While the purpose of attending higher education in Canada is to prepare you for ‘the real world’ of employment, often times your education is the very thing that precludes you from gaining the experience that becoming employed requires.
Indeed, as someone who recently has graduated from a Canadian College or University, Ironically you may have little to no experience.
Thankfully, there are ways that fresh graduates can answer job interview questions in your first round of job interviews that will help employers see past your lack of practical work experience and see something that matters much more – your potential.
5 Popular questions asked to Fresh Graduates & how to answer them
1. Where Do You See Yourself in 3-5 years?
Companies want to know that you’re going to stick around. If all you’re doing is looking to take the experience you gain with them to hop over to their competition, why should they waste time training you? The right answer here is letting them know you intend to work your way up to a managerial position within the same organization.
2. Why do you think you’d be a good fit at ‘xyz’ Company?
Culture fit is huge these days. Your employer wants to know that you will get along with your teammates and coworkers. The right answer here is letting them know you’ve spent some time looking into their values and mission statement, and indicating that it ‘resonates’ with you on a personal level.
3. What made you choose this job in particular?
Sometimes you’ll be applying for a positions outside your field of study, especially if it is an entry level position. If this is the case, be sure to highlight how the experience you do have will benefit you in your current role. For example, you could say that “I intend on using some of the managerial skills I learned to help improve processes within my department”
4. Tell about some of your achievements while attending school?
Now is no time to be modest. Here, be sure to mention not only your achievements, but why they’ll matter to your employer. Modern employers want employees that demonstrate initiative, and by showing off a little you can let them know that you are an achiever.
5. What do you like to do in your spare time?
In this question avoid bland answers like ‘watching movies, handing out with friends’, and related. This is an opportunity to demonstrate how you user your spare time for personal improvement. For example, instead of just saying ‘I like to work out’, you could say that ‘I’m always looking for ways to improve myself, and push my limits…to that end, I like to work out, run in marathons…’ you get the idea.
By paying attention tot he tips above, your lack of experience will go totally unnoticed by your employer and help you win your first job out of school!
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