Graduate Interview Question: What Do You Like About The Field?

You graduated. No more teachers, no more books, no more giving the sexy classmate dirty looks. You studied for hours, possibly even with textbooks! Probably not though. Hooray for Cliff Notes and cheating!

Interviewers know very little about you. All they know is that you have a major, and presumably your major is related to the field. The interviewer has little they can ask you, so they are left asking you questions about why you chose your field.

How to Answer

Give them an intelligent reason. It should have nothing to do with money or your parents telling you to do it. Talk about the field itself, its innovation, etc.

Bad Answer

“I don’t know. It has a lot of jobs available, and in this economy you try to get whatever job you can.”

Good Answer

“It is a field that will never become obsolete, with constant innovation, logic and problem solving. No two campaigns are ever the same, which means that you are always trying to find a new strategy or platform to help the company.”

These types of answers are intelligent and exciting, so it does really look like you have a reason to be in the field. Good reasons show the employer that you plan on sticking around and didn’t make a career choice that you are likely to regret.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Provide an intelligent and thoughtful answer.
• Avoid answers that make it appear you did not put much thought in the decision.

College Graduate Interview Question: How Did You Do in School?

You don’t have much of a work history, so recent college graduates and those applying for more entry level positions are going to have to answer questions about their college experiences. If you want to get the job, you need to take advantage of these questions, because you do not have as much of an opportunity to flaunt your work history or discuss your previous experiences.

How to Answer

Obviously if you didn’t do very well, you should limit your answer to this question, but if you did do well, don’t take this question for granted. Go on about your experiences as much as you can without sounding like you are rambling.

Bad Answer

“I did really well. I had a good GPA and did well on tests.”

Good Answer

“I graduated cum laude and had one of the highest GPAs in my major. I was also heavily involved in the department, volunteering my time to research under Drs. Pepper and StrangeLove. I also won an award for my paper on Contemplative Introspection…”

When you have an opportunity to speak that highly of yourself, you take it, unless you have nothing to say.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Flaunt your achievements.