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What Employers Want in an Entry-Level Candidate

<p><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;collegecareerlife&period;net&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2013&sol;09&sol;Interviewing&period;jpg"><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-6596 size-full" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;collegecareerlife&period;net&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2013&sol;09&sol;Interviewing&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Interviewing" width&equals;"320" height&equals;"480" &sol;><&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Employers tend to be more cautious when hiring for entry-level positions&period; Candidates typically have little work experience and therefore are more of a risk&period; In place of work history&comma; hiring managers look for other accomplishments to prove a potential hire&&num;8217&semi;s ability to succeed in the workplace&period; Take the following actions to prepare yourself for an entry-level job search&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>1&period; <span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; bold&semi;">Volunteer Work<&sol;span> Ideally&comma; you&&num;8217&semi;ll find a regular volunteer activity that you can continue throughout your college career&period; Examples include tutoring&comma; working at an animal shelter&comma; and volunteering at a food bank&period; In addition&comma; you should also try to participate other events such as fund raisers that occur less frequently&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>2&period; <span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; bold&semi;">Leadership Roles<&sol;span> Interviewers frequently ask about leadership experience&period; Serving as a club officer or in another leadership capacity will prepare you for interviews and will set you apart from other candidates&period; Leadership can be demonstrated in many ways&comma; whether you organize a fundraiser for your favorite charity or step up as the leader of a group project&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>3&period; <span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; bold&semi;">Teamwork<&sol;span> Almost all jobs today involve teamwork&period; Job interviewers will likely ask you if you work well in teams&comma; and will want proof that you have handled yourself well in a group situation&period; Think back to group projects and be able to demonstrate your success working with different personalities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>4&period; <span style&equals;"font-weight&colon; bold&semi;">Internships&sol;Job Shadowing<&sol;span> Interviewers want to know that you are familiar with the industry or type of job you are applying for&period; As a recent graduate&comma; you will set yourself apart if you have some experience already&period; If you are unable to find an internship&comma; ask someone in your chosen profession if you can shadow them to get a feel for the job and to see if it is something you would enjoy&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>One of my questions for my last interviewer was what characteristics her ideal candidate would have&period; She told me that the ideal candidate would be well-rounded and would be able to balance several responsibilities at one time&period; Participating in student organizations&comma; part-time jobs&comma; and volunteer work will demonstrate your ability to handle many responsibilities and will show potential employers of your diverse skills&period;<&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;17&colon;00 UTC by Digiprove certificate P3399"><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&semi;">  Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2009<&sol;span><&excl;--7F4E676378E788DA2BC02834FA38DA7F03BE44BDFBA37E5F3058CBBA808CE873--><&sol;span><&excl;--Digiprove&lowbar;End--><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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