UCF's Kenneth G. Dixon Career Development Center offers guidance on making a strong impression during a job interview. Candidates are advised to know their professional story and prepare an elevator pitch, offer a confident greeting, handshake and smile, and think through two to three key selling points about themselves. UCF students are encouraged to start with their major or expected graduation and discuss related skills and experience, including student clubs and class projects. Researching employers, showcasing that knowledge in conversation, and giving examples to back up answers are also recommended.
An elevator pitch introduces a candidate to recruiters in 30 to 60 seconds and can follow a present-past-future format covering current study, a recent relevant experience and career goals. For resumes, the center recommends a concise, organized document with clean, consistent formatting, content tailored to the position, transferable skills, quantified results where possible, and action verbs with consistent verb tense. Core sections may include a heading, an optional tailored objective, education in reverse chronological order, a skills-focused summary of qualifications and experience, with optional sections for activities, leadership, honors and awards, publications or research. The virtual career assistant VMock is available to students through their NID credentials, though the center cautions against relying only on artificial intelligence to write resume content, noting that employers may run resumes through plagiarism detection software. AI can also be used to match resume language to a job description so it passes through applicant tracking systems.
Candidates should prepare two to three questions to ask at the end of an interview, touching on company culture, the position in ways that go beyond prior research, the qualities sought in an ideal candidate and next steps. Within 24 hours, the center suggests sending personalized thank-you emails to recruiters that include a brief recap of the conversation, an expression of gratitude and a question or statement to keep the dialogue going.
Press release issued by UCF Today:
https://www.ucf.edu/news/how-to-impress-on-your-job-interview/
🤖 AI-assisted content notice: This item was written with AI assistance from the source document linked above. The underlying facts come from that public source, not from our own reporting. No quotes, interviews or original reporting are implied. Spotted something wrong? Email corrections@theorlandoconnect.com.
