By the time I was done interviewing someone, they weren't a nothing to me any more — I had an idea of who they were. The whole point of an interview is to cease being a nothing and gain the respect and interest of the interviewers; if you're interviewing people as though they're nothings, you may notice that a lot of your best candidates turn you down. Finally, everyone is interviewing the company; if the interviewee isn't willing to turn down an offer, someone will take advantage of them.
Of course a person isn't a nothing. The issue is that many recent grads (especially those that are smart/have done well) somehow seem to forget that as far as the work world goes, they are back at the bottom of the pile.
I'm simply pointing out that many of them - particularly in this generation - don't seem to have any idea of their overall place in the grand scheme of things.
There are close to 50 years of "top of the class" grads floating around out there. That's the competition.
if the interviewee isn't willing to turn down an offer, someone will take advantage of them.
While I don't disagree, the fact of the matter is that a new grad rarely, if ever, has this luxury. It's true that it may very well be in their best interests to not take a job despite not having an income. I've seen far to many though that never get the right start because there idea of "being taken advantage of" is so far out of whack with reality that they don't take any viable position. Given 1-2 years of unemployment, they become less and less valuable, and more and more desperate.
9/10, as a new grad, you should take an appropriate offer from the first company that makes it. The experience you need is much more valuable to you than the interview quiz, the dress code, or yes, even the pay.
