Why do people go to college? Maybe it’s the wild parties. Maybe it’s so they can feel independent for the first time after years of living with mom and dad. Who knows, it could be the intelligent conversations to be had during class lectures. The social activities aside, most people go to college so they can get a good job when they graduate.
Joe Ragsdale is a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. After a summer spent in Chicago interning at a financial services company, Ragsdale returned to school and started his job hunt. It wasn’t long before he scored an interview with a Chicago software company. During his drive to Illinois, Ragsdale began to go over questions that his interviewers might ask.
“I was trying to think of stories from my resume,” says Ragsdale.
From leadership qualities to personal experiences, Ragsdale went over possible questions that his interviewers might ask.
“I had stories to go with everything,” says Ragsdale. “I’m definitely glad I thought out those experiences before I got into the interview.”
But before the interview, Ragsdale had to survive the dinner his potential employers had planned for him. After getting to the hotel and changing into business casual, Ragsdale took a taxi over to the restaurant.
“When I got into the cab, I tried to think of small talk, conversation starters so there wouldn’t be any awkward silences,” says Ragsdale. Even though he arrived 15 minutes early, it looked like his possible future colleagues had been there for a while. Before arriving at the restaurant, Ragsdale felt uneasy about whether or not to order an alcoholic beverage but the glasses of wine set out on the table made it an easy choice for him.
The employees at dinner were more focused on getting to know who Ragsdale was than interviewing him.
“It was a lot less awkward than I thought it’d be,” says Ragsdale. He was able to relax a little bit. The company’s employees assured him there would be no brainteasers during the interview the next day.
“I was feeling good about it,” says Ragsdale. “I was more anxious than nervous.”
He set three alarms the morning of his interview. One on his phone, one on his alarm clock and one wake-up call. All three were set half an hour before he had to wake up. Ragsdale walked over to the building and took the elevator to one of the top floors. He was led to a large conference room and was given a basic overview of the company. He then had a series of four interviews, two given by upper management and two given by consultants. They went over Ragsdale’s credentials and made sure everything was in order.
“They’re not trying to stump you,” says Ragsdale. “They’re just trying to see if you’re a good fit.”
When the interviews were done, Ragsdale went on his way, being told he’d hear something within two weeks if they were interested. It was a long drive down to Bloomington but when he walked in the door of his house that same night, his phone rang. He got the job.
Want to share your story of getting hired? E-mail us at careerbuider@tribune.com.
