Career Center: How to graduate into a great job
Step 8: In interviews, tell 30-to-60-second stories of your accomplishments: a problem you faced, how you addressed it, and its positive resolution. If you haven't already, tease out a problem the employer is facing and brainstorm how you might help solve it. Be enthusiastic but honest about your strengths and weaknesses. All employers will appreciate your candor: The wrong employer will know you're wrong for the job, and a right one will hire you.
Don't close too quickly. The purpose of a first or even second interview is usually not to get a job offer; it's to get another interview. So at the end of an interview, you might ask, "I'm excited about what we've discussed here. Would you mind if I extended our discussion by writing a brief summary and proposal? And perhaps we can meet again to discuss that?"
A final tip. Many people have endured lousy jobs for a lifetime. If you don't like your job or your boss, don't "pay dues" for long. As soon as possible, pitch for a better job or start your own business.
All these steps may sound daunting, but if you want a job, they're necessary. The monster.com survey reports that 45 percent of 2004 college graduates are still living at home.
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