Career Services prepares seniors for post-graduation

PAUL WILLIAMS & LAUREN GATTO STAFF WRITERS

Interview communication is key

Communicating effectively in a job interview is important to obtaining a job or starting a career. There are many steps for a person to take to effectively communicate in the job interview.

Dawn Francis, who teaches a course called career preparation and job search techniques, said, "I break down the interview process into two parts: the steps that a person takes during the interview and the preparation steps before the interview."

Director of Cooperative Education and Career Services, Nancy Hutchison said, "The most important thing for an interviewee is to research the position for which they are applying."

Researching the position and researching the company are preparation steps that a person can utilize in the interview. "The worst thing a person can do in an interview is ask a question about the position he or she is seeking that is obvious to the position, which signifies the person doesn't know what they are applying for."

Researching a company allows the interviewee to use the information that they learned to specifically tailor their answers to the company's needs. "A person should anticipate questions that they have prepared vaiid responses to and practice like it's the real interview," Francis said. "An interviewee should also have questions prepared to ask the interviewer in an interview about the company and questions related to the position." Questions like, "What are some of the tasks facing someone in this position?" or "with whom will I be working?"

Researching a company or position can be done by via the Internet, the Career Services and Cooperative Education office, annual reports, networking and the Alumni Affairs office.

The next part toward communicating effectively in an interview involves the actual interview process. There are obvious actions to take, like dressing professionally and arriving five to 10 minutes before the interview. However, there are some not so obvious actions.

Verbal and nonverbal communications are important to express-