Career interests are the things you find interesting about the field you are going
into. Be prepared to discuss how your interests in your career field choice came about,
and why you chose your college major in relation to those interests. You can also
use this as a bridge to discussing how your personality characteristics fit your career
choice.

Try it out: Explain your career interests/goals to someone you know and point out how this position
fits with those interests/goals.

College preparation refers to your choice of college major, but more specifically,
the courses you completed that have prepared you for the type of work you are seeking.
Refer to your class notes or the course descriptions provided on your academic department’s
web site, or in the college catalog, to refresh you on the content of these courses.
Also discuss team or research projects you worked on in various subject areas.

Try it out: Write down why you chose your major and also detail the coursework completed that
is relevant to the position. Write an example of a significant class projects that
utilize skills related to the position.

Personality characteristics include patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
that make a person unique, such as being relatable, organized, attentive to detail,
analytical, creative, etc. Be able to discuss areas of natural personality strength
you possess.

Try it out: Find words to clearly describe your unique strengths and examples to back them up.
Often, self-assessment tools like TypeFocus can help to expand your vocabulary about your personality to employers.

Skills relate to your ability to work with data, people, or things, developed through
your specific academic, extracurricular, internship, volunteer, and work experiences,
such as interacting with customers, organizing activities, problem-solving, contributing
to the team, computer skills, etc. 

Try it out: Ask someone you know what they think are your top strengths. Think about tasks you
often take on or what role you have on a team. Are you often organizing a group project
deadlines? Large-scale planning might be a skill for you and you can use that group
project as an example of how you plan.

Professional development can occure in many settings that help you grow as an individual.
Often, this includes involvement in student or professional organizations, or work,
internship, or volunteer experiences. It’s great to emphasize how these activities
or jobs have enhanced your overall educational preparation for the workforce. Stay
abreast of current developments in your field and discuss these on the job interview.
Use the terminology of your field in any correspondence or face-to-face interactions
with prospective employers.

Try it out: Write down one or two things that have helped you grow professionally. Highlight how
these experiences can help you in a future job.