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Services for Students

Services Offered

On-Campus Job Interviews

On-campus Interviewing is available to College of Education and Human Ecology students and alumni. They will have the opportunity to schedule interviews with employers that contact our office and schedule on-campus interviews.

All sign ups are first-come, first-served and candidates must meet the requirements of the position description and have a résumé posted in the EHECareers system.

Job Fairs

Throughout the year, Education and Human Ecology Career Services will sponsor job fairs. The office will also support job fairs sponsored by other departments at The Ohio State University by promoting the event on EHECareers.

Advising: Career and Internship

The professional staff of Career Services will meet with those in need of career advice by appointment. To schedule a career advising appointment, email Jean Wyer. To schedule an internship advising appointment, email Nancy Dugan.

The job search requires candidates to produce documents such as the cover letter, résumé, portfolio, and follow up correspondence. View the Résumés and Letters web page for a guide to writing these documents. The Career Services professional staff can provide guidance and offer reviews of these documents.

Job Listings (on-line)

EHECareers is an electronic job posting bulletin board. While many electronic job search engines are available on the internet, EHECareers posts positions upon the employers' request to target candidates from the College of Education and Human Ecology. This free service allows students and alumni to search job postings, have their résumé viewed by employers, receive campus recruiting notices, and register for job fairs.

To qualify for "student" status, one must be admitted to a College of Education and Human Ecology degree program. To qualify for "alumni" status, one must have earned a degree from a program housed in the College of Education and Human Ecology.

Workshops or Class Presentations

The Career Services professional staff would be happy to meet with a group or class to discuss career related topics. They also offer occasional workshops in preparation for job fairs or to inform the Education and Human Ecology community of issues related to jobs and careers. To arrange for a Career Services professional staff to meet with your group, note the contact information below.

Interview Preparation

Normally, the final step in the hiring process is the interview. The interview may involve meeting with one person or it may involve meeting with several different people. It may take place on one day or it may be spread over several days. Sometimes the interview process will take place in a social setting (dinner or a party), and other times it will be strictly in an office setting. In other words, no two interviews are exactly alike and you must be prepared for anything. For more information about interviewing, go to Career Connection or review the tips listed below.

Interviewing Tips

Common Interview Questions

Question 1:
"So, tell me a little about yourself. What is your background and some of your interests?"

Answer:
Question 1 is a general information question. You will want to have a few things ready for the interviewer (e.g. "I love photography," "I like to spend all my spare time with friends," etc.). Saying you have no interests, hobbies, or background can be interpreted as a lack of interest.

Question 2:
"Tell me, what would you consider to be your greatest strength and what would you consider to be your greatest weakness?"

Answer:
Question 2 is a commonly asked question. Most people don't have a problem coming up with a strength, but admitting to a weakness can be tricky. You don't want to say something that will cost you the job. The most common approach to this problem is to give a weakness, but put a positive spin on it. For example, you might say, "My greatest weakness is that I have no experience, but I will correcting that problem very soon I hope," or "My greatest weakness is that I sometimes become obsessed with a project I am working on. While my employer benefits from this, it can cause some stress at home."

Question 3:
"Tell me, where do you picture yourself professionally in five years time and in ten years time?"

Answer:
This question is actually fairly easy, although it can throw you for a loop the first time you hear it. After all, who can really say where they will be in five or ten years. The trick here is that you want to present realistic expectations of career advancement. You might say that in five years you hope to be senior in your position (senior account executive, senior buyer, etc.) and in ten year you want to be head of a division or section. The interviewer just wants to know that you don't have wildly unrealistic expectation which will result in dissatisfaction and on the other hand that you have ambitions beyond the job for which you applied.

Question 4:
"What special skills or talents do you have that make you the right person for this job?"

Answer:
With this question, you want to sound confident without sounding arrogant. In other words, describe the skills, education, and training you have which matches the job description and bring in other factors which help promote your case (e.g. "I work well with others, a quality I think is vital to this position," "I have the knowledge required for this job, what I need is the experience," etc.). An employer needs a person. You have to provide them with a reason why it should be you.

Question 5:
"I noticed from your resume that you weren't with your last employer very long. Tell me about the reasons that you left after such a short period of time."

Answer
Sometimes an interviewer will pick out something negative on a resume and ask you to explain it. You want to have a reasonable explanation which doesn't lay blame on others. For example, "I left my last job because it wasn't what I hoped it would be" is probably OK. Saying, "I left my last job because my boss was a jerk and all my coworkers were idiots," will probably count against you.

Question 6:
"What questions do you have for me?"

Answer:
Always have some questions ready for the interviewer. Not having a question is considered to be a lack of interest. Your research on the company can pay off here (e.g. "I read that your company is going through merger talks, how will this impact employment?"). Also, you can ask about benefits and compensation of the job, although asking only about money may make it seem you are only interested in money. You can ask about the company's policy about promotion ("Do you tend to promote from within?") and expectations of people in the position for which you are applying.

Questions to ask in an interview

Job Search Strategies

There are many components to conducting and an effective job search. Ideally, job seekers should start a job search at least 6-9 months before desired employment. However, it is never too late to develop a personalized job search strategy. Contact Jean Wyer to schedule an appointment.

Contact Information

Jean Wyer, EHE Career Services Program Coordinator
Phone: (614) 688-5663
Email: wyer.6@osu.edu

Nancy Dugan, EHE Internship Program Coordinator
Phone: (614) 292-3088
Email: dugan.2@osu.edu

EHE Career Services is located at: 172 Arps Hall
1945 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43210

A Final Word

It is important to note that Career Services does not imply, in any form whatsoever, any guarantee of employment. All services and resources offered by this office are designed to assist individuals in their job search for which they have the final responsibility.

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