OCS

INTERVIEWING

Undergraduate Resource Series

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 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences Office of Career Services. 11/09 Office of Career Services Harvard University Faculty of Arts & Sciences Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: (617) 495-2595 www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu

ACETHEINTERVIEW
uringaninterview,potentialemployersaretryingtoassessyourqualificationsforthejob,your "fit"withtheemployerororganization,howwellyouhaveconsideredyourreasonsfor applying,howclearlyyoucanexpressyourpotentialcontributiontotheorganization,andyour softskillssuchascommunicationandprofessionalism.Inotherwords,theinterviewerwantsto know:Whyshouldwehireyou? Employersarelookingforstudentswhoarefocusedandmature,understandtherequirementsof thejobforwhichtheyareinterviewing,andcancommunicatehowtheirskillscanbeusedtomeet thoserequirements.Theywanttohirepeoplewhoarecooperative,organized,andhardworking. Listedbelowaresomesuggestionsforimprovingyourinterviewingskills. Researchthecompany,field,andpositionBeforetheinterview,readtheemployerswebsiteas wellasanyprintmaterialthatyoumayhavepickedupatjobfairsorotherhiringevents.Besureto staycurrentonindustrynewsbyreadingdailynewspublicationsandassociatedperiodicals. Googlesearchtheorganizationonthedayoftheinterviewtobecurrentonanynewdevelopments. UtilizeHarvardonlinesubscriptionssuchasWetFeet(OCS)andHoovers(Hollis)foradditional industryandcompanyinformation.Wheneverpossible,attendtheemployers Information/Networkingsessionornetworkwithsomeonewhoworkstheretoincreaseyour visibilityandtogatheradditionalinformation.Theinterviewshouldnotbethefirsttimea companyrepresentativemeetsyou. Fromarecentoncampusrecruiter: KnowyourresumeBepreparedtodiscuss everythingonyourresume.Rememberthat AllHarvardcandidatesarecapable yourresumeistheonlyinformationmost ofdoingthejob.Whatdistinguishes employerswillhaveaboutyou.Expect thecandidatesisthelevelof questionsaboutyourchoiceofactivities, interest. concentration,andthesisifyouhaveincludeda referencetoit.Employersandorganizations areinterestedinknowinghowyou'vechosentospendyourtimeandenergy,andwhy.Helpyour interviewergettoknowyouanddifferentiateyoufromotherstudents.Don'tbetoobriefwhen answering"whatandwhy"questions,butdon'tramble,either.Expandonyourexperienceand skills,butwheneveryoucan,focusyourresponsesonhowtheserelatetothejobforwhichyou areinterviewing. PracticeinterviewingtechniquesandansweringquestionsTheoldsaying,Practicemakes perfectcertainlyappliestotheinterviewingprocess.Practiceheredoesntimplythatyouare memorizinganswerstoquestions,butinsteadassessinghowyouanswerquestions,whetheryou aremakingeyecontact,seeingifyourexplanationsareclear,andunderstandingthereasoning behindcertainquestionsandhowtoconnectyourexperiencetothem.Youcanpracticewith roommates,family,friends,tutors,andofcoursecounselorsatOCSbyschedulingahalfhour appointment.Themoreexperienceyouhavearticulatingyourthoughtsandhighlightingyourskills, themoreeffectiveandpolishedyourpresentationwillbe. Thereareavarietyofguidebooksavailablethatofferhelpfulstrategies.Manyoftheseresourcesare availableinprintandontheOCSwebsite.Additionally,OCSoffersanumberofinterviewing workshops.RefertothecalendarsectionoftheOCSwebsitefordatesandtimes.

PreparesomequestionstoaskanemployerThesequestionswillhelpyouobtainthe informationneededtomakeaninformeddecisionandalsounderscoreyourinterestinthejob. Makesureyouknowthenextstepintheprocessbeforeyouleave.Ask,WhenmightIexpectto hearfromyou?and,ifapplicable,indicateyourcontinuedinterestintheposition. MakesureyourattireisappropriateAwellgroomed,professionalappearanceisessential. Anythingelsewilldetractfromthebestpossiblepresentationyoucanmake.Decidewhattowear wellbeforethedayoftheinterview.Agoodwaytodeterminesuitableattireistolookatwhat peopletypicallywearintheorganizationorindustryforwhichyouareinterviewing.Bothmenand womenshouldgenerallyplantowearafairlyconservativeoutfitinadarkcolor.Insomecreative fieldsyoumayhavemoreleewayintermsofformalvs.casualattire,butitisalwayssafetoerron theplainside.Avoid:wildties,attentiongrabbingjewelry,strongscentsandboldcolors. Attire ForMen ForWomen Corporate Dress darksuitwithalightshirt conservativetie dark/wellpolishedshoes khakisordresspants buttondownlongsleeveshirt haveablazerandtiehandy darksuitortailoreddress simplejewelry dark/wellpolishedclosetoeshoes skirtsordresspants sweatersetsorblouses haveablazerhandy

