Congratulations on your graduation. Earning your college degree, whether from an online university or traditional campus is something to be proud of, but now is when the work really begins. In addition to getting a haircut and polishing your resume, you need to take some time to prepare for hard questions during the job interview process.
1. Can you tell me about your experiences working within a team? How you answer this will say a lot about what they can expect from you in the workplace. Even if you’ve never had a job before, come up with an example of how you led your study group in college or played goalie on your high school soccer team.
2. How did your last job come to a close? If you’ve left a job on bad terms, be honest, but don’t vent about former employers. Explain that there wasn’t room for personal growth or that the corporate culture wasn’t a good match for you, but keep your conversation positive about the future.
3. How do you see yourself down the road? This is not the place to discuss how many children you’d like or that you love to hang out on the beach. Discuss the kind of responsibilities you want to take on and the kinds of work environment that you’d like for yourself. Employers want to know that you are ambitious and fully intend to dig your heels in and work for a living.
4. What are your salary requirements? This subject should always be introduced by the interviewer, not you. Do your homework and know what people in various regions make for similar positions that you are going for. Make sure that you communicate that you are flexible, but competitive in your expectations. Another thing to remember is that benefits such as 401k, insurance and education reimbursement could go a long way toward filling in the gap of a slightly lower salary.
As long as you’ve thought these kinds of questions through, you can go into the interview with confidence. Keep your responses on the subject at hand and let the person across the table from you lead the conversation. Know the company, know yourself and walk away from each interview feeling as if you’ve done the best that you can do. The rest will take care of itself. Good luck.
Alan Greene is an educational counselor in New Jersey. He specializes in helping adults review their online education options and select online colleges which meet their needs.



