It is that time of year. College students are wrapping up studies and looking beyond finals to land a job. A dream for many is about to come true.

College students can be a tough audience. On one hand, they are use to taking notes and asking questions. They pay attention and participate in the exercises. By nature, they are an attentive crowd. Arguably, they have been my best audience.

The tough part comes in trying to convey the importance of preparing for the interview and in helping them develop meaningful stories to tell. Generally, they just don’t have much to work with. By the time they reach age 30, they will have plenty of career stories to share and lots of accomplishments to brag about. But for many in college, coming up with appropriate stories can be worst than reading the Iliad.

As I prepare for the talk, I’ll need to pull together strategies to help them cross over the threshold.