Business Casual

MapoutthelocationMapoutthelocationaheadoftime,especiallyifyouareinamajorurban areaorinterviewingatatimewhentrafficmaydelayyourtravel.Plantoarrive1015minutes earlysothatyoucanrelaxandcomposeyourself. HaveagoodattitudeProjectenthusiasm,confidence,andapositiveattitude!Youmustconvey themessagethatyouarethebestcandidatefortheposition,andthatthisistheemployerforwhom youwanttowork.Ajobinterviewisnottheplacetobe"laidback;"itisuptoyoutosellyourself forthejob.Youmustmarketyourskillsandexperiencetofitthejobrequirements,whichyouknow fromcarefulandextensiveresearchoftheemployer.Beprofessional,polished,andconfident. Whattobringwithyoutotheinterview: Extracopiesofyourresume Penandpaperornotepad Writingsamples Listofreferences Wheninvitedtoafulldayofinterviews,bringabottleofwaterandsnacksuchasagranola bar.Oftentheemployerwillproviderefreshmentsbutjustincasetheydont,thesewill comeinhandylateintheafternoonifyoustarttofade.Takeamomentbetween interviewstorechargeoutofsightofyourinterviewers.

 Confirmthelocationoftheinterview Arrive1015minutesearly Bringextracopiesofyourresume Silenceyourcellphone Smileandshakehands Makeeyecontact Aftertheinterview,sendathankyounoteoremail

Interviewingnutsandbolts:

INTERVIEWTYPES

BehavioralInterviews
ManyemployersusewhatiscalledaBehavioralInterviewtoassessacandidatesskillsandfit withtheirorganization.Theprinciplebehindthistypeofinterviewisthatpastbehaviorwillpredict futurebehavior. Manyemployersbelievethat Inmostcases,theemployerhaspredetermineda pastbehaviorpredictsfuture specificsetofcharacteristics,oftenreferredtoas behavior. competencies,thatarerequiredtobesuccessfulin theavailableposition.Someexamplesof competenciesincludeproblemsolving,teamwork, communication,writingskills,andleadership.Theemployerthendesignsopenendedquestions thataskyoutoreferbacktoaparticularsituationanddescribehowyouresponded.

INSIDERTIP:Whenyouareaskedabehavioralinterviewquestion,thinkaboutthe situationyouwanttodescribe.Whataction(s)didyoutakerelatedtothequestionasked andwhatwastheresultbasedonthataction? Forexample,aninterviewermayrequest,Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouwereonateamthatwas notworkingwelltogether.Theexpectationthenisthatyouciteaspecificsituationfromyourown experience.Unlesstheinterviewerindicatesotherwise,theincidentyoudescribecancomefrom yourwork,school,activity,orvolunteerexperience.Itisimportantthatyouhavesomething specifictosayandthatyoucandescribeyourownroleandwhatyoulearnedfromtheparticular situationyoucite.Beawarethattheinterviewerisexpectingtoaskyoumultiplequestionsina thirtyminuteinterview,sobeasconciseaspossiblewhilegettingyourpointacross. Thistypeofinterviewisagreatwayforyoutotellthestorybehindyourresume.Ratherthan merelypresentingalistofyourachievements,youhavetheopportunitytoelaborateonsome accomplishmentsthatyoumaybeparticularlyproudof.Butlikeagoodstory,itisbesttokeepa fewguidelinesinmind:

Show,donttelluseaspecificexampleandrelevantdetails Stayontopicrememberthequestionyouaretryingtoanswer;dontgetsidetracked Haveaconclusionbesuretoincludetheoutcomeorwhatyoulearnedfromthesituation Makeitresonatetouchuponwhyyourbehaviororresponsewouldbeusefultothe employerorintheposition

PhoneInterviews
Thephoneinterviewhastraditionallybeenusedtoscreenacandidatescommunicationsskills, interestintheposition,salaryrequirements,andotherqualifications.Thismethodalsohelps minimizethecostofbringinganapplicantfromadistantlocationbydeterminingwhethertheyare astrongcandidate.

