telling your story: interview preparation

Telling Your Story:Interview Preparation

In order to tell a compelling story in an interview, you must…

1. Understand what the organization is looking for

2. Have a story to tell

3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is looking for

4. Apply the questions being asked

What companies are looking for?

• Technical Skills– Job / Industry-Specific Skills

• Professional Competencies– 21st Century Skills– Core Skills

Professional Competencies

1. Business Fundamentals2. Communication3. Critical Thinking4. Passion & Interest5. Resilience6. Teamwork

In order to tell a compelling story in an interview, you must…

1. Understand what the organization is looking for

2. Have a story to tell

3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is looking for

4. Apply the questions being asked

Your “story” is a set of experiences

Academic

Professional

Extra-curricular

Personal

This is my story

Exercise: What are the elements of your story?

Write down the three (3) experiences you have had so far in your life that you

would include in your story

In order to tell a compelling story in an interview, you must…

1. Understand what the organization is looking for

2. Have a story to tell

3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is looking for

4. Apply the questions being asked

My Goal

My story highlights

Create a “story matrix”

Technical Skills ★★★Business Fundamentals ★★★★Critical Thinking ★★★ ★★★★Communication ★★★Passion & Interest ★★ ★★★★Resilience ★★★★Teamwork ★★★★★

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Exercise: Create a Story Matrix

SELECT A STORY

Technical Skills

Business Fundamentals

Critical Thinking

Communication

Passion & Interest

Resilience

Teamwork

In order to tell a compelling story in an interview, you must…

1. Understand what the organization is looking for

2. Have a story to tell

3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is looking for

4. Apply the questions being asked

Types of Interview Questions

• 3 Whys

• Behavioral

• Personal

• Technical

The 3 Whys

Why this Job?

Why this Company?

Why Me?

Why this Job?

• What They Looking For– How excited are you to do this job– How well you understand the job/industry

• Sample Questions– “What interests you about this job”– “What types of things are you interested in working

on?”– “Tell me about yourself”

Why this Job?

“As an economics major I have always had a strong interest in understanding how markets work….”

“I’m an athlete. I have an athletic mentality. I am really interested in a career that is fast-paced where every day is new challenge and highly competitive.…”

Resilience

Business Fundamentals

Why this Company?

• What They Looking For– What excites you about the company – What do you know about our company – What differentiates us from our competitors

• Sample Questions– “Why do you want to work here?”– “How did you learn about us?”– “Do you have any questions for me?”

What to know about the company

• Recent news• Major events in company history• Key executives• Primary products & services• Profile of customers & clients• Market differentiation• Organizational structure

Why Me?

• What They Looking For– What makes you special– What professional competencies do you possess– What technical skills do you have

• Sample Questions– “Tell me about yourself”– “Walk me through your resume”– EVERY QUESTION

Why Me?

“I have pursued a quantitative track in Economics. I have taken statistics and linear algebra courses….”

“I love working with a small group of people to achieve a goal where everyone’s contribution is valued… ”Teamwork

Critical Thinking

Behavioral Questions

• What They Looking For– Provide insight on how you will handle yourself in

various situations– Past behavior reflects future behavior

• Sample Questions– Give me an example of a time when you had to

teach someone something? – Give me an example of when you had to make a

sacrifice or compromise for a team or group?

Behavioral Question

“We started my senior season 1-7. The team was down. Players were arguing with each other. As captain, I had to….”

Tell me about a time when you had to overcome adversity

Resilience

Personal Questions

• What They Looking For– Assessing "fit“– Understand non-work interests– Determine your work style

• Sample Questions– What is your greatest weakness?– How would your friends describe you?– What was your favorite class?

Personal Question

“Competitive. I have always been competitive. I like knowing that there is someone out there trying to beat me. I makes me always look to improve myself…. ”

What two adjectives would your friends use to describe you?

“Logical. I approach most problems very logically. Sometimes that is great. Other time people may say it is unemotional….”

Passion

Critical Thinking

Technical Questions

• Purpose of Question– Gauge your knowledge of the particular industry– Gauge your knowledge of the particular position– Differentiate candidate from other candidates

• Sample Questions– “Where will the US economy be in 12 months?”– “How would you solve this problem in Java?”– “How would you calculate the acquisition cost per

customer?”

Technical Question What effect will the price drop in oil have on the U.S. economy?

“In my macroeconomics class, we studied the oil crisis in the 1970s. In that case as prices went higher….”Technical Skill

Q&A