Zine Project: “First Job Interview Stories”
As a Career Peer Advisor at NEIU’s Career Development Office, I help students revise resumes, practice interview skills, access professional clothing, and navigate general career readiness. In this role, I noticed a recurring challenge: many students experience imposter syndrome and anxiety around interviews, feeling unprepared or overly stressed.
To address this, I’m creating a zine—a self-published, handmade “mini-magazine”—focused on first job interview experiences. This project builds on my previous experience publishing a zine on feminism with friends, which was successfully released and distributed.
The goal of this zine is to provide a platform for students to share honest, humorous, or inspiring first interview stories, fostering solidarity, encouragement, and reflection. Strategically, it serves as a tool to address student needs identified through observation and advising, normalize challenges in career development, and create a community resource that promotes learning from shared experiences. By gathering, curating, and publishing these stories, this project exemplifies how creative initiatives can complement career readiness programs, offering both practical insight and emotional support for students navigating their first professional experiences.
What I’ve Done So Far:
I have created and distributed physical slips across campus to students, faculty, staff, and alumni, providing a brief in-person explanation to encourage contributions. This face-to-face approach proved more efficient and engaging than email outreach, allowing me to connect directly with potential contributors. The current goal is to secure 60+ submissions for the zine.
Next Steps:
Digitize all submissions by scanning and uploading them for virtual compilation.
Design the zine layout, including a cover page, table of contents, and introductory page to provide context for readers.
Gather feedback from Career Development supervisors and zine contributors to refine content and design.
Publish and distribute the zine across campus, creating a fun, accessible, and ongoing resource housed in the Career Development Office to support student engagement and career readiness.