Inaweakeconomy,employersmayopttousethephoneinterviewbeyondageneralprescreen. Employersmayusephoneinterviewsmorecomprehensively,perhapsevenaskingcasequestions andtechnicalquestionstoassessyourabilitytodothejob.Inlightofthis,weencourageyouto prepareasyouwouldforanyinterview.Bereadytoanswerchallengingquestionsandprovide feedbackonavarietyofissuesrelatedtothefieldandtheorganization. Thedifferencebetweenaphoneinterviewandafacetofaceinterviewisthatyouarenotableto seetheinterviewersreactions.Thereisacertainamountofenergythatissharedbetween interviewerandintervieweethatissomewhatlostinaphoneinterview.Makesureyoucompensate forthisbybeingprepared,focused,andabletocommunicateclearly.Afewtips: Enunciateclearlyanddonotspeaktooquickly. Ifpossible,usealandlineinsteadofacellphone.Ifyouareusingacellphoneinacrowded place,thebackgroundnoiseandpossibilityofstaticcouldeasilyundermineyourinterview. Planthetimeandplaceofyourphoneinterviewsothatyouknowyouwillhaveprivacy, quietandagoodconnection. Dressasyouwouldforarealinterview.Dressingthepartwillhelpyoufocusonthe importanceandpurposeoftheconversation. Ifthereisonebenefitofaphoneinterview,itisthatyoucanhaveplentyofnotesinfrontof youasremindersofquestionstoask,backgroundinformationabouttheemployerand perhapsevenstrategiesforansweringtoughquestions. Useyourtimewiselytoearnachancetomeettheemployerinpersonforafollowup interview. Thefinanceinterviewseekstoassesstwothingsinacandidate: (1) fitforthejobandtheorganization,and (2) technicalknowledge. Intheworldoffinance,therearemultiplefunctionssuchasinvestmentmanagement,investment banking,salesandtrading,brokerage,financialadvising,etc.Assessingfitforapositionusually involvesquestionsyouarefamiliarwithsuchasTellmeaboutyourself,andWhyareyou interestedinworkingforourorganization?ItmayalsoincludebehavioralquestionssuchasTell meaboutatimewhenyouhadtoworkwithpeoplethatweredifferentfromyou?Thetechnical questionswillbespecifictothefinanceareaforwhichyouareinterviewing.Forexample,common questionsforinvestmentmanagementmightbeTellmeaboutyourdreamstockportfolio?Whatis yourinvestmentstrategy?Ifyouaregivenamarketoranindustry,whatwouldbethestepsto evaluatethem?Thepointhereistomakesurethatyouhaveadequatelyreviewedthebasic conceptsoftheareayouareinterviewingforandkeepuptodateontheliteratureinthefieldsuch

FinanceInterviews

astheFinancialTimes,AmericanBanker,andtheWallStreetJournal.Itisespeciallyimportantto reviewthefinancialnewsonthedayoftheinterview. Financeinterviewsmayalsousecasequestionsaspartoftheirgeneralinterviewformat.Although theuseofcasequestionsinfinanceinterviewsvariesdependingontheemployer,itisimportantto beprepared. Thecasequestion,inherentinmanyconsultinginterviews,isonewayofdeterminingwhetheror notthecandidatehasanaptitudeforhandlingcomplexbusinessproblems.Howacandidate answersthecasequestioncanrevealhis/herabilitytodothejobandperhapstheirdesireaswell. Casequestionsmostoftenillustratethenatureoftheemployerswork.Questionsaresometimes drawndirectlyfromtheemployersexperienceorcanbecraftedonthespotfromnewsoftheday. Mostemployersdontexpectindepthbusinessknowledgeorhighlevelbusinessterminology (thereareexceptions,usuallyontheindividualinterviewerlevel).Whattheyarelookingforis whetherthestudenthastheanalyticalorproblemsolvingabilityandthebusinesssensetoknow whatmattersinaspecificsituationandcanclearlyexplainit. Mostoften,theemployerverballypresentsabusinessscenariotothecandidateandaskshow he/shewouldapproachtheproblem.Sometimes,mostnotablylaterroundinterviews,some employerswillpresentthecandidatewithacasestudyinprintandallowthecandidatea designatedperiodoftimetoanalyzethedataeitheraloneoringroups.Ifthecasequestionis presentedverbally,makesureyouunderstandwhatisbeingaskedofyou.Reiteratingthequestion isaneffectivewayofconfirmingthatyoureontherighttracktobeginwith,butalso,itgivesyoua momenttothinkaboutthesituationwithwhichyouarefaced. Onceyouaresureyouunderstandwhathasbeenpresented,dontbeafraidtoaskafewquestions. Afewclarifyingquestionsmaywellsaveyoufromlaunchingintoanelaborateanalysisthatlacks focusandmissesthepoint.

