New to the working world? Heres how to nail a job interview | Money [Video]

(CNN) — Megan Rathmell thought she’d bombed her job interview earlier this year, assuming her nervousness and lack of preparation had cost her the opportunity.  

The 20-year-old later found out she got the job as a paralegal — and what made her stand out was her ability to do two important things: maintain eye contact and carry on a conversation. 

“My boss told me that I was a good communicator and that I was able to make strong eye contact, and that he hasn’t seen this from a lot of my peers,” said Rathmell, who is based in Virginia. “That was really surprising to me.”

What Rathmell learned from her boss mirrors what hiring managers say: Some Gen Z college graduates are unprepared for job interviews or behave unprofessionally during job interviews. They bring parents to in-person interviews, refuse to turn the camera on during virtual interviews, use inappropriate language, dress unprofessionally …