Interview tips courtesy of M´2015
It’s the height of interview season and who doesn’t want to present an employer with the perfect candidate? I talked to a few students about how to best highlight one’s experiences without having to embellish. Mostly it’s about being yourself, but the best version of one’s self does require some preparation to be available on-demand. Whether you’re searching for an internship or a full time position, here are some quick Do´s and Dont’s as reported by your fellow MBA’s.
- Rubi Rodríguez:
- Do: “Know your stuff, who you are, what has been your experience, where do you want to go in the future, your strengths, your weaknesses, things that make you unique. Being self-aware allows you to gain that confidence necessary in your interviews”.
- Don´t: “Ask about salary in the first interview. Salary conversations should come after an offer is made, once you have the offer you can sit down with the company to negotiate, but I would never suggest doing that before the offer. Talking about salary at the beginning sounds like you are in it only for the money and not the professional development or the mission of the company.”
- Margo Layton:
- Do: “Follow up after the interview. My interviews for my first job went well, but I really think I landed my job in my follow-up. It’s amazing how few people send a thank-you email, and a personalized one at that. Don’t just stop at “it was nice to meet you”; elaborate to say that you really enjoyed discussing the opportunity at hand and are even more enthusiastic about the role after meeting him or her and learning more about certain aspects of the position. Most importantly, key in on some element of the position that you two discussed where you believe you can really shine, and explain why. You did some of this in your cover letter, but theoretically, you should have learned a lot more in your interview that enables you to really home in on something specific. In addition to being a nice gesture, a thank you note is just one more opportunity to (gently) pitch yourself, and you should take full advantage of it!”
- “Don’t: Just be yourself, be a bigger version of yourself!Be more aggressive than usual, especially for women. Be more engaging. Amplify some of your best personality traits. When nervous, it’s easy to shrink back, so it’s important to remind ourselves to be big and showcase your fullest potential. You want to show them an A+ day, not on just an average day.”
- Angel Montemayor:
- Do: “Be yourself, it’s what everybody says but we all say it because it’s very true. The best thing you can do is relax and be yourself. If the company and position is for you they will now that you are the right one for the job. And if it’s not why do you want to be stuck in a position where you can’t be yourself? But you do need to prepare in advance. Find out if you know someone in the company that can talk with you through the recruiting process Read and learn about the company, the industry, have your 3 strengths and weaknesses ready as well as 1 or 2 ending questions. Always mention how you are working on your weaknesses so they know they won’t be an issue. For the love of God be clean from shoes to hair and 5 minutes early with your resume printed and in a folder.”
- Don´t: Be late
- Lauren Taggart:
- Do: “Be prepared by having a list of possible questions for the interviewer on standby. You look unprepared and foolish if you don’t have questions yourself. The point of an interview is just as much for you to interview your potential employer as for them to interview you. “
- Don´t: “NEVER, EVER, EVER lie. I’ve heard horror stories of friends who exaggerated or made-up a story in an interview when they weren’t able to think of an experience of their own to answer a question with. This is often obvious to the interviewer and risks burning all bridges with the company in the future.”