What will you wear to work? It is that time of year when we choose an alternate identity to celebrate Halloween. It reminds us that when we choose a career, we also choose a daily ‘costume’, identifying us as a working member of an organization.

Often we focus on what to wear to the interview. But have you thought about what you will wear everyday? And does that fit with your personality and image?

In preparing for an interview, you want to convey a level of professionalism. For most employers this translates into a suit. As you walk across campus you can easily identify the seniors heading to an interview, riding bikes and skateboards clad in black suits with backpacks. Ask for feedback on your interview outfit and avoid short skirts with high slits, outrageous ties and plunging necklines. And guys, don’t wear your roommate’s shirt unless you are a perfect size match.

Once you have been hired, do your research as you plan your working wardrobe. In most major metropolitan areas you will be more formally dressed at work. In the entertainment industry it will vary. If you are teaching, depending on the school you could be casual or formal. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice. And if you are leaving Southern California, you will probably need a coat, gloves and boots. Why is this important to think about in advance? Because your professional reputation starts to develop with the first impression you make on your work colleagues. And, you need to budget. A new wardrobe can challenge the wallet as you transition from student to full time career.

Use any opportunity to observe professionals in your field. Take your cues from both entry level employees and senior executives. There are some who believe you should dress for your next level. The main thing is to enhance your image, not cause a distraction. You want your managers to value your opinions and ideas, not be distracted by your ‘costume’.

And, if you are uncomfortable in the ‘costume’ of your employer, other things may not be fitting as well. It may be a small signal that it is time to change.

What will they ask?  Most folks preparing for interviews want to have some idea of the questions an employer will ask. Here are a few from respected executives. What they look for in their senior team will give you a new perspective on the process.

One shift in past years has been to an emphasis on teamwork. In an interview for the Corner Office column in the NY Times, Tim Brown the CEO and President of IDEO a Palo Alto based design firm says his best interview question for candidates is to ask who they’ve done things with. “And if they can very quickly give you lots of examples of what other people did, then you’ve got some hint about how collaborative they are. If, however, the answer is ‘I did this and I did that and I was responsible for that,’ and you get no sense of who they worked with and how they worked with them, I worry. Because then I see somebody who probably isn’t very collaborative, probably isn’t very good at promoting the ideas of others and probably isn’t going to bring talent out very effectively. They may be very inspirational, they may do brilliant work, but they’re probably not going to actually result in a more capable organization, which is what I’m looking for.”

Susan Lyne, chief executive of Gilt Groupe and former editor of Premiere Magazine and head of ABC entertainment feels that a key role for any CEO is recruiting. If you can’t attract talent, you are not going to succeed. In her interviews for a new hire “I try to get someone to talk about how they handle different challenges. So, depending on what the role is, I want to understand what their work style is, and I want to understand how they deal with a crisis, a challenge. Because everyone is going to tell you about what they have accomplished, right? That’s just part of the interview….I want to know what happened when something went badly, and what they would say were the most significant mistakes they’ve made along the way and what they’ve done along the way to correct them: What did you learn from it? How would you do it differently , or what would you say was the best thing you did in that moment of crisis?”

Clarence Otis Jr., CEO of Darden Restaurants wants to see someone who has passion and drive. “Being comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty is a trait I look for, because those folks are pretty comfortable with diversity, and not knowing how people who have differences might react in a situation doesn’t unmoor them.  You ask them about the various experiences they have had and try to probe, where were those circumstances where there wasn’t a good direction, when it wasn’t clear how thing would break?”

As you prepare for your next interview, consider the advice of these leaders. Focus on how you have achieved success working with others, think about your mistakes and how you corrected them and consider how you respond when there are no clear directions. Having a few examples to illustrate your experiences just might give you the competitive edge in an interview.

Starting today parents will be arriving on campus for the annual Parents Weekend festivities. Most students indicate that their parents strongly influence their career choice. What is the best way to involve  your parents in your decision?

Ask for advice. Don’t ask them to make the calls. Ask for contacts. Don’t turn over your networking to mom and dad. This is your career and while your parents can provide perspective, you are the decision maker and you are the one closest to the information.

In the past two years we have heard from employers about parents who actually call to negotiate offers. If you look at our parents survey on this site, you will see a number of parents conduct the job search and negotiation for their student. If this is the process you are considering, why would you hand off the relationship development and management aspect of your job search to a third party? In this economy the employer wants to hear from you, not your agent.

Your four years at college provides an opportunity to explore options that did not exist when your parents went through the process of finding their first job. It is rare to find the parent outside of engineering who had an internship as part of their undergraduate curriculum. Today, internships are not an option and most students have at least one on the resume prior to graduation. You have the first hand experience to make your decision. Your parents can be a great sounding board as you evaluate the pros and cons of your decision.

The media has done a great job this year of frightening all of us into thinking there are no jobs out there. For now, this is a better story than the one about college students receiving offers from internship employers. You feel the pressure and your parents are worrying that you will be moving back home after investing in a four year degree.

