Job Hunter Newsletter
One Interview Question That Nearly Every College Student Fails
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Job Search Tip of the Week - "One Interview Question That Nearly Every College Student Fails"
- Help Spread The Word!
- Job Search Links
- Free Job Search Book
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- Job Search Tip of the Week, by Brian Krueger, author of "College Grad Job Hunter," the #1 book for entry level job search:
"One Interview Question That Nearly Every College Student Fails"
Here it is. The one question that nearly every college student fails to answer properly (and will continue to send students to their interview ruin) is:
"Why did you choose to attend this college?"
You have spent the last several years knocking the college--the professors, the administration, the dorms, the food in the dining halls, whatever--and now you are suddenly required to defend your decision for attending there. And if you have not thought of the answer before the interview, you definitely will not come up with a valid one on the spot.
So think about it in advance. What is the real reason you are attending your college? Is it because of the academic program? Is it because of extracurricular programs? Athletics? Close to home? Party school? Great dating opportunities? Everyone else turned you down?
Once you acknowledge your true reason for attending, you will need to temper your response with some directed reasoning--tie in what it is about your college that makes it worthwhile from the perspective of the employer. Your response should emphasize what it is about the school that makes it an attractive academic training ground for this employer. You need to talk about your college as the ideal learning and development facility for becoming a _____ with that company.
You might find it best to give a "process answer" such as:
"I originally decided to attend State U. because of its strong general academic reputation and its close proximity to my home, which gave me the opportunity to continue working at my part-time job. During the years I have spent here, I have come to truly appreciate the depth and breadth of the _____ curriculum. The professors are truly world class and challenge me to take my industry understanding to the next level. My education has given me an excellent foundation for becoming an immediate contributor in the _____ field."
Lay on the superlatives, yet don't get mushy. You will eventually come to fully appreciate your time at college later in life, but for now, a few well-chosen words about why it is number one for you in your career preparation will suffice.
Next newsletter: "What To Do If You Are Asked An Illegal Question"
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- Help Spread The Word!
Do you know of someone who can benefit from the information in this newsletter? Simply forward this e-mail to them and tell them to subscribe at http://www.CollegeGrad.com/newsletter. Thanks for spreading the good word!
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Job Search Links:
- Searching job postings:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/jobs - Setting up a job alert:
http://jobs.collegegrad.com/JS/Form/SearchForm.asp?alert=y - Post your resume:
http://jobs.collegegrad.com/JS/Form/SignUpForm.asp - Update your posted resume:
http://jobs.collegegrad.com/JS/Form/LoginForm.asp - Creating your resume:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/resumes - Quickstart resume templates:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/resumes/quickstart - Creating your cover letter:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/coverletters - Career information/exploration:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/careers - Employer research:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/employers - Top Entry Level Employers:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/topemployers - Interviewing techniques:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/intv - Salary info--how much are you worth?
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/salaries - Job offer negotiation:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/offer
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- Job Search Book Online
There are at least two other entry level Web sites that offer books on job searching, proclaming that they will tell you everything you need to know about entry level job search.
However, there is a very important point about these books they don't mention up front: they cost money.
At CollegeGrad.com, we give you two things they don't:
1. The #1 entry level job search book ("College Grad Job Hunter").
2. It's free.
It's that simple. So don't buy the hype. Read the real information you need for FREE:
http://www.CollegeGrad.com/book
Don't ever pay for books or reports or resources of lower quality when you can access the very best quality information for free.
P.S. Yes, you can buy "College Grad Job Hunter" in hardcopy format as well at Amazon.com for $15 (actually, 30% off that price), but the online version is better. Why? Because the version at Amazon.com (the 2003 edition) is being continually updated at CollegeGrad.com. So the most current version of the book is actually the online, free version.
