This document provides information and guidance for students regarding an upcoming employment interview assessment. It outlines the interview dates, what students should bring, how to dress, common interview questions and how to answer them effectively. Sample questions are provided as well as tips for following up after the interview. The document emphasizes preparing answers to common questions, practicing responses, and highlighting relevant skills and experiences to differentiate oneself as a strong candidate.

1. COMM 202
TUTORIAL 8
 OUR LAST TUTORIAL 
#BITTERSWEET
 NAME CARDS OUT

2. AGENDA
Employment Interview
Interview Q & A
Sabrina + Yuwei’s Wisdom
Action Items

3. TIMELINE
Week 12 Week 13
• Interview Stream due
Sunday, April 3rd @
11:59PM
• Employment Interviews: Monday,
Apr. 4, Tuesday, Apr. 5,
Thursday, Apr. 6

4. 1. EMPLOYMENT
INTERVIEW
When: Apr 4th, 5th and 7th
10%
WHAT TO BRING:
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Job Description
• Padfolio
• Pen

5. 1. EMPLOYMENT
INTERVIEW
When: Apr 4th, 5th and 7th
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 1 or 2 COMM 202
team members (allot 30 minutes total)
• Interview will consist of behavioural questions
10%

6. Dress to IMPRESS &
Dress for SUCCESS

7. 2. INTERVIEW Q & A

8. QUESTION #1
Tell me about yourself
 Most common question that you will be asked
during an interview
 Can be asked in a different way
 PRACTICE!

9. QUESTION #1
Tell me about yourself
 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

10. TELLING YOUR STORY!
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!
Introduction
Realization that this is the right career for you
Your formula and how it has helped lead you to this
role
Where you see yourself
How this position ties into it all
Growing Interest
The Spark
Your Future
The Beginning
Why you are
here

13. MY FORMULA?
Ice-hockey Education KPMG SR
Passion
Accountability
Perseverance
High Pressure
Learning
Problem Solving
Accounting & HR
Public Practice Exposure
Analytical
CPA

14. YOUR STORY
Grading Rubric: Tell Me About Yourself
I would hire you on
the spot (2 points)
I would like to interview
you again (1 point)
I would not hire
you (0 points)
TELL ME
ABOUT
YOURSE
LF
Student provides a
relevant,
chronological “story”
highlighting their
beginning, spark,
growing interest,
goals and fit to the
organization in a
concise manner (2
minute max)
The student provides a
chronological “story”
highlighting most but not
all of the 5 aspects listed
in the first column in a
concise manner and/or
answer was longer than 2
minutes
Student provided
“story” that is neither
concise (more than
2 minutes) nor
chronological/logical

15. YOUR STORY
ACTIVITY: 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

16. QUESTION #2
What are your strengths?
 A 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!
 There is no right answer – just good answers and
bad answers

17. YOUR STRENGTHS
Grading Rubric: Strengths
I would hire you
on the spot (2
points)
I would like to
interview you again (1
point)
I would not hire
you (0 points)
STRENGT
HS
Student is able to
choose strengths
relevant to the
position, give a
strong example with
proof of execution
and links the
experience to the
job opportunity
Student is able to
choose strengths
relevant to the position,
gives a strong example
of execution, but may
lack a link to the
position
Student’s strength
may be irrelevant
to the position
and/or lacks proof
of execution or link
to job opportunity

18. QUESTION #3
What are your weaknesses?
Do not flip
WEAKNESSES
into
STRENGTHS!

19. QUESTION #3
What are your weaknesses?
 A 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

20. QUESTION #3
What are your weaknesses?
✘ “I’m such a perfectionist”
✘ “Too detail-oriented”
✘ “Over-achiever”
✘ “I work too hard sometimes”

21. YOUR WEAKNESSES
Grading Rubric: Weaknesses
I would hire you on
the spot (2 points)
I would like to interview
you again (1 point)
I would not hire
you (0 points)
WEAKNESS
ES
Student is able to
choose a
developmental area
not key to the function
of the position and
share how they
overcame the
situation, the lesson
learned and action
plan moving forward,
while demonstrating
self reflection and
resilience
Student is able to choose a
developmental area not key
to the function of the
position and share how
they overcame the
situation, however is not
able to articulate the lesson
learned or action plan
moving forward and/or
student choose cliché
answer ex. “My greatest
weakness is my greatest
strength”
Student either chose
a skill essential to the
position or was not
able to clearly convey
the lesson and/or
action plan moving
forward; student was
unable to provide a
weakness

22. #4 TELL ME ABOUT A TIME
WHEN…
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

23. WILD CARD QUESTION

24. WILD CARD QUESTION
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.

25. WILD CARD QUESTION
Grading Rubric: STUMPER!
I would hire you on the
spot (2 points)
I would like to
interview you again
(1 point)
I would not hire you (0
points)
CREATIVE/
STUMPER
QUESTION
S
Student “aces” every
opportunity to differentiate
themselves during the
interview: e.g., they offer a
credible, logically-organized,
and concise answer for
every question. If on the rare
occasion, they don’t know
the answer, they then
respond by asking clarifying
questions and/or outlining
the problem-solving
approach they would use.
Maintains composure.
Student “handles” some
opportunities to
differentiate themselves
during the interview: e.g.,
they offer credible and/or
logically-organized and/or
concise answers for many
questions. They
sometimes respond by
asking clarifying questions
and/or outlining the
problem-solving approach
they would use
They “miss” too many
opportunities to differentiate
themselves during interview:
e.g., they offer widely varying
answers in terms of credibility
and/or logical organization
and/or conciseness. If they
don’t know the answer, they
often don’t seem to know
how to respond by asking
clarifying questions and/or
outlining a problem-solving
approach

26. QUESTIONS I HAVE BEEN ASKED
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?

27. 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 of 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.

28. 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
Use their NAME

29. FOLLOW UP!
 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

30. EXAMPLE
Hi Leanna & Robert,
I would like to thank you both for the opportunity to meet with me today in regards to
the co-op opportunity at PwC. It was a pleasure to hear about your experiences,
including the fun office events and Secondment opportunities at PwC!
I am excited about this opportunity and I feel that my skills and experiences align
closely with this role and the values held at PwC. I know that this position will
provide both career and personal growth by allowing me to pursue my CPA
designation.
Again, I appreciate the time that you took to interview me and I look forward to
hearing back from you soon.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Sabrina

31. TIPS
Use Your
Skills Matrix
Listen to
the
Questions
Answer the
Questions
Asked
& Smile 

32. TIPS
& Smile 
• Guide the conversation to where you are
comfortable
• Answer the darn question!
• Smile and nod 
• Differentiate yourself
• Bring the energy into the room

33. PRACTICE
YOUR ANSWERS

34. 3. SABRINA & YUWEI’S WISDOM

35. 4. ACTION ITEMS
 Interview Stream due April 3rd at 11:59 pm (EST)
 Employment Interviews April 4th, 5th and 7th
 Informational Interview due April 14th at 11:59pm!
Next Week is … LECTURE