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Don't Let Your First Interview be Your Most Important

<p><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;000000&semi;">Before starting my first job search in the &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;real world”&comma; I didn’t realize how the job interview process worked&period;  I soon realized that companies usually interview many people for one position and put candidates through several interviews before making a decision&period;  The first job interviews I had were for part-time jobs for which I was <strong>overqualified<&sol;strong>&period;  At the time&comma; I wasn’t thinking about these interviews as practice for more important job interviews-I just wanted some money to get me through school as I pursued a second degree&period;   I now realize that those interviews gave me a chance to make mistakes without costing me much in terms of my career&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;000000&semi;"> After interviewing with several different companies&comma; I could anticipate what kind of questions would be asked&period;  I&&num;8217&semi;m still not extremely confident in interviews and feel that they&&num;8217&semi;re too subjective&comma; but at least I know what to expect&period;  You might &&num;8220&semi;practice&&num;8221&semi;  by interviewing for <strong>part-time jobs and internships<&sol;strong>&period;  Unlike mock interviews held by some career centers or practicing with your friends&comma; these interviews will allow you to feel the full effect of a job interview&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><span style&equals;"color&colon;&num;000000&semi;">The most important thing I&&num;8217&semi;ve learned by interviewing is to deal with rejection&period;  Unfortunately&comma; rejection can become a vicious cycle&period;  You don’t get a job you wanted&comma; your self-esteem plummets&comma; you carry a negative attitude to your next interview and are turned down once again after the interviewer&lpar;s&rpar; pick up on your lack of enthusiasm&period;  It can be demoralizing to face rejection after jumping through so many hoops&comma; but it is a fact of job hunting that we have to accept&period;  Interviews can give you an idea of what working at a company will be like and whether you would be a good fit for the company culture&period;  Try to <strong>keep several options open<&sol;strong> and not put all your hopes on one company&period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;--Digiprove&lowbar;Start--><span style&equals;"vertical-align&colon;middle&semi; display&colon;inline-table&semi; padding&colon;3px&semi; line-height&colon;normal&semi;border&colon;1px solid &num;bbbbbb&semi;background-color&colon;&num;FFFFFF&semi;" title&equals;"certified 26 November 2009 06&colon;08&colon;38 UTC by Digiprove certificate P3391"><span style&equals;"font-family&colon; Tahoma&comma; MS Sans Serif&semi; font-size&colon;11px&semi; color&colon;&num;636363&semi; border&colon;0px&semi; float&colon;none&semi; display&colon;inline&semi; text-decoration&colon;none&semi; letter-spacing&colon;normal" onmouseover&equals;"this&period;style&period;color&equals;'&num;A35353'&semi;" onmouseout&equals;"this&period;style&period;color&equals;'&num;636363'&semi;">&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;Copyright secured by Digiprove&nbsp&semi;&copy&semi; 2009<&sol;span><&excl;--4F947DEF7867757A86430B0EDF7AF91B06CC250CD6468CAA94582642780B5A05--><&sol;span><&excl;--Digiprove&lowbar;End--><&sol;p>&NewLine;

Andrea: