student at the table, which provided a similar experience to a 1 on 1 interview.

I felt slightly nervous, but as I responded to the recruiter with honest answers, I felt more comfortable to get acquainted with the interviewer. Examples of interviewing questions given out by the recruiter included “Tell me about yourself” or “What are your accomplishments.” However, the recruiter sometimes asked S-T-A-R questions, which is abbreviated for S: What was the situation? T: What was the task? A: What actions did you take? R: What were the results?

Throughout each session, the interviewer provided key tips for interviewing. Marian stated that maintaining eye-contact with the recruiter is the main key. She also mentioned that taking deep breaths can help reduce the anxiety and pressure for the interview. Kim’s approach for interviewing focused on the core competencies to see if the applicant is qualified to be fit for the company. She also advised to respond in concise answers, not too much in detail.

Laura’s approach was different from the other recruiters. Her interviewing approach was more of a conversation with the applicant to be very sure you would fit in the company with the right qualifications. Lisa’s advice for the interview was to write about accomplishments including your past projects for the near future. Lisa also included taking notes and asking about when you are expected to hear back after the interview is completed.

Towards the end, the recruiters gave out top interviewing tips to all of the students. Marian recommended clearing your voicemail when you are expected to get a message from the recruiter. Lisa stated to be on time and create multiple resumes for different positions. Barbara pointed out that projecting positivity is import during the interview and especially to stay calm and not be nervous. Barbara added that saying negative remarks towards a previous employer or job experience would hurt their chances in an interview.

The session ended with Q and A session from students who asked for more interviewing tips. This program prepared students for how a job interview can be less stressful and feel less anxious when they practiced. This gave me an overall idea and feeling when I have to anticipate a future job interview.