By Alexis Young
Staff Writer
Constance Whitcomb, director of the Career and Professional Readiness Center (CPRC), spoke Tuesday and Wednesday at the CPRC’s #NailedIt Interviewing Seminar, the last of five EDGE Program seminars this semester.
Whitcomb spoke about the importance of interview skills in the job search process.
“What we know is that the most qualified person doesn’t always get the job. On paper, you could knock it out of the park,” Whitcomb said. “You could be so qualified, but it really comes down to the communication between you and a prospective employer.”
Throughout the seminar, Whitcomb said interviews are not something bad. She said they are a discussion between the interviewee and a potential employer to discover if both parties are a good fit for the other.
The seminar focused on how students can present themselves verbally, as well as nonverbally, to make a positive impression during interviews.
“Fifty-five percent [of communication] is non-verbal, which is body language in a huge umbrella. Thirty-eight percent is paralanguage. So you’re making sounds but it is not even necessarily the content of what you are saying,” said Whitcomb. “It’s your mannerisms; it’s the cadence with which you speak; it’s the energy that someone deduces from the way that you talk. It’s all of that and then it comes down to the actual words (7 percent).”
The CPRC has many services to offer students who are preparing for interviews. Career coaches are available to speak to students regarding what to expect in an interview.
The CPRC also provides interview practice via Interviewing Stream, a 24/7 video interviewing program offered over the CPRC’s website.
Appointments are available at www.sbu.edu/cprc.
youngam13@bonaventure.edu
