Table of Contents
- Research, Research & More Research
- Treat Everyone As Your Interviewer
- Speak Up
- Follow Up
- Available Opportunities for Recent Grads
- Indeed
- Grant Thornton
- Hubspot
Congratulations, you finally graduated. Now what? The world of work and opportunity awaits. Landing your first job interview can feel like a daunting task, but there are lots of simple ways to ensure you impress any prospective employer.
Research, Research & More Research
Read up on the company you are interviewing for as well as the person interviewing you. That will help you to understand your interviewer’s perspective as well as any recent developments in the company.
Follow the company on social media to understand some of its day-to-day messaging and how it communicates. Don’t forget to consider the competition. Researching the closest competitor to the company gives you a few good reference points when your interviewer starts talking about the vision for the company or the role you’re interviewing for.
Treat Everyone As Your Interviewer
In-person interviews at big companies can see you meet several staff members on your way up to the interview itself. Be polite and friendly to everyone you encounter from the doorman to the receptionist to the stranger in the lift. Co-workers are often called on to give first impressions, so you want to ensure yours is a good one.
Speak Up
Interviews are nerve-racking, particularly when you’re starting out in your career, but they’re also opportunities for learning, so use the time wisely.
Prepare a few key questions to ask the hiring manager during or at the end of the interview. It will show how motivated you are and is often the opportunity for you to stand out from the competition.
A good question to ask at the end of the interview is “Can you tell me a little bit about your own career journey?” or “What’s your favorite thing about working at the company?”
Follow Up
The day after your interview, email the recruiter to thank them for their time and the opportunity to interview.
Simple courtesy goes a long way in the world of a frazzled recruiter, especially where remote interviews are leading to overwhelming workloads and one applicant can blur into another. A note of gratitude proves you respect people’s time and contribution and are more likely to be a team player.
Available Opportunities for Recent Grads
Ready to get started? Here are three companies with excellent open opportunities for recent graduates…
Indeed
What better place to kick off your career than with a company that understands and appreciates job seekers?
Indeed is a worldwide employment website for job listings, and rumor has it they even keep an empty orange chair in every conference room to remind themselves to always give the job seeker a seat at the table.
Indeed is looking to grow its teams with people who share the same energy and enthusiasm for creating the best experience for job seekers and employers. Sounds like the place for you?
Explore all the open opportunities at Indeed today.
Grant Thornton
Grant Thornton International is one of the world’s leading organizations of independent audit, tax, and advisory firms, with revenues of $1.92 billion and operates more than 50 offices. Forget what you expect from a career in professional services. At Grant Thornton, the company isn’t afraid to do things differently. The bold approach, agile teams, and inclusive culture will give you the opportunities and support to help you succeed.
Discover your dream role at Grant Thornton.
Hubspot
HubSpot is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform that provides software and support to help businesses grow better. Named Glassdoor’s #4 Best Place to Work in 2021, HubSpot’s award-winning culture has been recognized by Great Place to Work, Comparably, Fortune, Entrepreneur, Inc., and more.
Headquartered in Cambridge, MA with offices in Ireland; Singapore; Australia; Japan; Germany; France; Colombia; Ghent, Belgium; San Francisco; UK; and Canada, there are lots of opportunities to travel and grow professionally within the company.
Browse open positions at Hubspot and discover the right role for you.
Unlock thousands more open opportunities via the Grad Cafe jobs board and find your first step on the career ladder today.
Kirstie works for our job board partner, Jobbio. Based in Dublin, she has been a writer and editor
across print and digital platforms for over 15 years.
