Tutorial 8 georgia sakurai

1. TUTORIAL 8
EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWS
T36 & T37

2. AGENDA
employment interview
interview Q&A
my take
action items

3. TIMELINE
Week 12 Week 14
• tutorial: interview
questions
• Employment
interview sign up
due: Mar 27-29th (if
you applied to COOL
on time) & Mar 30th
(if you applied to
COOL late)
• final lecture: when
you’ve got the job!
• employment
interviews (25%) –
Apr 3rd, 4th, 6th
• Optional: interview
stream available until
Apr 7th @ 11:59pm
Week 13
• informational
interview assignment
(20%) – (Apr 14th @
11:59PM via
Turnitin)

4. EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW

5. EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW
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 timeslots for interviews starting Mar 27th
– interview will consist of behavioural questions

6. EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW
when: Apr 3rd, 4th, 6th
what to bring:
resume
cover letter
job description
padfolio
pen
research notes

7. EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW
dress to IMPRESS & dress for SUCCESS

8. QUESTION 1:
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

9. TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
MOST COMMON QUESTION TO BE ASKED DURING AN
INTERVIEW
can be asked in different ways – PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
 2 mins or less
 brand yourself!
 speak to your skills and accomplishments
 sound natural
 show passion
MOST IMPORTANT: HAVE A COMMON THEME

10. TELLING YOUR STORY
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 Spark
Growing
Interest
Your Future
Why you are
here?

11. TELLING YOUR STORY
telling YOUR story
introduction i.e. I come from ___, as a kid I was influenced by
_____
realization that this is the right career for you
your brand and how it has helped lead you to this role
where you see yourself & how it relates to the spark
how this position ties into it all
growing interest
the spark
your future
the beginning
why you are here

12. TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
+ +
“Building connections”
Building
connections
through shared
passions (Me Inc.)
Connection as a
core value,
especially with
coworkers and
clients (lululemon
& WestJet)
Connecting
brands with
consumers
through Brand
Management
MY FORMULA

13. TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
grading rubric

14. YOUR TURN!
– 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
– PROVIDE FEEDBACK!

15. QUESTION 2:
WHAT ARE YOUR
STRENGTHS?

16. WHAT ARE YOUR
STRENGTHS?
– 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

17. WHAT ARE YOUR
STRENGTHS?
rubric

18. QUESTION 3:
WHAT ARE YOUR
WEAKNESSES?

19. WHAT ARE YOUR
WEAKNESSES?
do not flip
WEAKNESSES
into
STRENGTHS!

20. WHAT ARE YOUR
WEAKNESSES?
do not flip
WEAKNESSES
into
STRENGTHS!

21. WHAT ARE YOUR
WEAKNESSES?
– 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!

22. WHAT ARE YOUR
WEAKNESSES?
✘ “I’m such a perfectionist”
✘ “Too detail-oriented”
✘ “Over-achiever”
✘ “I work too hard sometimes”

23. WHAT ARE YOUR
WEAKNESSES?
rubric

24. QUESTION 4:
TELL ME ABOUT A TIME…

25. TELL ME ABOUT A TIME…
S T A R
SITUATION 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

26. QUESTION 5:
WILD CARD

27. WILD CARD QUESTIONS
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
– tests business acumen: news, trends, etc.
GOAL:
• walk them through your process
• stay calm and provide a clear answer

28. WILD CARD QUESTION

29. WILD CARD QUESTION
rubric

30. WILD CARD QUESTION -
EXAMPLES
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?

31. QUESTION 6:
DO YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS?

32. DO YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS?
always have at least 2 questions!
– avoid asking questions you could find the answer to on Google
– 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

33. CLOSING THE INTERVIEW
THANK them
reiterate your INTEREST
end with a HANDSHAKE
ask for their BUSINESS CARD
ask if you can CALL to follow-up

34. FOLLOW UP POST-
INTERVIEW
– 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

35. PRO TIPS

36. AND NOW…
WORDS OF “WISDOM”

37. FOLLOW YOUR OWN
PATH
FOLLOW YOUR OWN
PATH

38. YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS/TITLES/GRADES
DON’T DEFINE WHO YOU ARE
YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS/TITLES/GRADES
DON’T DEFINE WHO YOU ARE

39. DON’T GROW UP
SO FAST
DON’T GROW UP
SO FAST

40. STAY GOLDSTAY GOLD

41. ACTION ITEMS
OPTIONAL interview stream is due on APRIL 7th @ 11:59PM
employment interviews are on Apr 3rd, 4th, 6th
informational interview is due on
APRIL 14TH@ 11:59PM on turnitin
next week is FINAL LECTURE!

42. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT
SEMESTER!