COMM 202 TUTORIAL 8

OUR LAST TUTORIAL #BITTERSWEET

NAME CARDS OUT

AGENDA

Employment Interview

Interview Q & A

Sabrina’s Wisdom

Action Items

1. EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWWhen: Apr 4th, 5th and 7th

THE INTERVIEW: You will check-in with “reception” in Birmingham and your interviewer will come to waiting area to get you when they are ready.

The interview will last 20 minutes with 1-2 Commerce 202 team members and consist of behavioral questions.

Please bring your pen, resume, job posting, and cover letter in a pad folio

10%

Dress to IMPRESS &Dress for SUCCESS

2. INTERVIEW Q & A

QUESTION #1

Tell me about yourself

Most common question that you will be asked during an interview

Can be asked in a different way

PRACTICE!

QUESTION #1

Tell me about yourself

Keep it 2 minutes or less Brand yourself – give them something to

remember you by Speak to your skills and accomplishments Show passion Provide a well-rounded picture

TELLING YOUR STORY!

THE GOAL: Tell them a story that no one else can replicate and impress them in the first 2 minutes

The Beginnin

gThe

SparkGrowing Interest

Your Future

Why you are here?

TELLING YOUR STORY!

Introduction

Realization that this is the right career for you

Your formula and how it has helped lead you to this role

Where you see yourself

How this position ties into it all

Growing Interest

The Spark

Your Future

The Beginning

Why you are here

MY FORMULA?

Ice-hockey Education KPMG SR

PassionAccountability Perseverance

High PressureLearning Problem SolvingAccounting & HR

Public Practice ExposureAnalytical CPA

YOUR STORY

Grading Rubric: Tell Me About Yourself

I would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

Student provides a relevant, chronological “story” highlighting their beginning, spark, growing interest, goals and fit to the organization in a concise manner (2 minute max)

The student provides a chronological “story” highlighting most but not all of the 5 aspects listed in the first column in a concise manner and/or answer was longer than 2 minutes

Student provided “story” that is neither concise (more than 2 minutes) nor chronological/logical

YOUR STORY

ACTIVITY: Grab a partner and swap “Tell me about yourself” stories

2.5 minutes story telling; 1 minute feedback

Goal: Convey the elements of the story in a logical way and experiment with finding your formula

QUESTION #2

What are your strengths?

A way for the interviewer to tell if you know yourself and that you know you have what it takes to do the job

Can also be asked in different ways!

There is no right answer – just good answers and bad answers

YOUR STRENGTHS

Grading Rubric: Strengths

I would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

STRENGTHS

Student is able to choose strengths relevant to the position, give a strong example with proof of execution and links the experience to the job opportunity

Student is able to choose strengths relevant to the position, gives a strong example of execution, but may lack a link to the position

Student’s strength may be irrelevant to the position and/or lacks proof of execution or link to job opportunity

QUESTION #3

What are your weaknesses?

A way for the interviewer to see if you are able to identify weaknesses and have a plan in place to improve them

Talk about weaknesses that would not impair you from doing the job you are applying for well

YOUR WEAKNESSES

Grading Rubric: WeaknessesI would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

WEAKNESSES

Student is able to choose a developmental area not key to the function of the position and share how they overcame the situation, the lesson learned and action plan moving forward, while demonstrating self reflection and resilience

Student is able to choose a developmental area not key to the function of the position and share how they overcame the situation, however is not able to articulate the lesson learned or action plan moving forward and/or student choose cliché answer ex. “My greatest weakness is my greatest strength”

Student either chose a skill essential to the position or was not able to clearly convey the lesson and/or action plan moving forward; student was unable to provide a weakness

YOUR ANSWERS

STARSITUATION ACTIONTASK RESULT

What position and where were you?

What was the challenge you

faced?

What did YOU do and how

did you do it?

What was the accomplishment and the impact?

+ LINK back to job and why the story is relevant

WILD CARD QUESTION INDUSTRY/JOB SPECIFIC OR… A SURPRISE!

A way for the interviewer to gauge your interest and knowledge of the position and industry

Test your ability to communicate clearly

Shows the interviewer how you think

TESTS BUSINESS ACUMEN: news, trends, etc.

