Students should find it easier to stand up tall at an interview if they've done their legwork, University experts say.

Students who want to get ready for an upcoming interview can find the reference materials they need at the Career Development and Placement Center and Pattee.

Reference Librarian Cindy Faries said interview preparation is vital because it shows prospective employers that students are interested and willing to make an effort.

The first place students should go to prepare themselves is the CDPC, which encompasses the entire fourth floor of Boucke, she added. CDPC also has an interview center on the ground floor of McAllister Building.

"Students can exercise a remarkable amount of control over career destiny if they take responsibility early enough. We're here to help them do that," CDPC Director Jack Rayman said.

In order to use the facility's service, students must first visit with intake counselors in 412 Boucke, Rayman said. Counseling is available from 8:30 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon on a walk-in basis.

Intake counselors' function is to answer students' questions, and refer them to whatever services or resources they deem appropriate, he said.

CDPC also offers individual and group career counseling, a computerized career search program called Discover, seminars on interview skills and resume preparation, courses for credit, and a placement library.

Handouts give insight into what students can expect on their first interview, while video tapes in 413 Boucke offer a visual perspective of job interviews, he said.

"The most visible part of our operation is the on-campus recruiting," said Rayman. About 27,000 interviews are held on campus each year, and for a student to participate he or she needs to complete an interview request form for each company he wishes to interview with. A list of companies that will be interviewing students can be found each Thursday in The Daily Collegian.

CDPC often suggests students do some research at Pattee, Faries said.

The General Reference Room on the first floor of the east wing houses current Annual Reports from large public companies, as well as employment guides, a vertical file of businesses, and indexes of articles in business magazines and newspapers, she said.

Students sometimes misjudge resources available at Pattee, she said. "I think students will, a lot of times, come to the library to look for pamphlets and brochures that are distributed by private companies. We don't keep that kind of information," she said, adding that Pattee does keep such information about public companies.

Students who need to learn more about private companies can find help at Pattee, however. "One thing students can do if they would like information on private companies is to look for newspaper and magazine articles," Faries offered.

"We understand that there is often a lot of frustration when looking for career material," Faries said. "Students should always come to the reference desk if they are frustrated or confused because we have dealt with many students over the past few years, and we know how to help them."