Learn how to ace the interview

Senior marketing major Brandon Hunt has been preparing for his career through internships since his sophomore year. Now, he's preparing for the real thing -- finding a job.\nWith career fairs and recruiting visits around the corner, seniors are realizing they will soon have to interview with prospective employers. \nFor those preparing for interviews, placement offices and professionals across campus are there to help.\n"The first thing is to make sure your documents are error free," said faculty lecturer Jeanette Heidewald, who teaches X104, a business presentations course. \nWhile working in human resources at IU, Heidewald once interviewed Rich Macek, who works for human resource services. \n"He told me that with all the applicants he gets, if he saw just one error on their documents, he discarded them immediately," she said.\nHeidewald, who advises students on their resumes, cover letters and follow-up letters, remembers a student who gave out 50 resumes at a career fair only to discover later she had made an error in her objectives section.\nOnce students' documents -- resume and cover letter -- are impeccable, it's time to start preparing for how to handle questions and answers about themselves and the company they might work for.\nMost professionals and advisers will say that preparation is the single most important part of the interview process. \n"There's nothing worse than recruiters spending time and company dollars on a student who's not prepared for the interview," said Mark Brostoff, associate director of Undergraduate Career Services for the Kelley School of Business.\nBrostoff and other professionals like Arlene Hill, associate director of the Arts and Sciences Placement Office, advise students to know the company they are interviewing with, so that when the time comes, students will be able to take a keen interest in conversation about the company and what it has to offer.\n"Know who you are interviewing with, know trends in the field, and be certain to know names and job titles," Hill said.\nStudents might think that recruiters won't notice if they don't know the company, but Chris Hammer, associate client manager for the Kraft-Miller team for ACNielsen, a marketing firm in Chicago, is confident that they do. \n"We are basically choosing who to bring back for interviews at career fairs, and since there is limited time at the fairs, it's nice when students know our company and can introduce themselves instead." Hammer said when students don't know the company, the few minutes recruiters have with them at fairs are spent explaining the company rather than focusing on the potential employee.\nBrostoff said students should take that first minute to introduce themselves and find a common ground with the employer.\nWhile knowledge of the company is extremely important, another key part is getting ready to answer and ask questions in the interview.\n"I ask students in my classes to know what skills and qualities distinguish them from other applicants in the job position," Heidewald said. \nShe said students should come up with specific examples to explain why they are a leader, or how they know how to handle difficult situations. \n"You'll look at your resume and see you've waited tables at Applebee's, but that's not all you did. You learned how to deal and interact with difficult situations and people," Heidewald said.\nHunt is getting ready for crucial interviews.\n"I research, research, research on the company and my personal characteristics. In interviews, you just have to be yourself."\nAfter students are prepared and ready to answer the most difficult questions, the next thing they should do in an interview is make sure they know what the recruiter is looking for.\n"Don't focus entirely on academics, because when you go to an interview, recruiters are looking for people who've lived," Heidewald said. "Make sure to have a diverse background."\nBrostoff advises students to mold themselves to the needs of the company and cater to what the recruiter is looking for. \n"Mark (Brostoff) has helped me by guiding me in choosing what companies fit my personality as well as how I need to go about making contacts," Hunt said.\nThese invaluable pointers are a great starting point for students, but some still find themselves on the timid, defensive side in interviews. \n"You may classify yourself as someone who is shy, but you have to be able to reach out to people and redefine yourself," Heidewald said. "Build a strong communication background throughout your years at IU, and when the interviewer asks what your weakness is, think of it not as a weakness, but as a challenge you have to overcome."\nHammer, who has first-hand experience in interviewing students, assures them that being confident is essential. \n"Students who come into the interview with something on their resume that might show they are weak tend to be apologizing for themselves the entire interview," he said. "They should take that time to explain themselves instead, because usually there is good reason for what went wrong."\nHill said students should be prepared and confident about going into the interview.\n"It's sort of like being on a first date; you always have to present the best part of yourself," she said.\nFor those last minute questions like what to wear or what body language to use, err on the side of professional but not uptight. \n"Ladies, no mini-skirts. 'Ally McBeal' is not the real world," she said.\nThe last thing to remember is that the first impression students give the potential employer is important. \n"You are being interviewed when you're waiting in the reception area for the employer," Brostoff said.\nWhether students are ready or not, they should make sure to sell themselves on the first impression, because it will stick with the employer throughout the interview. \n"In that first impression, they will not decide to hire you, but they may decide not to hire you," Heidewald said.\nHunt, who has been preparing for interviews, is ready to tackle the challenge of finding a job.\n"The anxiety is always unknown, but there is much to be excited about," he said. "It's a turning point in your life, and it's time to be totally independent"