College Graduates: You Have Marketable Skills…Share Them with Employers!

According to experts, all sorts of companies are looking for recent college graduates…They just can’t seem to find ones they want to hire!  Many entry-level job seekers have the right skill sets for open positions, but they’re striking out in interviews because they don’t know how to market themselves.  You need to be able to explain what you can do to add value to the company; you can’t expect your interviewer to read between the lines of your resume. 

Interviewers commonly ask recent graduates to articulate what they would like to do at the company, and graduates oftentimes offer the wrong answer.  Because entry-level job seekers have little prior work experience, they think the correct response to this question is, “I want to learn.”  While employers understand the limited extent of your experience, “learning” is not a particularly enticing offer.  Employers are more than willing to teach you the business once you’re hired, but you nonetheless need to convince them that you will be an asset to the company. 

Explain the hard and soft skills you have built in school that apply to your industry.  Show off your knowledge of the company to demonstrate your interest and commitment.  Do everything in your power to prove that it would be in everyone’s best interest to hire you.  The desire to learn is implicit and need not be discussed in the interview.  This tip will help you ace your first interview and every one after.