Recent Grads: You Have Experience!
You have submitted dozens of resumes and finally hear back from a company that invites you to an interview.

Congratulations! This is an important step on the way to your first full time position. They have evaluated your resume and qualified you to compete in the final round. What they want to know now is to what degree you demonstrate the potential they see in the resume. They want to probe your experience, looking for insights into not just what you have learned, but how you learn, and how you interact with others. How you recount your experiences will be critical to your success in getting the job.

To make an impact during the interview, you need to demonstrate your experience in a variety of circumstances. The most effective way to do this is with stories, examples that show the kind of associate you will be on the job. To keep track of your stories, it may be easiest if you organize them into three categories:

Formal education: Questions about why you chose your college or your major show how you make decisions. What specific technical skills did you acquire in a laboratory, or experiential learning projects? What data base management or analytical knowledge did you acquire in your coursework? Do you have articles, essays or artwork that demonstrate your creativity? What major projects you have undertaken such as a capstone project?

Extracurricular activities: How you spend your time outside the classroom can be as important as what you learned inside. It reveals essential behavioral qualities of leadership and ability to work in teams. It can indicate where your interests and passions lie, a real plus if those interests align with the core values of the company. Involvement in sports, theater or music can demonstrate competitiveness and a dedication to bring a complex undertaking to a successful conclusion. An internship also provides fodder for talking about your experience. How did you get the internship? Was it through on campus recruiting, or were you resourceful and found it yourself?

Experience of youth: It may come as a surprise but emerging into the workforce in your early twenties gives you a unique set of skills that can be of immediate value to a company. You may take for granted your facility with computer technology, digital and social media, and a wide array of apps—all powerful tools that your older colleagues may not have familiarity. These skills put you on the leading edge of the rapidly evolving way business and communication gets done. Your role in a smaller organization, or as part of a team in a larger organization, can be invaluable in finding solutions in a time-sensitive project, communicating effectively with targeted customers, or simply providing daily guidance to your less tech savvy colleagues. The reputation you establish early on can put you on a path to greater responsibility.

Prepare for your interview by reading the job posting carefully. Identify the key qualities you think they are looking for. Think of situations where your experience illustrates one or more of those qualities. Build a portfolio that includes experiences in all three of the above categories in order to demonstrate your strengths across a wider spectrum of experience. Focus on your role, what you learned and how the outcome affected you. Avoid excessive detail. Practice telling your story, trying to keep it to no more than 60 seconds. If they want to know more, they will ask you to expand. Just like in a classroom exam, they will likely ask a question you have not expected. But by practicing your "experience" stories you will be better prepared to adapt or improvise.

Good luck!

- Rich Jones, CRC Advisor and Board Member
Coming Up Next at CRC!
Re-Launch You:
Career Transition Tactics and Tools
Wednesday, March 16th
10:30 AM CST
Lori Goldstein
New Illinois Rules on Non-Compete/Solicit Agreements
Wednesday, March 23rd
6:00 PM CST
Join us at an upcoming "Meet CRC - Virtual Tour of Services!"

Learn about CRC Membership and Resources during this information session and ask your questions!