Finding a Job or Internship: What many articles leave out

By Carrie Ann Kandes, APR | KSU PRSSA Professional Advisor

I have a confession to make. I’m not in love with writing articles about the job or internship search. Don’t get me wrong –  I agree it’s a critical topic for collegiates. But like the Kardashians, the topic is a bit, well, overexposed. It’s everywhere. Everyone talks about it. And everyone has advice about what you should do. Saying something profound – something you haven’t already heard – is a tall order.

That’s why I decided to focus this piece on what you shouldn’t do.  During nearly 20 years in this business, I’ve interviewed a lot of candidates. And many of them have been recent grads. I’m always a little stunned by the mistakes that can completely derail an otherwise effective interview.

So as you look toward the end of another academic year and the search for a new internship or job, think beyond what you should do to prepare for that interview. Make sure you also consider what you shouldn’t do as part of your pre-interview regimen.

• Don’t just rattle off a list of the things you’ve done. Of course we need to know about the projects you’ve worked on or the assignments you’ve completed in class. But elevate the conversation. Think about your experience similar to a case study. (You can even consider formatting it as such.) Why was the project important and what were you trying to accomplish? What, specifically, did you contribute? What were the outcomes? This type of approach shows us that you get it.

• Don’t throw teachers, advisors or any other unassuming people under the bus. Believe it or not, I’ve been in more than one interview during which the interviewee has had extremely negative things to say about a teacher, advisor, former boss or someone else that left a bad taste in his or her mouth. An interview is not the place to air your grievances. It makes a horrible impression and leads the interviewer to wonder for what you’re trying to shirk responsibility. Not only that, it may just happen that the interviewer has a personal relationship with the person you’re throwing under the bus. If there’s one way to make a prospective employer question your character, this is it.

• Don’t underdress. I once had a boss whose final decisions about whether or not to hire candidates were strongly influenced by their interview attire. I kid you not. You could have the most impressive credentials and the most intriguing things to say and still fail the test because you dressed as if you were going to a club. I work in an environment in which people wear shorts and flip flops. But we don’t expect our candidates to dress in that manner. Don’t underestimate the power of “dressing for the job you want.”

• Don’t wing it. We can always tell if a candidate simply hasn’t prepared for an interview. Preparation should include considering how you’ll answer certain questions, identifying the items in your resume you’d like to highlight, learning more about the interviewing company, practicing what you’ll say and how you’ll say it. Don’t skimp on the preparation. It would be like rolling out of bed and going right to a first date. Who does that?

• Don’t oversell. I can’t tell you how many times a student who hasn’t even graduated yet has told me that he/she will “completely and radically change my company with his/her great ideas and drive.” While I admire the ambition, I certainly don’t expect someone who hasn’t yet worked in this business to save the PR world from impending doom. Now, if you’ve done something exceptional in a class or internship, by all means, talk it up. But if you’re going to tell me about the immediate and historic impact you’re going to have on my company, you better be prepared to back it up.

• Don’t underestimate the power of the receptionist. Or social media. I have colleagues that always ask the person at our front desk if a candidate was polite, professional, etc. Your interview starts the minute you walk into our company and includes anyone you talk to – either by phone or in person. And it continues until you leave the building. Like a media interview, the mic is always on. In fact, through the power of social media, it stays on even after you’ve left the premises. You won’t find many interviewers these days who don’t troll social media to see how candidates are positioning themselves in the world.

I wish you all the best of luck as you take your first bold steps into your PR careers. And I’ll leave you with one final don’t: Don’t be too nervous. Have fun. Be confident. Enjoy the ride.

Note:   In the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that my Marcus Thomas colleagues Polly Ryder, Heidi Modarelli-Frank and Amber Zent contributed their thoughts to this list of don’ts. Thanks, ladies!

 
Carrie is the vice president and associate director of public relations for Marcus Thomas, a Cleveland-based integrated marketing communications agency focused on ideation and audience insight. A graduate of the KSU PR Sequence, Carrie has spent nearly 20 years in the industry.

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