Ask their advice and keep them posted on what you are doing. There will be less concern if you talk about what you are doing to explore your options. If you have a plan, it will be clear where you need help and how they can be involved.

Your parents know you the best. They know your strengths as well as your weak points. Involve them in the conversation and then make your decision. Rephrase the question. Instead of ‘mom, what should I do with my life?’; ask mom, I am considering three options, where do you see the best opportunity for me to utilize my strengths and develop as a professional?

Have you been doing an internship since the beginning of the semester? Now might be a good time to assess your progress and think about what you still want to accomplish before the semester ends.

Have you had the opportunity to meet the key people in your internship organization? Are you receiving feedback on your performance? Have you acquired some new skills as a result of your work assignments? Do you understand the ‘big picture’ of your organization?

Your answers may vary. However, this would be a good time to set a formal meeting with your supervisor for both feedback on the first weeks and goal setting for the remainder of your internship. What do you still want to do? Who do you want to meet? If the informal daily interactions are not meeting your expectations, develop a formal agenda for the rest of your term.

The mid term exam period is also a good time to check in with your employer on your mid term internship progress.

Schedule time with the people you still want to meet. Ask for 15 minutes on their calendar. Have a list of questions and make the most of your ‘face time’. Your pre-meeting organization and good interview skills might impress and lead to a new opportunity. And don’t forget to take notes.

If you have not already negotiated time off for Thanksgiving and set a date for your last day at work, now is the time. If you have been interning in finance and find the people in marketing more of a ‘fit’ with your personality, set an appointment with the hiring manager for marketing and ask about spring internships. If you have decided a large company is too fragmented, ask your colleagues to recommend some smaller organizations in your field. Not only is this a good time to plan for the rest of the semester, it is also a time to plant some seeds for spring.

The second half of the semester is always ‘academic crunch time’. Take a look at your calendar and plan your time to balance your internship commitments with your academic requirements. If there are conflicts, meet with your internship supervisor to address any issues. Planning ahead and communicating with your employer will further establish your professional reputation.

Check in, plan and communicate. Not only will your current internship be successful, but you will have positioned yourself for your next career move.

It is internship week, the biannual conversation between students and employers about testing out career interests in the workplace. Over the next four days employers representing a variety of fields will visit campus to discuss their opportunities and selection process. Students attending the panel discussion can bring their resumes and talk to the employers after each presentation.

Why do an internship? Over that past five years there has been a dramatic change in how employers select college hires. In the past a great GPA, leadership of an organization and participation in a community service project guaranteed a first interview. Today, employers value work experience more than GPA. And, for the student who has decided to explore a career field outside of their major, an internship adds instant credibility to a resume. The answer to ‘why?’ is ‘why not?’

How do you define an internship? Let’s say you have been working at a part time job, is there a difference? Here are a couple of things you should consider. Are you acquiring skills that will apply to your career field? Have you been given responsibility to manage a project? Does your supervisor provide you with developmental feedback? At the end of each work day, do you find you are closer to your career goal through the work you have accomplished or the people you have met? If the answers are all positive, the label doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you take the time to understand your options. Sitting in your room by yourself does not get you closer to this understanding. You may find a lot of information on the internet, but you need the personal connection to evaluate if you can be successful in your field.

Take some time this week to visit the CPPC in the Student Union and attend one or more of the panel discussions. You don’t need to go buy a suit, just come as you are. If you miss one of the panels, go to the podcasts. It is not too late to start planning for your spring internship.

How many books out there promise how to ‘ace the interview’ or guarantee a job offer with a few well crafted phrases? Maybe you have a couple of these titles on your bookshelf or Kindle. There is an industry that thrives in times of high unemployment, publishing books that promise success with little effort. Unfortunately, as the job opportunities become more competitive a candidate needs to put more effort into the process. There are no shortcuts.

Some of these books provide answers to commonly asked interview questions. Others suggest you develop a ’script’ to sell you talents. At what point does your personality disappear as you prepare for an interview? Remember, the employer is seeking a potential colleague who will join a team and be productive. Throughout the selection process a recruiter is trying to get an accurate assessment of who you are and what you will contribute – in your own words.

I have encountered candidates who have memorized answers to questions and cruise through the first five minutes of an interview only to impressively implode on the unexpected. Here’s the thing; we are human, both interviewer and interviewee. We will act in unpredictable ways. The interview is not an exception. You need to expect the unexpected and not panic.

A recruiter may be working from a script of questions to ensure there is consistency in the interview process. As the candidate, you need to customize your points to the needs of each individual employer. Do your research, look at your resume and think about what you want to highlight to this particular employer, but don’t get so tied up in what you want to say that you totally miss what the employer is asking.

The most important thing to do in an interview? Listen. Observe. What is the employer relating about their organization in both questions and non verbal behavior? Use these cues in your responses. And be yourself, in a professional way.

Acting through an interview may get you to the next step in the audition, but rarely will you get the lead.