Job Interviews: Millennials: High on Education, Low on Experience

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Education is magnificent, but you can't count on education.

You have to look focused. You have to look passionate about what you want to do. You have to show how your education has prepared you for the job you target.

Whenever possible, present your education as work experience. If that seems like a reach, think of it this way:

• You have experience working with deadlines and with applying skills that you've learned throughout the years as you completed various projects.
• You've probably given at least one presentation, so you've had experience preparing it, and you have experience communicating to a group of people.
• To get through school without killing yourself, you probably had to develop some type of time schedule, so you have valuable experience in time management — organizing your time for greatest efficiency.

Don't neglect any of these important experiences.

The Questions

Questions you may be asked that are related to education and training include the following:

Why did you attend (name of school)? What factors influenced your choice of school?

ShowStoppers

• Describe the process that you went through to determine which school you wanted to attend, such as matching the schools to your career plans, visiting the schools, and talking to faculty.
• Discuss at least four specific reasons why you chose your school, focusing on career-related programs and academic considerations such as distinguished faculty, research opportunities, student government programs, leadership opportunities in campus organizations, or school reputation.

Clunkers and Bloopers

• Say you chose your school because of its great social life or because your best friend went there.
• Say you made a mistake in choosing your school.

How or why did you choose your major? What factors led to your decision to choose your major?

ShowStoppers

• Show that you took a deliberate, systematic approach in choosing your major, focusing on future career goals.
• If you studied liberal arts, respond that you sought to learn how to reason, research, and communicate as well as do. Explain that you put meat on academic bones with practical, career-oriented courses, seminars, internships, co-op education programs, and extracurricular activities.
• Discuss the courses you've taken that are most job-related and show how they can help you meet the challenges of the job.
• Show that your choice was logical considering your interests and skills.

Clunkers and Bloopers

• Ramble or give vague answers.
• Say you chose the same major as the Homecoming Queen, based on her advice.

How has your education prepared you for working as a (job title)? How has your education benefited you? What specific work-related courses have you taken? How has your education helped with your current job?

ShowStoppers

• Give specific examples of how the skills and abilities you learned in school can be transferred to the job.
• Emphasize that your education has not only provided you with job skills but has prepared you to learn new skills throughout your career.
• Discuss the online research skills you learned at school.
• Cover your leadership activities and how that leadership experience transfers to the job.
• Mention experience you have with teamwork and how that will help you on the job.
• Explain how your education has expanded your mind, opening you up to new ideas or perspectives.
• Give specific examples of career-related problems you solved or results you have achieved.
• Observe that your college internships (or co-op education) gave you good work experience you can apply on this job, such as the necessity to meet deadlines, work within a budget, follow your boss's lead, and more.

Clunkers and Bloopers

• Give vague grasping-for-straws answers.
• Recite a list of the courses you took (unless asked to do so).