Hi All,
Here is a wonderful and helpful article which, as a student, I found to be very helpful. It's regarding on-campus interviews and how to deal with them... I got it from icejobs.com.
Tips For On-Campus Interview
Tip 1. Utilize career fairs at other schools
Every college's career center will want to say that it is attracting the best companies to campus. This is simply not possible, as companies have limited recruiting resources, and they will pick and choose only the schools they feel would produce the most number of qualified candidates.
What should you do if the companies you are interested in are not coming to a career fair at your school? In this case, in addition to attending your school's career fairs, consider going to another school's career fair if you feel your school's career fair does not attract enough good companies. Typically, career fairs are open to everyone, so do not worry about not attending that particular school. Chances are good that nobody will check ID at the door, and the recruiters will always be happy to talk to you. I have attended several career fairs as a recruiter, and I have spoken to a number of qualified candidates from outside of that particular school, and some of them have been hired as a result.
Tip 2. Find out the nature of the interview
Companies that do on-campus interviews fall into two categories: Those who have specific positions open and are looking to fill them, or those who are merely collecting more resumes. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to find out before the interview which category the company you are interviewing with falls into.
Therefore, you need to find out which category the company you are talking to falls into. This can be accomplished easily by asking the interviewer whether there are specific positions the company is trying to fill. After all, if all the company wants out of the recruiting trip is some nice resumes, there is no need for the interviewee to sweat too much during the interview. The general rule of thumb is that the bigger the company is, the more likely the company is simply looking for resumes to put into its database.
Tip 3. Utilize the Internet
There are several excellent sites on the internet that have lots of employment information such as Hotjobs, Monster, and Vault.com. On these sites, one can often find out the type of positions a prospective employer is seeking to fill. This serves two purposes: One, it helps the student filter out companies that do not offer a good fit. Also, it helps the student to gain more focus for the interview preparation.
Tip 4. Know the company
Spend time to learn about the company - but not too much time. I would suggest spending 30 minutes on their website. If the company is a publicly-traded company, find out its recent news. During the interview, the interviewer would not expect the interviewee to know everything about the company, but the interviewer would expect the interviewee to know the basics of the company, such as the industry the company is in. For example, if you are interviewing with Ford Motors, you should know that the company is in the car manufacturing business.
Tip 5. Be able to describe your thesis work in 2 minutes
This applies to Ph.D. and Masters candidates who have completed a thesis. The tendency for the interviewee here is to get into too much technical detail and hence spend too much time. Also, be prepared to mention what is so great about your thesis work and what you learned from it. Remember, the interviewer will not remember the specific details. What she will remember is (1) whether you have the ability to make her understand your thesis in a short period of time, and (2) the level of importance of your work.
Tip 6. If you don't know about something, admit it
It is usually a mistake to pretend to know something that you do not, because chances are that the interviewer will follow up with questions regarding that exact topic. If the candidate cannot answer these follow-up questions, it tells the interviewer either a) the candidate does not know his/her stuff, or b) the candidate lied about knowing the topic. Either way, it is a big turn-off.
Tip 7. Be energetic
Interviewers, whether they are from HR or from the actual department you'll be working in, want to recruit people who are energetic. Imagine for yourself: Would you rather have someone who is always on the go or someone who looks sleepy all the time? There are two places where being energetic really pays off: First, many interviewers start with the question, "Tell me about yourself." If you cannot enthusiastically talk about yourself for at least five minutes or so, the interviewer will wonder if you'll be interested in your future job for much longer.
Tip 8. Dress well
This is to show professional courtesy. The interviewer is dedicating his or her time to this interview, and he/she would expect the candidate to give the interview at least an equal weight. A well-dressed candidate leaves an excellent impression and projects the image that he or she really cares about this interview.
Tip 9. Be prepared for behavioral questions
Behavioral questions are the ones that are open-ended, the ones designed to find out about your experience. This type of questions, common during mid-level interviews, has been on the rise for on-campus interviews as well. An example of a behavioral question is, "Tell me a time when you were under extreme pressure, and how you handled it?"
Preparation makes a big difference in how you'd perform in answering this type of question. Also, when you walk into the interview, think about the different situations that you have gone through, whether it be pledging for a fraternity (I personally find this a great one), completing a project, your part-time job, or any other situation you can think of. This way, when the questions come up, you won't need to come up with the example right then and there.
Tip 10. Do not get discouraged
After several interviews without an offer, it is easy to get discouraged. However, it is important to remember that all you need is ONE job offer. After all, you have only one body, and therefore will only have time for one full-time job.
From India, Pune
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12Here is a wonderful and helpful article which, as a student, I found to be very helpful. It's regarding on-campus interviews and how to deal with them... I got it from icejobs.com.
Tips For On-Campus Interview
Tip 1. Utilize career fairs at other schools
Every college's career center will want to say that it is attracting the best companies to campus. This is simply not possible, as companies have limited recruiting resources, and they will pick and choose only the schools they feel would produce the most number of qualified candidates.
