Want to be Remembered After an Interview?

Got the new outfit or suit, showered and shaved, arrived early, had your portfolio organized and felt like you answered all the questions with the greatest of ease. But was it enough to get you hired as the newest intern for the company? Did you do anything special to cause your resume to stay on top of the pile?

Check out this post from my colleague Shandra Blackwell's blog to see what a little ingenuity and originality can do to get you noticed.....and hired!

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Advice for a New Grad in Interior Design

Top Tips for Interview Success

Search the Internet for "interview tips" and you will get more than 58 million results. Finding the most important tips from such an extensive list would be like finding a needle in a haystack! So, to save you college students some time, I have compiled a list of top tips taken from a survey.....of those who hire!

• Be prompt, on time; better yet, be 4 minutes early! Allow time for traffic, parking, finding the office, etc. Arrive unhurried allowing you to appear composed, relaxed, and self-assured (even if you are nervous!).
• Research the company you are interviewing with by visiting their website or talking to current employees. Knowing what they do will give you something in common to talk to the interviewer about, not just the position for which you are applying.
• Dress appropriately - don't wear revealing clothing or look like you just got up. Be well groomed - shower, shave and have clean hair. Wear professional attire and this does not mean school clothes! Get an outfit for interviews and be neat from the shoes up. Oh, and do not wear perfume. You want them to remember you, not the scent you left behind.
• Be cheerful, optimistic, enthusiastic, and have good energy but be business-like and professional in your manner. Be polite, courteous, and attentive.
• Be yourself and don't apologize for anything. Watch your language and drop the college lingo (cool, my bad, etc.).
• Respect the interviewers time. Be prepared for short, spur of the moment interviews as well as those that are more in-depth. If they are interested in you from the beginning, you may be interviewed by more than one person.
• Answer questions asked and ask good questions but don't monopolize all the time talking about you. Be prepared for unusual questions and be honest, forthright in you replies.
• Do not oversell you abilities. Act positive but know that you are still learning. Show you are a "sponge" and willing to learn instead of coming across as a know-it-all.
• When appropriate, bring examples of your work. Check the condition of your portfolio for signs of wear and show only your best work. Be prepared to show your portfolio in a short period of time so rehearse your presentation so it will be organized. Also, have several copies of your resume with you.
• Remember to smile!! This will not only relax the muscles in your face and help relieve your nervousness, it will also start the interview on a positive note when the interviewer smiles back!

At the end of the interview, be sure to ask when the employer expects to make the hiring decision and find out about their follow-up procedure. Be sure to follow this and check back at the appropriate time.

How to Write a Great Resume'

Search the web or the library and you will find so many resources on how to write a resume, it will make your head spin! Which resource is right? Where do you start? What should you include and how long should it be? What about graphics?

Having received numerous resumes, which I screened and filed for future reference or tossed, I noticed many common mistakes. Errors ranged from impossible-to-read formatting to over-use of graphics to poor grammar. Some really made me shake my head in amazement (and not because the were outstanding)!

Want your resume to result in a phone call instead of the "round" file? Follow a few basic tips from the Intern Toolkit found at Z University in their How to Write a Great Resume practice tips. This list of tips will help you re-evaluate your resume or format your first one so you will make the best first-impression possible.

Why an Employer Needs You to Intern

You need professional experience and sure, you could use some extra money for college, but.....why does an employer need you to intern? What can you offer an employer?

As an intern, you can provide an employer the following:

• An enthusiastic and motivated pre-professional.
• New, innovative ideas and latest industry knowledge.
• Special technical skills, especially computer skills older employees may not have.
• An ideal interview tool and cost effective screening program for recruiting future employees.
• Pipeline of talent or pool of potential employees for their future workforce.
• Risk-free evaluation in determining if a candidate is a good fit for the organization.
• Training and development of prospective employees, significantly decreasing cost-per-hire.
• Conversion of an intern to a full-time employee who can immediately be productive.
• Greater retention of newly hired employees (interns) when they experience satisfaction with their internships.
• Allow flexibility in staffing and free up professional staff to pursue higher priority projects.
• Company receives assistance with special projects or meets seasonal needs without a long-term commitment.
• Provide an opportunity to develop staff supervisory skills.
• Regular employees have increased motivation and productivity.
• Opportunity to have an impact on molding students and giving back to the community.
• Strengthening of relationships between the academic world and professional settings.

If a company you would like to work for does not have an internship program, use these points to sell them on the idea. Internships can be a win-win situation for both student and employer, especially when the student has a great attitude and the company has a well-run internship program.