Hello and welcome. My name is Jaden and I\u2019m a third-year student here at UMass Lowell. I\u2019m majoring in English with a concentration in Journalism and Professional Writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, I\u2019m an intern for the University\u2019s Career & Co-op\nCenter. The center has tons of great career, internship, and co-op resources\nfor students so I will be blogging about my own experiences using those\nresources! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, I finally figured how to get through job interviews without tripping\nover my words. I attended a virtual Career Corner workshop hosted by the Career\nand Co-op Center, and they gave advice on how to answer tricky job interview\nquestions. Interviews of any sort have always intimidated me. Job interviews\ncan be very stressful, especially during a pandemic, so I wanted to share tips\nabout how to answer common interview questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To get to the workshop, I had to find the Zoom link on Handshake. The\nworkshop Zoom link was in the event description. I didn\u2019t have to register, I just\nhad to remember to be on time! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the workshop, the host explained the three types of interview\nquestions: traditional, situational, behavioral, and, when the role calls for\nit, technical (for example, in computer science.) Traditional questions focus\non the candidate’s background and experience. Situational questions determine\nhow applicants would handle a hypothetical situation in the future. Behavioral\nquestions show how a candidate handled a specific real situation in the past.\nTechnical questions are only applicable for certain job positions, but they determine\nhow a candidate would solve a specific technical problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The workshop host said students should not deny their\nweaknesses, frame a weakness as a strength, or reveal a weakness that raises a\nred flag in an interview. I was surprised when the host said this because I had\nthought the opposite: that I should frame weaknesses in a positive light.\nInstead, the host suggested that students use the PARK method when talking\nabout a weakness or problem. P stands for problem, A stands for action, R\nstands for result, and K stands for knowledge. Students should state their\nweakness or problem, explain what they did to improve the situation, tell about\nthe results of their action, and say what knowledge they gained from the\nexperience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This workshop was super helpful for me, and I learned lots of tips I never knew before. I used to feel stressed out by interviews, and I always scrambled to find answers on the spot. Now, I feel more prepared since I know what kinds of questions I will be asked and how to answer them! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the Career & Co-op Center:<\/em><\/strong> Career Corner workshops will resume the first week of spring semester. <\/em>Visit our website<\/em><\/a> and\/or <\/em>view Candid Career videos<\/em><\/a> for tips on a variety of career development topics. Individual assistance is available between the Fall 2020 and Spring semesters by appointment — <\/em>schedule a career advising appointment.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello and welcome. My name is Jaden and I\u2019m a third-year student here at UMass Lowell. I\u2019m majoring in English with a concentration in Journalism and Professional Writing. Currently, I\u2019m an intern for the University\u2019s Career & Co-op Center. The … Continue reading