What should you do if the companies you are interested in are not coming to a career fair at your school? In this case, in addition to attending your school's career fairs, consider going to another school's career fair if you feel your school's career fair does not attract enough good companies. Typically, career fairs are open to everyone, so do not worry about not attending that particular school. Chances are good that nobody will check ID at the door, and the recruiters will always be happy to talk to you. I have attended several career fairs as a recruiter, and I have spoken to a number of qualified candidates from outside of that particular school, and some of them have been hired as a result.
Tip 2. Find out the nature of the interview
Companies that do on-campus interviews fall into two categories: Those who have specific positions open and are looking to fill them, or those who are merely collecting more resumes. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to find out before the interview which category the company you are interviewing with falls into.
Therefore, you need to find out which category the company you are talking to falls into. This can be accomplished easily by asking the interviewer whether there are specific positions the company is trying to fill. After all, if all the company wants out of the recruiting trip is some nice resumes, there is no need for the interviewee to sweat too much during the interview. The general rule of thumb is that the bigger the company is, the more likely the company is simply looking for resumes to put into its database.
Tip 3. Utilize the Internet
There are several excellent sites on the internet that have lots of employment information such as Hotjobs, Monster, and Vault.com. On these sites, one can often find out the type of positions a prospective employer is seeking to fill. This serves two purposes: One, it helps the student filter out companies that do not offer a good fit. Also, it helps the student to gain more focus for the interview preparation.
Tip 4. Know the company
Spend time to learn about the company - but not too much time. I would suggest spending 30 minutes on their website. If the company is a publicly-traded company, find out its recent news. During the interview, the interviewer would not expect the interviewee to know everything about the company, but the interviewer would expect the interviewee to know the basics of the company, such as the industry the company is in. For example, if you are interviewing with Ford Motors, you should know that the company is in the car manufacturing business.
Tip 5. Be able to describe your thesis work in 2 minutes
This applies to Ph.D. and Masters candidates who have completed a thesis. The tendency for the interviewee here is to get into too much technical detail and hence spend too much time. Also, be prepared to mention what is so great about your thesis work and what you learned from it. Remember, the interviewer will not remember the specific details. What she will remember is (1) whether you have the ability to make her understand your thesis in a short period of time, and (2) the level of importance of your work.
Tip 6. If you don't know about something, admit it
It is usually a mistake to pretend to know something that you do not, because chances are that the interviewer will follow up with questions regarding that exact topic. If the candidate cannot answer these follow-up questions, it tells the interviewer either a) the candidate does not know his/her stuff, or b) the candidate lied about knowing the topic. Either way, it is a big turn-off.
Tip 7. Be energetic
Interviewers, whether they are from HR or from the actual department you'll be working in, want to recruit people who are energetic. Imagine for yourself: Would you rather have someone who is always on the go or someone who looks sleepy all the time? There are two places where being energetic really pays off: First, many interviewers start with the question, "Tell me about yourself." If you cannot enthusiastically talk about yourself for at least five minutes or so, the interviewer will wonder if you'll be interested in your future job for much longer.
Tip 8. Dress well
This is to show professional courtesy. The interviewer is dedicating his or her time to this interview, and he/she would expect the candidate to give the interview at least an equal weight. A well-dressed candidate leaves an excellent impression and projects the image that he or she really cares about this interview.
Tip 9. Be prepared for behavioral questions
Behavioral questions are the ones that are open-ended, the ones designed to find out about your experience. This type of questions, common during mid-level interviews, has been on the rise for on-campus interviews as well. An example of a behavioral question is, "Tell me a time when you were under extreme pressure, and how you handled it?"
Preparation makes a big difference in how you'd perform in answering this type of question. Also, when you walk into the interview, think about the different situations that you have gone through, whether it be pledging for a fraternity (I personally find this a great one), completing a project, your part-time job, or any other situation you can think of. This way, when the questions come up, you won't need to come up with the example right then and there.
Tip 10. Do not get discouraged
After several interviews without an offer, it is easy to get discouraged. However, it is important to remember that all you need is ONE job offer. After all, you have only one body, and therefore will only have time for one full-time job.
From India, Pune
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Thank you for the information. I'd also like to add the following.
Standing Out in a Campus Environment
In a campus with thousands of students, you need to stand out. Ensure that you are different. Dress up well; you could wear Western formals or a decent-looking formal churidar. Impress your future employers. Make sure you speak good English. Know everything in your resume inside out. Smile a lot :)
Regards,
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Standing Out in a Campus Environment
In a campus with thousands of students, you need to stand out. Ensure that you are different. Dress up well; you could wear Western formals or a decent-looking formal churidar. Impress your future employers. Make sure you speak good English. Know everything in your resume inside out. Smile a lot :)
Regards,
From India, Bangalore
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