WILD CARD QUESTIONGrading Rubric: STUMPER!

I would hire you on the spot (2 points)

I would like to interview you again (1 point)

I would not hire you (0 points)

CREATIVE/STUMPER QUESTIONS

Student “aces” every opportunity to differentiate themselves during the interview: e.g., they offer a credible, logically-organized, and concise answer for every question. If on the rare occasion, they don’t know the answer, they then respond by asking clarifying questions and/or outlining the problem-solving approach they would use. Maintains composure.

Student “handles” some opportunities to differentiate themselves during the interview: e.g., they offer credible and/or logically-organized and/or concise answers for many questions. They sometimes respond by asking clarifying questions and/or outlining the problem-solving approach they would use

They “miss” too many opportunities to differentiate themselves during interview: e.g., they offer widely varying answers in terms of credibility and/or logical organization and/or conciseness. If they don’t know the answer, they often don’t seem to know how to respond by asking clarifying questions and/or outlining a problem-solving approach

QUESTIONS I HAVE BEEN ASKED

FINANCEWHAT ARE THE THREE WAYS TO VALUE A COMPANY?PITCH ME A STOCKSO MANY CURVEBALLS…

ACCOUNTINGWHY DO YOU WANT TO PURSUE YOUR CPA?WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR X FIRM?WALK ME THROUGH AN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CYCLE?

MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

HOW MANY WORDS ARE ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES?WHAT ARE YOUR 5 WEAKNESSES? … TELL ME ANOTHER … AND ANOTHERCASES

MARKETING HOW WOULD YOU INCREASE SALES OF X PRODUCT BY X%?SELL ME THIS PEN

TLOG WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO INCREASE OUR PRODUCTIVITY?HOW MANY CHAIRS ARE IN SAUDER?

HUMAN RESOURCES HOW SHOULD WE CHANGE OUR HIRING PROCESS?HOW WOULD YOU FIRE ME IF YOU HAD TO DO IT RIGHT NOW?

RANDOM QUESTIONS OR SCENARIOS

WOULD YOU RATHER GO SKY DIVING OR SCUBA DIVING AND WHY?HOW WOULD YOU DIVIDE A CAKE INTO 8 EQUAL PIECES WITH ONLY 3 KNIFE CUTS? [ROLE PLAYING A DECISION MAKING SITUATION]TELL ME ABOUT SOME NEWS YOU HAVE READ RECENTLY AND HOW IT RELATES TO THIS JOB?

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS

Always have at least 2 questions!

Avoid asking questions you could find the answer to on Google

Never ask a question like, “What do look for in candidates?” – probably should of asked this before the interview

Do not ask something that has already been addressed in the interview

Always safe to get them talking about themselves – maybe ask something directly related to their job/industry or some career advice.

CLOSING THE INTERVIEWTHANK them

Reiterate your INTEREST

End with a HANDSHAKE

Ask for their BUSINESS CARD

Ask if you can CALL to follow-up

Use their NAME

FOLLOW UP! Send an email or handwritten card

Reference the interview – something you want to emphasize or something unsaid that you want them to know

Reiterate your interest in the position

Thank them for the opportunity again

Reference an answer they gave you to one of your end of interview questions

If you interviewed with multiple people make sure the follow-up is personalized to each person

EXAMPLEHi Leanna & Robert,

I would like to thank you both for the opportunity to meet with me today in regards to the co-op opportunity at PwC. It was a pleasure to hear about your experiences, including the fun office events and Secondment opportunities at PwC!

I am excited about this opportunity and I feel that my skills and experiences align closely with this role and the values held at PwC. I know that this position will provide both career and personal growth by allowing me to pursue my CPA designation.

Again, I appreciate the time that you took to interview me and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Have a great weekend!

Best,Sabrina

TIPS

Use Your Skills Matrix

Listen to the

Questions

& Smile

PRACTICE YOUR ANSWERS

3. SABRINA & YUWEI’S WISDOM

4. ACTION ITEMS Interview Stream due April 3rd at 11:59 pm (EST)

Employment Interviews April 4th, 5th and 7th

Informational Interview due April 14th at 11:59pm!

Next Week is … LECTURE