CAREER TOOLKIT 2014

1. CAREER TOOLKIT2014 BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING

2. COMMON SENSE

3. THE BASIC TENETS OF NETWORKING Every single question is asking: • CAN you do the work? • WILLyou do the work? • Are you a good FIT? • Do everything you can to: • make the interview a comfortable conversation • consider it a business meeting, not an interrogation The 3 most important words you can use: FIT WILL CAN Qualified Value Contribute

4. PREPARATION 4

5. INTERVIEW TYPES Phone One-on-One Round Robin Panel  · Á ¸ À ¿ ¹

6. THE INTERVIEWER WANTS TO KNOW… “Why do you want to work for my company…and why do you want this position?” • Deconstruct the job posting: • Determine which requirements are your strong suit, and how you will talk about them • Be prepared to discuss your shortcomings, and how you will compensate

7. Behavioral QUESTIONS • Predict future performance based on past successes and behaviors • Based on competencies and applicability • The job descriptionis your road map for preparation. • Decide which past experiences are most relevant to the job description. BOOKEND your stories! Your answers should cover: • Background– context of your story • Action – specific actions you took • Results– specific results of your actions

8. “Tell Me about yourself…” • Conversation Opener • Demonstrates your confidence introducing and positioning yourself • Re-frame the question from “Tell me about yourself” to “Why are you in front of me today.” Start by showing your passion for the position and the company. • Discuss your specific qualifications and how the company would benefit from hiring you • Insure the information is relevant to the interviewer and the position!! For example…

9. “tell me about yourself…”

10. Questions to expect • Why BU? Why an MBA? • Describe for me the toughest group you’ve had to get cooperation from…and how did you succeed? • …an example of a time you’ve shown leadership skills. • Name two things about yourself that set you apart from the rest of the candidates? • What are your strengths? • If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be, and why? • Tell me a mistake you made on the job, how you recovered from it, and what you learned as a result.

11. Questions to expect INTERVIEW Questions, Whys, and Answers: http://nolljobs.com/career-center/common-interview-questions/

12. Practice, practice, practice • Phone calls/screenings • Very different – no visual cues • ESL poses special challenges • Record your call • Leave yourself a voicemail • Face to Face • Mock interviews • Videos If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend 6 hours sharpening my axe.

13. How good of a “fit” are you? Importance of Fit • Experience and future potential must be a fit • How well do they feel you will be accepted by their current employees? • How comfortable are you with their culture? • Very subjective: • ‘Gut Feel’ about your ability to fit in • Rapport and ease of conversation • Your Confidence

14. Proficiencies table

15. Insightful question you should ask SCREENING • “Can you tell me what it is about my résumé that interests you?” • “What is the most important thing I can do to prepare for the next round?” • Intelligent questions related to the business and their mission • Clarifying questions about the role and responsibilities of the position • “Is there anything in my background that I can clarify for you?” • “What is the most important criteria you are looking for in a candidate?” • Intelligent questions based on what you have observed and learned throughout the series of interviews. 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS EXTENDED INTERVIEWS 15

16. “Any last questions for me…?” • “Now that we have met, can you tell me how well my qualifications meet your needs for this position?” • One of the best approaches to gain a solid indication of how well you align with their needs, how you did in the interview, and if you are a good fit. Deceivingly simple but powerful by accentuating the positive! • “What are your next steps and what is your timeframe?” • “May I call you if I have any questions or updates?” • These questions may let you know if more interviews are scheduled, how long you can expect to wait for an answer, and to allow you to keep in touch directly with the hiring manager.

17. Case interviews Three basic types: • BUSINESS CASECases vary widely but usually fall into a numbers case, business strategy, or operations case:“Disney is looking to expand its holdings. Should Disney buy NetFlix?” • BACK-OF-ENVELOPEMarket-sizing questions requiring off-the-cuff or back-of-envelope quick analysis:“How many garden hoses were sold in the USA last year?” • BRAINTEASERSChallenging puzzle-type questions requiring fast-on-your-feet logical thinking:“Calculate the number of degrees between the hour hand and the minute hand of a clock reading 3:15.”

18. Interviewing etiquette • Dress professionally and appropriately • Turn OFFyour cell phone!! • EVERY person you meet matters, including the receptionist • Let them steer the interview…but use the wrap-up to make a point not previously made • Be prepared for “small talk” • “Do you currently have any offers you are considering?” • Thank You Notes: e-mail within 12 hours of the interview

19. Thank you notes • Dear Maureen, • It was a pleasure to meet with you yesterday and learn more about the Leveraged and Acquisition Finance Internship at HSBC. I was particularly interested to learn about your new initiatives for acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings and LBO’s. • As I mentioned, this is an area of intense personal interest for me and one that I feel I can bring experience and insight to, as a result of my previous work. I am very interested in this position and hope to hear from you soon about the next step in the process. • Best Regards, • Gary Simple, polite Refer to details Confirm your interest Call to action

20. Q & a Questions?