Nailing that job interview is a crucial part of being a college student. As a graduating senior, getting a job is something I not only need to do, but it’s the whole reason I went to all the trouble of getting a degree. But what do I do with my degree now? As an Agribusiness major with a concentration in Farm and Ranch management, the world is full of possibilities. One possibility that I never really considered until recent was working for a feedlot. Feedlots have all aspects of the cattle business from feeding, to rearing, to finishing, a feedlot is an excellent step in the right direction. But with little cattle experience, getting an interview will be a difficult but not impossible task. The last piece of the puzzle will be the almighty interview. Today, I’d like to share some interview tricks I’ve learned over the years.
The first thing I always do is learn more about the company I am looking at. I do this for two reasons. First, I want to know if their ideals line up with mine and if this is a company I would enjoy working for. Next, I want to learn about the company to show the interviewer that I have background knowledge of their company and I would be able to give examples of things I’ve done that would be applicable to their business.
The next thing I do is prepare for the standard interview questions like “Why should we hire you?” and “Tell me about yourself.” These are two very common questions and there are right and wrong ways to answer interview questions. When an interviewer asks you to tell them about yourself, they don’t want to know what you like to do or what you had for dinner last night. The correct response to that question is your work experience. An interviewer is often looking for what experience you bring to the table. The other common question interviewers ask is “Do you have any questions for me?” This is where doing your research on the company comes in handy. Questions about management styles, start and end dates, or specific responsibilities are applicable.
Finally, I always make sure I am dressed appropriately. It is better to over dress for an occasion than undress because you can always remove an article and dress down if you need to. It’s really difficult to make a tie appear out of thin air and making one out of paper is generally frowned upon.
So, to recap, know the company you’re applying to, prepare your answers to common questions that are likely to be asked, and dress the part. With these simple interview tricks, I hope you too can nail a job interview and land your dream job.
Best Regards,
Carson Averill
