by David Clemen

Created on: December 07, 2009   Last Updated: December 09, 2009

When students are first starting their careers, they do not have much relevant real life experience for the industry that they are usually interviewing in. Employers realize that and often ask different types of questions to these job candidates than they would an experienced professional. Here are some great questions and answers for students.

What are you long term goals?

This is a very common one. When I first started my career I thought this was one of the dumbest questions ever. I didn't know what I was going to be doing next week let alone in a year or five years. The interviewer doesn't really care what your plan is, they just want to see if you have one and if it has been thought out. They are trying to see how focused you are. A good answer to this question would be "For the immediate future I am trying to get a position with a software company to gain some real experience. Even though I have many options I am always assessing my long term goals as I gain that experience."

Why did you choose this industry/profession?

Feel free to be completely honest with this question unless you are just looking for a paycheck. The major thing to remember when answering a question like this is to show a lot of enthusiasm for the industry/profession and that you are highly motivated to do well. "I made a decision to go into a career that I really enjoy. With my passion for software development it really allows me to go above and beyond."

What where the subjects that you enjoyed the most and which ones did you not enjoy?

This is a question you really need to be careful with when answering. What the interviewer is trying to do when asking you this question is identify your strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to relate your favorite subject with the profession/industry you are interviewing for. For your least favorite subject try to choose something that has no bearing on the job you are interviewing for. Try an answer like this "As an accounting major I really enjoyed the math classes that where offered. My least favorite class was Italian. I really had to work hard to carry an A-minus grade.

As a recently graduated student you do have challenges of lacking real work experience. By positioning your course work and passions around skills that are needed for the profession you are looking to get into, you will get your career started right.

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