What do you do if, for whatever reason, you aren't able to get experience directly related to your desired career? First, decide if there's anything about your previous jobs that you can highlight. Did your duties include supervising or training other employees? Did you reorganize the accounting system, or come up with a new way to boost productivity? Accomplishments like these demonstrate leadership, responsibility, and innovation-qualities that most companies look for in employees. And don't forget volunteer activities and school clubs, which can also showcase these traits.
Companies will often send recruiters to interview on-site at various colleges. This gives students a chance to obtain interviews with companies that might not have interviewed them otherwise, particularly if the recruiter schedules "open" interviews, in which the only screening process is signing up. Of course, since many more applicants gain interviews this way, many more people are rejected. The on-campus interview is generally a screening interview, to determine if it's worth the company's time to invite you for a second interview. So do everything possible to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
The first step, of course, is to check out any and all information your school's career center may have on the company. If the information seems out-of-date, call the company's headquarters and ask to be sent the latest annual report, or any other printed information.
Many companies will host an informational meeting for interviewees, often on the evening before interviews are scheduled to take place. Do not miss this meeting. The recruiter will almost certainly ask if you attended.
Make an effort to stay after the meeting and talk with the company's representatives. Not only does this give you an opportunity to obtain more information about both the company and the position, it also makes you stand out in the recruiter's mind. If there's a particular company that you have your heart set on, but you're not able to get an interview with the recruiter, attend the information session anyway. You may be able to convince the recruiter to squeeze you into the schedule. (Or you may discover that the company really isn't suited for you, after all.)
Try to check out the interview site beforehand. Some colleges may conduct "mock" interviews that take place in one of the standard interview rooms. Or you may be able to convince a career counselor (or even a custodian) to let you sneak a peek during off-hours. Either way, having an idea of the room's setup will help you prepare mentally.
Be sure to be at least fifteen minutes early for the interview. The recruiter may be running ahead of schedule and might like to take you early. But don't be surprised if previous interviews have run over, resulting in your thirty-minute slot being reduced to twenty minutes (or less). Don't complain; just use whatever time you have as efficiently as possible to showcase the reasons you're the ideal candidate.
A parting word of advice. Again and again during your job search you'll be rejected. You'll be rejected when you apply for interviews; you'll be rejected after interviews. For every job offer you receive, you will probably have been rejected numerous times. Don't let rejections slow you down. Keep reminding yourself that the sooner you get started on your job search- and get those rejections flowing in-the closer you'll be to obtaining the job you want.
