- What was event or moment made you realize this was what you wanted to do?
- What did you do next to start moving you interest in this area towards relevant experience?
- Did you get involved with on campus experiences that related to your career interests?
- How helpful were these on-campus experiences?
- Did these experiences transition you into internship?
- Did you have any internships in college?
- What resources did you use as part of your internship search?
- How important were people as part of your internship search strategy?
- Were you effective at getting multiple offers?
- Why do you think they chose you for the role over others?
- What was your best internship experience?
- Did you have a mentor at one of these internships?
- Do you think mentors are important? If so, do you still keep in touch with them today?
- How important were these internships in deciding where you wanted to go with your career interests?
- How important were these internship experiences in helping you land your first career position?
- What was your first role after graduation?
- When did you start your entry-level job search?
- Were you focused on one specific career area of interest or were you considering a few?
- How did you organize your search strategy? Did you use a percentage in dividing your time to multiple areas of interest?
- What resources did you use? What were the best?
- What were the least effective?
- What pitfalls did you hit? How would you recommend I avoid these challenges?
- How important was connecting to people (networking) as part of your job search strategy?
- How many people would you estimate you connected to?
- Did these people play a role in landing your first position?
- What did you do when you were in my exact position?
- What are common entry-level jobs in this field?
- Can you tell me about your career journey, and what led you here?
- How did you break into the industry?
- How did you get your foot in the door at X company?
- What was the timeline for when you began applying to entry-level positions?
- When did you begin getting interviews?
- Did you get multiple interviews?
- When did you get your first offer?
- Was getting multiple offers part of your strategy?
- Were you effective at the getting multiple offers?
- What do you recommend for someone like me who is looking to land an entry/mid/senior level job?
- Did you make any mistakes during your job search?
- When and how did you start your job search?
- What strategies did you employ to find your first post-graduation job?
- Which strategies were effective? Which were not?
- What surprised you the most about your career journey?
- What did you imagine your career path being when you were in college?
- What advice do you have for me as a young professional?
- How can I get started gaining experience?
- Here’s my portfolio/e-portfolio, can you look it over for a few minutes and tell me what you think?
- Here are my job search strategies, is there anything in this process that I’m missing?
- Am I conducting my job search in an effective manner?
- Am I positioning myself well to employers?
- Now that you know how I am positioning myself with my resume and portfolio, do I seem like a strong candidate for an entry-level position in this industry?
- If not, what should I do differently?
- What does a typical day look and feel like for you?
- What are some of your favorite parts of what you do in your role as X?
- What are the rewards of your work?
- What are the challenges or frustrations of your work?
- What tips or advice do you have for a college student interested in this company/industry/line of work?
- What are the most important skills or qualities necessary to be a successful entry level candidate at this field/in this industry?
- What steps should I take to prepare to enter this field?
- Where do you see growth or change in this industry?
- Can I show you my resume and have you take a quick look at it?
- Is this the best resume I could possibly have?
- What other advice do you have for me as an entry level candidate who’s interested in doing what you do?
- Who are the other people with whom I should be having these conversations?
- I’d love to stay in touch, what’s the best way to do that for you?
