Having a degree does not guarantee a job. Most people, especially college graduates hope to land employment. Colleges offer many resume and cover letter workshops but what happens when an interview is offered? Preparing for an interview requires more than just dressing nice and smiling. There are a few key steps that people must take before and after going on an interview. The group decided to choose how to prepare for an interview as the topic. It was important that the topic was not only important to the group, but the class as well. Preparing for a job interview is an issue that impacts every student in class. Being properly educated on this topic can make a difference between settling for a job and landing the job of your dreams.

How to prepare for a job interview was one of the first suggestions the group agreed on during brainstorming sessions. Once this topic was chosen, the group decided to break interviewing preparation into several fundamental categories. The group used past experiences along with Google to decide on which classifications to choose. The group selected the following categories: how to act during the interview, commonly asked interview questions, how to dress for the interview, what to do after an interview, what documentation to bring, questions you should and should not ask the interviewer, and researching the company. We had eight categories and four group members. Each group member was assigned two categories to research and write about.

Being interviewed is very stressful for many college students. One should not have to only prepare for the early process of the interview process, but to also be aware of the aftermath of the interview process. Manish typed in some key points specific to his topic into Google. He typed in questions to ask the interviewer at the conclusion of an interview. He looked through a couple of different sources and came across a source with a whole list of questions and answers. He then typed in what to do after an interview. He felt that giving a thank you note to the interviewer by email was the best option to tell the class.

Eileen thought that the topic of transportation was very important when planning for a job interview. It is the physical aspect of daily life helping to get individuals to where they want to go. During the research that was conducted, self-experience has helped develop and shape the information for the concept of this project. Living in New York City, public transportation is available everywhere from buses to trains and even taxi cabs. In today’s society, technology has helped people to search and find different ways to a location fast and easy. It is basically like having a GPS right at your finger tips. When a person is planning for a job interview, it is important to make sure that the time of the departure and arrival are accurate, the type of transportation fits best to the user`s interests such as taking the bus, train or cab as well as making sure to search for any delays or traffic that may occur throughout the day.

Researching the company was also a very important aspect when planning for a job interview for Eileen. The best way to learn about a company, is from the company itself. Companies provide websites and social media platforms that provide different types of information such as a description, mission statements, staff information, achievements, reviews and so much more. It is important to get familiar with the information that is being provided because it is helpful to gain the knowledge of the atmosphere and culture of the company so that the interviewee becomes comfortable and confident when it is time for the job interview.

At first, for Naveeda, the ideas of writing about the commonly asked questions by the interviewer as well as how to act during an interview, was taken from personal experience and reflected in the writing. Then, she decided to do a search on commonly asked questions on an interview and got so many great results. She skimmed through each source till one with a list of about thirty questions was found alongside ways in which to answer those types of questions which will make the interviewer more likely to choose that candidate over other possible candidates. After that, she read through each question and answer, and chose the top questions that are usually asked in a typical interview. As for how to act during an interview, she looked up exactly that and got a ton of results as well. She read several pieces and based off of what was read, as well as personal experience, she concluded the main things to do during an interview to help increase the chances of getting the job.

Diana went into the topic of how to dress appropriately for an interview. What to wear on an interview may be obvious to some but not all. It was important to be clear and precise when describing what to wear for an interview. A Google image search of business suits was used to research this topic. The group looked at different images and chose the best looks. How to obtain these looks were then described. For this category the group also wanted to add hygiene tips and hairstyles. For this we used common sense and past experiences. Candidates applying for a job cannot predict what documentation an interviewer might ask but they can be equipped with as much as possible. For the documentation category, the group did not use any internet searches. The group instead had a discussion on the types of documentation interviewees should bring on an interview. The group then posted the best responses on the group project page.

Images were looked up by the whole group based on which section they wanted the picture to go into. Google was used as well as specific terms, hundreds of images came up and the group looked through them and determined which images were perfect for this project.

Some cautions for researchers to take is to avoid using general terms or phrases in a search. Recommendations include being specific in a search engine on what it is they are looking for. Always cite the sources that are used on a works cited page. Do not give up if the information needed does not come up immediately. Sometimes, research takes time and needs to be narrowed down before the right information is obtained. Also, do not always look online for some information, sometimes the information can be found within.