Creating & Selling Your Personal Brand – Interviewing Authentically

1. Creating & Selling Your Personal Brand – Interviewing Authentically CSUN EY Professional Leadership Seminar Fall 2008 Ron Roberts, Jr. – CSUN Lead Recruiter

2. Who Is Ernst & Young? • A global leader in professional services • Three Core Service Lines: • Assurance and Advisory Business Services (AABS) • Tax • Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) • Over 700 locations across 140 countries • 130,000 people worldwide • Global revenues of $21.1 billion (FY07)

3. An Award Winning Firm - Fortune ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ and . . .

4. A Firm That Focuses On Its People • Maintaining a culture of care, understanding & inclusion • Networking/Community Engagement • African American Affinity Group • EY Cultura • EY/ASIA • bEYond • Professional Women’s Network • Working Parents Network • EcoCare Team • Working With Disabilities • Counseling, Mentoring • Consider the impact on our people before making business decisions • Taking charge of our careers

5. A Firm With A Life Outside Of Work • Office socials-BBQs, ball games • Annual holiday parties • Engagement team gatherings • End of busy season parties • Happy hours/Seasonal gatherings • Athletic teams-softball, basketball, soccer, volleyball

6. A Firm Vested In Its Community • Virtually every large charitable organization has efforts-United Way, Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, etc. • Participation in walk-a-thons, bowl-a-thons, auctions, bake sales, donations through food/clothes/toys, etc. • Firm supports your involvement with organizations that are important to you • ALPFA, NABA

7. Recruiting Opportunities With EY • Summer Leadership Program – Sophomores • 2 day intensive and interactive program to provide exposure to EY and professional services in general • Will next recruit in Spring of 2009 (for Spring/Summer 2011 grads) • Summer Internships – Juniors • Will next recruit in Spring of 2009 (for Spring/Summer 2010 grads) • Full-Time Positions – Seniors • Recruiting in the Fall of 2008 for Spring/Summer/Fall 2009 grads

8. What Are We Looking For? • Accounting and business students with a desire to learn and work in a dynamic environment • Minimum GPA: Major 3.2, Overall 3.0 • Great people skills, motivated and team oriented • Desire to work and grow with the best!

9. Want To Learn More About EY? • Visit our EY Insight careers web site (www.ey.com/us/insight) • Exploring career possibilities • Testimonials from EY professionals: various offices and practices • Advice on interviewing • Visit us at Meet The Firms (September 18th) • Stay in touch with the EY professionals that you meet • For recruiting questions, contact Ron Roberts, Jr. at Ron.Roberts@ey.com

10. Creating & Selling Your Brand For Interviews

11. A Couple Of Definitions Of “Brand” • kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like: the best brand of coffee. • a kind or variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic: The movie was filled with slapstick—a brand of humor he did not find funny.

12. Ron’s Very Loose Definition Of “Brand” (As It Relates To Interviews) • Brand: your values and your strengths; who you are and how you can contribute to a prospective employer

13. Creating Your Brand For Interviews • Be aware of your values and strengths (these will play into the brand that you endeavor to sell during the interview process) • Know how your strengths can contribute to prospective employers • Identify the employers that share your values • Figure out which employers are most interested in someone with your brand (combination of values and strengths)

14. Selling Your Brand For Interviews • Share how your values are in alignment with that of the employer that you are interviewing with • Share concrete examples of how you can contribute (via your strengths) to the employer that you are interviewing with • Be sure that what you say and do during your interview does not conflict with the brand that you are purporting to sell to the employer

15. Interviewing Authentically

16. A Couple Of Definitions Of “Authentic” • not false or copied; genuine; real: an authentic antique. • entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy: an authentic report on poverty in Africa.

17. A Word To The Wise • In an interview – Be Yourself, But Be Your Best Self!!!

18. The Interview: Before, During & After Three Key Actions • Preparation • Performance • Punctuation

19. Step 1: Preparation • Resume • Bring a copy with you • Remember, everything on it is fair game • Research • Company, industry and position that you are interviewing for • Be sure that your research is current • Think of questions that you can ask the interviewer • Personal • Prepare to come to the interview dressed appropriately • Plan to arrive to the interview site a few minutes early

20. Step 2: Performance • Strategy • Know your strengths • Know the answers to traditional interview questions • Be prepared to ask the interviewer questions • Experiences • Skills that employers look for • Communication; teaming; organization • Problem solving; leadership • Fact vs. Fiction • Organize your story (have a theme) • Communication • Non-verbal cues • Body language; hand shake; eye contact • No fidgeting; posture; smiling • Know when to stop talking

21. Performance: The Campus Interview • What is it? • A two way dialogue • Candidate assessment • Generally 30-45 minutes in length • Who Interviews? • Recruiter • Manager, Sr. Manager, or Partner

22. Performance: The Campus Interview(continued) • Introduction • Employer Questions • The “standard” questions • Behavioral interview questions • Candidate Questions • Close • Follow Up

23. Performance: The In-House Interview • What is it? • Occurs after the on campus interview • Usually the final round interview • Plan on it lasting all day • Who Interviews? • Partner • Sr. Manager • Manager

24. Performance: The In-House Interview(continued) • Welcome/Breakfast • Company Overview • Informational Presentations • Individual Interviews • 30-45 minutes each (usually 3) • Lunch • Closing

25. Performance: The In-House Interview(continued) • What you should get out of the in house interview: • Did you like the people and the office culture? • Does the company provide opportunities for personal growth? • Do your personal goals and values align with those of the company?

26. Performance: What Is Behaviorial Interviewing • What is behavioral interviewing: • Based on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior • Focuses on knowledge, skills, and abilities • Behavioral questions ask for specific examples • Example: “ Tell me about a time that you had to deal with an extremely difficult person? What was the situation and how did you handle the situation?”

27. Performance: Behavioral Interview Preparation How To Prepare for Behavioral Interviews • Read a lot of questions • Practice answering them • Prepare several examples you can “adjust” on-the-fly to suit a question • Go through a mock interview with friends • Know the company and interviewer as thoroughly as possible

28. Performance: Sample Behavioral Questions Example Interview Questions • “Tell me about a time when you failed.” • “Tell me about a time when you had to motivate someone.” • “Give an example of a time you were embarrassed.” • “Give an example of a time when you succeeded despite great opposition.” • “Describe the last problem you solved in a creative manner.” • “Describe a situation when you didn’t get along with someone.” General Answer Format • REAL • Relevant Experience, Action Led to… • Be prepared for interviewer to probe for details

29. Performance: Interview Deal Breakers • Things to avoid at all costs • Rehearsed responses that don’t answer the question • #$%*&#%!! • Bad small talk or bad topics • Insincerity

30. Step 3: Punctuation • Correspondence • Send a “thank you” note • Make the call • Timing is everything! • Connections • Play the name game • Alumni • Creativity • Not appropriate with resume or “thank you” notes • Remind us why you are great for the job! • You never get a second chance to make a first impression

31. Interviewing Authentically – A Recap • Be Yourself – Be Your Best Self! • Three Key Actions • Preparation • Performance • Punctuation

32. Questions