CaseInterviews

Caseinterviewsstepbystep:

Repeatthequestion Askclarifyingquestions Organizeyourthoughts Shareyourthoughtsonhowyouaresolvingtheproblemwiththeinterviewer Suggestsolutions

Inpreparingtoanswerthecase,dontfeelthatyouneedtodiveheadfirstintoimmediatesolutions. Rememberthatitsnotthesolutionstheyrelookingfor,itstheanalysis.Theywanttohearhow yourethinkingaboutthisproblem.Organizeyourthoughts.Thinkofasystematicwaytolookat theevidencethathasbeenpresentedtoyou.Theguidebookstoansweringcasequestionsoffera varietyofframeworksandstrategiesthatcanbeusefultoolsfororganizingyourthoughts,butnone taketheplaceofcommonsense.YoumaynothavetakenbusinesscoursesatHarvard,butyoumost certainlylearnedhowtouseanalysisandreasoning.

Beginbytalkingabouthowyoumightwanttolookatthesituation.Shareyourthoughtswiththe interviewersothathe/shecanhearwhatyourethinkingaboutthebroadestdimensionsofthe problembeforeyoubeginsuggestingpotentialpathsthatyoumightfollowinpursuitofasolution. Takingthetimetointroduceyourapproachallowstheemployertoseethatyougetthebig picture.Inafirstroundinterviewitisunlikelythatyouwillhavetimetoproceedthroughallofthe analysisthatisnecessary.Havingscoredonunderstandingthescopeoftheproblemand developingastrategy,theemployermayverylikelysuggestthatyouspendtherestofyourtimeon oneareaoftheanalysis.Forexample,Letstalkaboutthecustomer.Howwouldyoucarryoutthat analysis?Thecaseinterviewisnotsomethingyouwanttotrywithoutcarefulpreparationand practice. OCSwillofferanumberofopportunitiesthisyeartolearnmoreaboutinterviewing andtopractice.RefertothecalendarsectionoftheOCSwebsitefordatesandtimes. Resourcesinclude: Mockinterviews OCSinterviewworkshops Employerinterviewandcaseworkshops Onlineinterviewtutorial Preparationisthekey!Plantospendsometimeeachweekpreparingforinterviews andcontinuedoingsountilyougetanofferforajoborinternship.

COMMONLYASKEDQUESTIONS

TraditionalGeneralIntroductionQuestions

Tellmeaboutyourself. Howwouldafriendorprofessorwhoknowsyouwelldescribeyou? Whatstrengthswouldyoubringtothisposition? Inwhatwaydoyouthinkyoucanmakeacontributiontoourorganization? Whatareyourlong/shortrangegoalsandobjectives?Howwillthisjobcontributetowards yourachievingthem? WhydidyouchooseHarvard?Yourconcentration? Whatclasshaveyoutakenthathashadthegreatestimpactonyourthinking? IfyoucouldchangesomethingatHarvardwhatwoulditbe? Howdoyoudecidewhichcocurricularactivitiesinwhichtoparticipate? Inwhatwaydoyouthinkyoucanmakeacontributiontoourorganization? Whatdoyouthinkittakestobesuccessfulinthisposition/organization/field?Inwhat waysdoesthisfityou? Whataboutthisorganizationimpressesyouincomparisonwithothersinthefield? Whatdoyoubelievearethekeyissuesandproblemsinthefield/industrytoday? Whydoyouwanttoworkhere? Describeasituationinwhichyouwererequiredtoworkwithpeopledifferentfromyou. Describeatime/activitywhenyouwerehighlymotivatedtocompleteatask. Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouweretolerantofanopinionthatwasdifferentfromyours. Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouworkedeffectivelyunderpressure. Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouhandledadifficultsituationwithacoworker. Tellmeaboutatimewhenyouwerecreativeinsolvingaproblem. Describeatimewhenyouwerealeader.Whatisyourleadershipstyle?

BehaviorThemedQuestions

QuestionstoAskEmployers

Whatisyourtimelinefortheinterviewprocess? Whatwillbethechallengesforthepersontakingthisjob? Doyouhavenewinitiativesplannedforthenextyear? Whatrolewillthispositionplayinaddressingthesenewinitiatives? Canyoutellmehowyourcareerhasdevelopedattheorganization? IreadonyourwebsitethatyouhaveanewofficeinMumbai.Couldyoutellmemoreabout whatyoureworkingonthere?

QuestionstheInterviewerShouldNotAsk*
Whatisyourage?Whatisyourdateofbirth?WereyoubornintheU.S.?Areyouacitizen? Whatisyourrace,color,religion,ornationalorigin? Doyouhaveanydisabilitiesofanykind? Haveyoueverbeentreatedbyapsychologistorapsychiatrist? Areyoutakinganyprescriptionmedications? Haveyoueverbeentreatedforadrugaddictionoralcoholism? Areyoumarried,single,ordivorced? Whendoyouplantostartafamily? DoyouobservetheSabbathoranydaysthatwouldinterferewiththisjobschedule? *QuestionscourtesyofHRHero.comsJune17,2005article,QuestionsInterviewersShouldntAsk.