Need Help, Looking to Help College Students Preparing to Graduate Interview Successfully

SJennings1 · July 2009

First, I hope this is ok to post and if not please let me know and I will take off.

I need your help. I'm looking to gather informaton from HR professionals to better help college students as they interview and prepare to enter the workforce. I would like to share the information with students as I speak with them so they better understand what makes a successfull interview.

My name is Stephen Jennings and I'm the author of the book Promotning Yourself, Tips & Tools for Acing the Interview, Receiving the Raise and Helping Others Along the Way. As I speak to college students across the country my goal is to help them be as prepared as possible when interivewing. Because of this I'm requesting your help.

First a little background so you better understand the two questions asked:

I teach students and for that matter anyone who works, how to stand out from the crowd when interviewing so they become a top candidate and ultimately get hired. One of the keys is teaching students how to create a personl Success Portfolio where they bring their experience while in school to life. Their portfolio would include examples of things they did while in school, offices held, jobs worked, awards won, honors they received, sports played adn what they learned, etc...

By bringing to the interview a personal Success Portfolio they will be able to successfully package, promote, and communicate their experience and skills. When asked a question such as "Tell me about a time when..." they will now be able to provide an answer and then provide the supporting documentation for their answer. They learn to utilize their Success Portfolio by providing those interviewing them withh a copy and walking them thru their answer of a particular question. This brings credibility and validation to their response.

Here are my two questions:

1. What difference would it make for a candidate to be able to support their answers to your questions through the use of a Success Portfolio and would it help set them apart from other candidates?

2. How important is it for a person interviewing with you to be able to successfully promote and communicate their experience and skills when answering an interview question and why?

You can post your response here or e-mail me at Stephen@PromotingYourself.net with your answers. If you provide me with an address I will send the first 20 responders a free copy of my book for taking the time to help. When responding, let me know if I could use your first name and the industry you work in with the informaton you share. I would love to include a company name but I also understand that may not be viable.

Thanks,

Stephen