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Metro College provides extensive Job Search Support Service including Resume and Cover Letter Workshops, Job Search Workshops and Interview Workshops with mock job interviews to ensure students are well prepared to enter the job market.

Once graduates land a job interview it is still important to follow-through and properly prepare for this step in the job application process. More work needs to be done!

Prepare for Your Job Interview in 5 Steps:

1. Research the Business
Gather background information about the employer, products/services, target audience/clients, business history and future plans.

Sample Interview Questions – Why do you want to work in this industry? What interests you about this position? What do you know about the organization’s main products/services?

2. Research the Job
Examine the job description (request clarification from the employer if necessary), focusing on the skills, abilities and work experience required for the position, as well as job duties, responsibilities, reporting requirements and salary range.

Sample Interview Questions – How do you feel you qualify for this position? What are your top three strengths? What skills will you bring to this position?

3. Know Yourself
Describe personal skills, abilities, accomplishments and work experience in a positive light with a focus on strengths that will benefit the employer. Create a short (60 second) sales pitch demonstrating how personal skills, qualities and abilities are a perfect fit for the position.

Sample Interview Questions – Tell me about yourself? What makes you a good fit for our organization? What are your weaknesses?

4. Practice Makes Perfect
Memorize skills, job duties and work experience talking points and examples, as well as how they relate to the job and business. Practice with sample interview questions!

Sample Interview Questions – Do you work better independently, or as part of a team? Describe a difficult work experience, and how you overcame it? Is there anything you would like to ask about the job or business?

5. Plan for the Interview
Know the location of the interview, dress appropriately, arrive early and bring an extra copy of cover letter, resume and contact information of references!

Best of luck to Metro graduates!

Learn more about Metro College Job Search Support Service and read the most common job hunting mistakes!

Many employers will request 2-3 references from job applicants (either before or after a job interview). A reference is someone who can comment on a job applicant’s character, work experience, education, skills and work ethic.

 There are 2 Types of References:

• Character Reference – is someone who can comment on your personal character such as a teacher, co-worker, coach, etc. (not a friend or family member).
• Professional Reference – is someone who knows you in a professional context and can comment on your work history as well as your professionalism, work ethic and skills, abilities, etc.

References play a large role in the job application process, and may be the deciding factor for an employer to either select you for the job opening, or not. It is therefore important to spend some time and think about who would be the best Reference for you!

Selecting Your References:

1. Pick someone who knows you well and talk to them about your job search and being your character or professional reference.
2. Get permission from your reference, as well as the e-mail address and phone number where they prefer to be contacted.
3. Inform each reference about the job(s) you have applied for and give them the opportunity to prepare for the call (or e-mail) from the employer.
4. Thank each reference for helping you in your job search!

Jump-start your job search with the Metro College Job Search Support Service, and get on the path to success today!

Metro College of Technology is among the first private career colleges to establish a dedicated Department of Career Service  and continues to provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge, skills and abilities in real-world situations, receive feedback and gain experience!

Gain the full benefits of your co-op placements:

• Network – Get to know your co-workers! Networking is an important factor in finding a job. During your co-op placement, take the time to interact with others and more importantly, find a way to stay in touch with your new network after your placement is over. Keep your growing professional network updated on your job search and interests – you never know who might hear of the perfect job opening for you!
• Be Professional – A co-op placement is an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism. Employers are looking for professional employees who are good communicators, polite and demonstrate good judgement. Do not forget, your co-op placement boss or co-workers might become one of your work references in the future, leave them with a great impression of you
• Learn – Experience gained in your field of study will be beneficial to your job hunt upon graduation. Take the opportunity to learn everything you can about your job duties and how the business functions. Learn about the job duties performed by your co-workers and managers. All this information will help you determine your career aspirations and target your job hunt upon graduation.

A co-op placement can often lead to a full-time job – give it 110% and demonstrate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and professionalism. Visit the Department of Career Service for further information, resources and check out the services available to students.

People experience various levels of anxiety when faced with making a presentation or speech in front of an audience. Some feel very comfortable with the process, and at ease as the focus of attention. Others experience nausea, and nervousness that can negatively affect their performance, and many fall somewhere between these two extremes.

If you find yourself nervous before a presentation in class, there are exercises and tips that can help you overcome your anxiety and be at ease, and College offers the best opportunity to master public speaking skills!

Top 6 Tips to Beat Public Speaking Anxiety:

• Know Your Topic – speak about a topic which you are familiar with and know more than you are going to present. Know the topic well enough to be able to answer relevant questions that might come up.
• Practice – as always, practice makes perfect. Rehearse your speech or presentation repeatedly until it becomes 2nd nature, learn when to slow down, take a breath, or insert a pause for emphasis.
• Know the Audience – it is much more comforting to speak to a room of friends than a group of strangers. Take the opportunity to greet and mingle with your audience before your presentation and get to know them!
• Get Comfortable – get to know the venue where you will be speaking or presenting, do a run through and test how loud you’ll need to speak, how the presentation slides work, and orient yourself with the amenities (including the washroom). It is easier to feel comfortable and at ease once you’ve had a real practice at the venue and know exactly what to expect.
• Take a Moment – when nervous it is a common habit to buy time with ‘Uhms’, or apologies for momentarily loosing focus. Instead, take a deep breath, have a drink of water, count to 3 to calm yourself down, and continue from where you left off. The time it takes you to do this might feel like an eternity, but in reality it’s only 3 seconds and the audience probably hasn’t even noticed.
• Get Experience – college is the perfect place to perfect public speaking skills. All Metro College Programs include a requirement to do a presentation in front of a class or small group. This is to encourage the development of communication skills in a safe learning environment where instructors and peers can provide positive feedback and constructive criticism.

Bonus Tip: Practice in front of a friend and ask for an honest critique of your presentation and public speaking skills and work up to doing your presentation in front of 4 people, then 8. You will notice you become more and more at ease with practice!