The interview is your opportunity to tell your story. You must be able to answer interview questions by demonstrating that you have the profile they are looking by giving examples of your story.
2. In order to tell a compelling story in an interview,
you must…
1. Understand what the organization is looking for
2. Have a story to tell
3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is
looking for
4. Apply the questions being asked
3. What companies are looking for?
• Technical Skills
– Job / Industry-Specific Skills
• Professional Competencies
– 21st Century Skills
– Core Skills
5. In order to tell a compelling story in an interview,
you must…
1. Understand what the organization is looking for
2. Have a story to tell
3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is
looking for
4. Apply the questions being asked
6. Your “story” is a set of experiences
Academic
Professional
Extra-curricular
Personal
8. Exercise: What are the elements of your story?
Write down the three (3) experiences
you have had so far in your life that you
would include in your story
9. In order to tell a compelling story in an interview,
you must…
1. Understand what the organization is looking for
2. Have a story to tell
3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is
looking for
4. Apply the questions being asked
12. Create a “story matrix”
Technical Skills ★★★
Business Fundamentals ★★★★
Critical Thinking ★★★ ★★★★
Communication ★★★
Passion & Interest ★★ ★★★★
Resilience ★★★★
Teamwork ★★★★★
13. Exercise: Create a Story Matrix
13
SELECT A STORY
Technical Skills
Business Fundamentals
Critical Thinking
Communication
Passion & Interest
Resilience
Teamwork
14. In order to tell a compelling story in an interview,
you must…
1. Understand what the organization is looking for
2. Have a story to tell
3. Tell your story in the context of what the organization is
looking for
4. Apply the questions being asked
15. Types of Interview Questions
• 3 Whys
• Behavioral
• Personal
• Technical
16. The 3 Whys
Why this Job?
Why this Company?
Why Me?
17. Why this Job?
• What They Looking For
– How excited are you to do this job
– How well you understand the job/industry
• Sample Questions
– “What interests you about this job”
– “What types of things are you interested in working on?”
– “Tell me about yourself”
18. Why this Job?
“As an economics major I have
always had a strong interest in
understanding how markets
work….”
“I’m an athlete. I have an athletic
mentality. I am really interested in
a career that is fast-paced where
every day is new challenge and
highly competitive.…”
19. Why this Company?
• What They Looking For
– What excites you about the company
– What do you know about our company
– What differentiates us from our competitors
• Sample Questions
– “Why do you want to work here?”
– “How did you learn about us?”
– “Do you have any questions for me?”
20. What to know about the company
• Recent news
• Major events in company history
• Key executives
• Primary products & services
• Profile of customers & clients
• Market differentiation
• Organizational structure
21. Why Me?
• What They Looking For
– What makes you special
– What professional competencies do you possess
– What technical skills do you have
• Sample Questions
– “Tell me about yourself”
– “Walk me through your resume”
– EVERY QUESTION
22. Why Me?
“I have pursued a quantitative track
in Economics. I have taken statistics
and linear algebra courses….”
“I love working with a small group
of people to achieve a goal where
everyone’s contribution is valued… ”
23. Behavioral Questions
• What They Looking For
– Provide insight on how you will handle yourself in various
situations
– Past behavior reflects future behavior
• Sample Questions
– Give me an example of a time when you had to teach
someone something?
– Give me an example of when you had to make a sacrifice
or compromise for a team or group?
24. Behavioral Question
“We started my senior season 1-7.
The team was down. Players were
arguing with each other. As
captain, I had to….”
Tell me about a time when you
had to overcome adversity
25. Personal Questions
• What They Looking For
– Assessing "fit“
– Understand non-work interests
– Determine your work style
• Sample Questions
– What is your greatest weakness?
– How would your friends describe you?
– What was your favorite class?
26. Personal Question
“Competitive. I have always been
competitive. I like knowing that
there is someone out there trying to
beat me. I makes me always look to
improve myself…. ”
What two adjectives would your
friends use to describe you?
“Logical. I approach most problems
very logically. Sometimes that is
great. Other time people may say it
is unemotional….”
27. Technical Questions
• Purpose of Question
– Gauge your knowledge of the particular industry
– Gauge your knowledge of the particular position
– Differentiate candidate from other candidates
• Sample Questions
– “Where will the US economy be in 12 months?”
– “How would you solve this problem in Java?”
– “How would you calculate the acquisition cost per
customer?”
28. Technical Question
What effect will the price drop
in oil have on the U.S. economy?
“In my macroeconomics class, we
studied the oil crisis in the 1970s. In
that case as prices went higher….”