DRESSING FOR THE INTERVIEW
Wear clothing that indicates you are ready to
go to work today.
Men and Women
All clothes should be neatly pressed.
Conservative two-piece business suite (solid dark blue or
gray is best)
Conservative long-sleeved shirt/blouse (white is best,
pastel is next best)
Clean, polished, conservative shoes
Clean and well-groomed hairstyle
Clean, trimmed fingernails
Minimal cologne or perfume
Empty pockets – no noisy coins
No gum, candy or cigarettes
Men
Necktie should be silk with a conservative pattern
Dark shoes (black lace-ups are best); clean and polished
Dark socks (black is best)
Short hair always fairs best in interviews
No beards – mustaches are acceptable (keep neat and trimmed)
No earrings
No heavy cologne
Women
Always wear a suit with a jacket; or a sheath dress with a
jacket
Do not wear extremely high-heeled or platform shoes
Do not wear open-toe shoes or mules (they are more casual)
Conservative hosiery at or near skin color (and no runs!)
If you wear nail polish (not required), use clear or a
conservative color
One set of earrings only
Conservative makeup
No heavy perfume
No heavy cologne
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SELLING YOURSELF
What to Say
Introduce yourself with a smile and firm handshake. Maintain
good eye contact during conversation.
Demonstrate to the recruiter what you want to and can do for
the employer today, based on employer research. Give two
minute commercial.
Answer questions with:
" Yes, for example (accomplishment/result statement)" and
" No, however (accomplishment/result statement)"
Show interest in what the interviewer is saying, by nodding
your head and leaning toward him/her occasionally.
Give positive answers to negative-based questions.
Ask the recruiter prepared questions.
Initiate the next step by asking what the next step is.
Ask for the recruiter’s business card for future contact.
Immediately after you leave make notes of important points
of discussion.
The "Tell me about yourself"
question
Here is an example about how to answer the first question
most interviewers ask. “Tell me about yourself” It also
allows the job seeker to share with the interviewer the most
important thing they want to know – “Why should I hire you?”
1.
Personal and Education
This part is used to give the interviewer relevant
information concerning you personally and about your
educational background. This does not include personal
information such as marital status, children, etc. This does
include information such as: hometown or state and/or
personal attribute(s). The education should be either the
latest obtained and/or major field if relevant to job
objective.
2.
Early Career/Life Experiences
This part is used to share with the interviewer past work
and life experiences relevant to the job objective.
3.
Recent Work History/Life Experiences
This is the time for the job seeker to relate to the
employer two accomplishments/results of the job seeker that
indicate why he/she is the best candidate for the position
sought.
4.
Why you are here
In this part, the job seeker speaks with enthusiasm that
he/she is here for the specific position sought.
What to Do
Arrive 10-15 minutes early.
Use time wisely to review employer research information.
Have pen and paper. Asking to borrow a pen indicates lack of
preparation.
Be enthusiastic. Recruiters remember a positive attitude.
Listen carefully to the interviewer’s complete question
before responding.
If needed, pause and take time before answering difficult
questions.
Keep going even if you feel you made a mistake.
Carry extra resumes, references, etc. organized in a
portfolio
Unless asked, do not discuss salary and benefits.
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Interview Tips for the Financial Services
Before the Interview
Know Where You Stand in Relation to the MBAs
Most of the time, we are competing with MBAs to get a
position. We need to realize that many students with MBAs
also have several years of relevant work experience. If you
do not have work experience you should consider very
carefully what qualifications you possess that compensate
for these disadvantage. This could be country specific
knowledge, fluency in a foreign language (or languages), or
a great summer internship.
Plan Ahead
The time commitment required to conduct a job search is more
than one class worth. Plan ahead; don't take four demanding
classes if you want to be successful.
It could be the case that you will have to go through
ninety-one interviews altogether. This may sound like a lot,
but it happens and could be that forty of them are for one
company. Many times you will have to fly from one to another
place six times in four months. This is the kind of time
commitment you have to be ready for.
Getting an Interview
Sending out resumes is not enough to get interviews.
You have to be active in the job hunting process and find
your own way. Interviews don't just fall from the sky, you
have to earn them.
Sometimes you will send more than 30 resumes and you will
get no response, try to get an interview through
consistently going to company presentations and career
events.
At HBS company presentations, speak to the representatives
there about your particular interests. Go early and speak to
the reps before they present--they often have more time than
if you wait until afterwards. Usually, they can get you in
touch with the right person in the company. Sometimes, I had
to call and e-mail many times before they responded. You
have to be ready to go to more than ten company
presentations to get one interview.
During the Interview
Make Sure to at Least Appear Focused
Be sure to be able to explain what you learned from the
classes you took and how they fit into the bigger picture
(your past, present and future). Don't let them suspect that
you might not be sure if you really want the job.
Mention your Harvard Classes but Be Careful
It is always good to mention the Harvard classes -if you are
taking them- you are taking but be careful not to look like
an HBS “wannabe”. Also, always keep in mind that the
interviewer might be an HBS graduate and have taken the same
class. They might ask you to talk about your favorite case.
It is important to know one or two cases very well.
You Cannot Miss the Technical Questions
The one thing you have to prove in your interview when going
for an MBA position is that you have enough knowledge.
Interviewers might not ask technical questions to MBA
students because they know what to expect from MBA students,
However, they will most likely ask you technical questions.
You need to be prepared for those questions because not
being able to answer those questions will be a good reason
for them to reject you.
After the Interview
Use Your Interviews to Gain Knowledge for the Next
One
Gain as much knowledge as you can from interviews. Never
make the same mistakes again.
What I often did was to ask the question that I am often
asked in interviews. For example, "Why do you like working
for XYZ Company?" Then you have some hints in terms of what
to say when the next one asks you, "What do you like about
XYZ Company?" Since the question "What do you think of the
Japanese economy?" was often asked, I made sure that I asked
the interviewer’s opinion at the end. So my answer got
better and better as I went through more interviews.
Finally, in those interviews where I had trouble solving a
case or answering a specific question, I later asked the
interviewers what kind of response he or she was looking
for. By asking these questions, you never make the same
mistakes twice.
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Interview Self Evaluation
Think about an important interview you have had. Evaluating
your performance in that interview will help you to prepare
for a future one:
1.
List 3 things which made the interview a success.
2.
a) List 3 things about the interview that you would change
b) For each of these three items, explain what you are going
to do to improve for your next interview.
3.
Were some of the interviewer’s questions difficult to
answer? What were they?
How would you respond if asked again?
4.
What skills/qualities was the employer looking for? How
could you better present these skills next time?
5.
What further information do you need in order to determine
if you would accept an offer?
6.
What do you like/dislike about this company? (Consider a
graph or other way to rate and compare the companies with
which you have interviewed).
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