Tutorial: interview questions

Interview stream due (Nov. 25th @ 11:59PM)

Informational interview assignment

(Dec. 9th @ 11:59PM)

Lecture: when you’ve got the job!

Interviews (Nov. 28th to Dec 1st)

When: November 28th, 29th, December 1st

What to bring:

resume

cover letter

job description

padfolio

pen

research notes

The interview:

• Check in with “reception” in Birmingham

• BE EARLY! – ideally about 10 minutes, if you’re not there when the interviewer arrives, you will receive an automatic zero

• Interview is approximately 20 minutes long with one COMM 202 team member/coach or external consultant (allot 30 minutes total).

• You can sign up for interview timeslots until 11:59pm on Nov 24th

• Interview will consist of behavioural questions

• Most common question to be asked during an interview

• Can be asked in different ways

• PRACTICE!

• Telling YOUR story

• Find a common theme in your experiences

• The goal: tell them a story that no one else can replicate and impress them in the first 2 minutes

The Beginning

The SparkGrowing Interest

Your Future

Why you are here?

• 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

Telling your story:

Rubric

• 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

Find a partner and try this out!

Growing Interest

The Spark

Your Future

The Beginning

Why You Are Here

• 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! Prepare multiple strengths

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

Rubric

Don’t be that person who…

tries to flip a weakness into a strength!

• 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. Again, prepare multiple!

You say:

They hear:

I have absolutely no self awareness!

Rubric

S T A RSituation 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

• Industry / job specific or… a surprise!

• 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

Rubric

Finance What are the three ways to value a company?

Pitch me a stock

So many curveballs…

Accounting Why 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 another

Cases

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?

• Always have at least 2 questions!

• Avoid asking questions that you could have googled

• 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

• Include these things to end on a high note!

• Reiterate your interest (in a natural way)

• Thank them sincerely

• End with a handshake

• 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

• Guide the conversation to where you are comfortable

• Answer the darn question

• Smile & nod

• Differentiate yourself

• Bring the energy into the room!

• Interview stream is due on November 25th @ 11:59PM

• Employment interviews are on November 28th, 29th and December 1st

• Informational interview is due on December 9th@ 11:59PM on Turnitin

• Next week is Lecture

Learn To Trust Yourself!

Be a Good Person.

Words Are Just Words…