Interview Prep and Question Slides.

1. COMM 202
T20, T21, T27 & T28
Week 8: Interviews
Garret LaValley
No laptops or Cellphones,
NAMETAGS OUT
PLEASE!!!

2. Agenda
1. Employment Interview Assignment
2. Interview Questions
3. Closing
4. Words of Wisdom
5. Action Items
LNOSRQ

3. Employment Interview (10%)
When: Apr 4th, Apr 5th and Apr 7th
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BRING?
RESUME
COVER LETTER
JOB DESCRIPTION
PADFOLIO
PEN

4. Employment Interview
Things to Remember
• Check in with reception at Birmingham
• Be Early! – ideally about 10 minutes, if you are not
there when the interviewer comes out, you will
receive an automatic “0”
• Interview is approx. 20 minutes long

5. Dress to Impress – Business Formal

6. Common Questions
Tell me about YOURSELF!#1
What are your STRENGTHS?#2
What are your WEAKNESSES?#3
Tell me about A TIME WHEN…#4
*WILD CARD* Question!#5
Do YOU have any QUESTIONS?#6

7. #1 Tell me about yourself?
The MOST COMMON QUESTION you will get in an interview
Can be asked in different ways!
Keep it 2 minutes or less
Brand yourself – give them something to remember
you by
Sound natural, not like you’re reading off a script!
Speak to your skills and accomplishments
Show passion
Provide a well-rounded picture

8. Your Story
The Beginning
Growing Interest
The Spark
Your Future
Why you are
here
Introduction – quick background
Realization that this was the career for you
Your formula that makes you perfect for the job!
Where you see yourself
How this position ties into it all

9. Your Story – What is your formula?
? + ? ?+
THE GOAL: Tell them a story that no one else can
replicate and impress them in the first 2 minutes

10. My Story
+ +
=
Desire for a fast-
paced work
environment that
requires teamwork,
only possible in
Investment Banking.
Played volleyball in high
school & post secondary.
Made a major jump from
Kinesiology to Commerce.
Experienced the
bank/corporate relationship
first-hand in Treasury.

11. Activity
Grab a partner and share
“tell me about yourself”
stories
Give some feedback!

12. #2 What are your strengths?
 Relevant to the position
 Links experience to job or position
 There is no perfect answer

13. #2 What are your weaknesses?
DO NOT FLIP WEAKNESSES
INTO
STRENGTHS!

14. #3 What are your weaknesses?
✘ “I’m such a perfectionist”
✘ “Too detail-oriented”
✘ “Over-achiever”
✘ “I work too hard sometimes”
Weakness wouldn’t impair you from doing the job
Show you are actively trying to improve these
weaknesses
Show the “lesson learned”

15. #4 Tell me about a time…?
SKILLS MATRIX
Resume
Cover Letter
Interview
Don’t forget to link it back to the company and position!

16. #5 Wild Card Questions
You have a 3-gallon and
a 5-gallon jug that you
can fill from a fountain of
water.
The problem is to fill one
of the jugs with exactly 4
gallons of water. How do
you do it?

17. Industry/Job Specific or a surprise!
• A 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.
THE
GOAL
 Walk them through your thought
process
 Stay calm and provide a clear
answer

18. Examples
FINANCE PITCH ME A STOCK
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS VS DOWNSIDES OF USING DEBT VS EQUITY FINANCING?
HOW WOULD VALUE A PERPETUAL ZERO COUPON BOND?
DO YOU THINK THE FINANCIAL MARKETS ARE EFFICIENT?
ACCOUNTING WHY DO YOU WANT TO PURSUE A CPA?
WHY THIS FIRM?
WALK ME THROUGH THE MAJOR LINES OF A CASH FLOW STATEMENT?
MANAGEMENT
CONSULTING
HOW MANY WORDS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NY TIMES?
TELL ME YOUR 5 WEAKNESSES… AND ANOTHER… ANOTHER
DESCRIBE A PROJECT YOU HAVE WORKED ON THAT CHALLENGED YOU?
CASE-BASED QUESTIONS…
MARKETING HOW WOULD YOU INCREASE SALES OF X PRODUCT BY X%?
SELL ME THIS PEN
HOW DO YOU THINK OUR BLOG IS DOING? WHAT CAN BE DONE BETTER?
TLOG HOW COULD YOU IMPROVE THE COMPANY’S PRODUCTIVITY?
HOW WOULD YOU DEAL WITH A DIFFICULT FACTORY WORKER?
TELL ME ABOUT A TIME YOU IMPROVED SOMETHING WHERE YOU WORKED?
HR TELL ME ABOUT A TIME WHERE YOU HAD TO MOTIVATE A TEAM
ASSUMING YOU ARE SELECTED, WHAT WOULD BE THE FIRST CHANGE YOU WOULD MAKE?
RANDOM WHAT IS 3/16 IN DECIMAL?
TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING IN THE NEWS, HOW IT RELATES TO THIS JOB?
WHY ARE MANHOLES ROUND?
TEACH ME SOMETHING YOU LEARNED IN SCHOOL?
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

19. #6 Do you have any questions?
• Always have at least 2 questions
• Avoid asking questions you could find the answer to on Google.
• Never ask a question like, “What do look for in candidates?” –
probably should have asked this before the interview
• 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 or some career
advice.

20. Closing the Interview
Thank Them
Re-iterate
Interest
Confirm
Follow-up
Solid
Handshake
Business
Card
Remember
Name
ASK QUESTIONS IF IT NEVER CAME UP IN
THE INTERVIEW!

21. Follow Up
Email in
24 Hours
Thank Them
Refer to
Convo
Tailor to
Reader
Re-iterate
Interest
Check for
Typos
DO NOT WRITE AN ESSAY!

22. Example
Hi Michael,
I just wanted to say a quick thank you for taking the time to interview
me. I really enjoyed our conversation, even though you did not like my
top two classic rock bands, at least we could agree on Zeppelin. Good
luck with your future at Goldman, hopefully the transition continues to
be a smooth one for you.
Best Regards,
Curtis Kuznecov

23. General Tips
GUIDE THE CONVERSATION TO WHERE
YOU ARE COMFORTABLE
SMILE AND NOD
ANSWER THE DARN QUESTION
DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF
BRING ENERGY INTO THE ROOM

24. Words of Wisdom
• Ask before making judgements
• Actively seek mentorship & provide it!!!
• “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
• Stay humble, give credit where it’s due.
• Take the opportunity first, then find out if you
are capable of it.
• Be the best at the job you are in, success will
find its way to you.
- Wayne Gretzky

25. Action Items
• Employment Interviews April 4th, 5th and
7th
• Informational Interview due April 14th at
1:59 pm
• InterviewStream 2 due April 3rd at
8:59pm PST