Transcript Resume Workshop
Interview Workshop
The Pennsylvania State University Actuarial Science Club September 18, 2013
• • Job-Finding Process • • • • Career Fair Resume Interview Process Purpose of an Internship Interviewing • • • • • What Recruiters Want Researching a Company Question Types Thank You Follow-up General Tips
•
Over 30
companies are coming!!
•
Sept 26
th
, 5-8 PM
• Business Building Atrium • Dress is business professional • Bring plenty of copies of your resume
• Helps you get the first interview • Makes the first impression and sets the tone for the interview • Be ready to discuss anything on it • Get lots of feedback!
• • • • Meet companies and distribute resumes at the career fair Build your Network • Attend info sessions • • • Browse the company website Learn about the company and position Demonstrate interest – recruiters often track attendance!
Talk to recruiters in a more personal setting • Apply online (Resume, Transcript, Cover Letter, etc) • • • Interview • Most first-round interviews are on-campus • SmealConnect for Internships NLCN for full time Company website Most second-round interviews are by phone or on-site
• • • • • Elevator Speech • • Shorter for Career Fairs Elaborate more for Interview • (Tell me about yourself…) 30 Seconds Name, Major, Exams, Past Internships I am looking for… While at Penn State, I have… • (Leadership Positions, Activities, etc…) • Elevator Pitch
Purpose of an Internship
•
For you:
• • Perspective to evaluate: • • • Company Profession Location Experience • • For your next job For your resume •
For the company:
• Extended job interview • Many companies do most of their full time hiring through internships
• The recruiter is evaluating if you ’ re right for the company • You should be evaluating if the company is right for you!
• Communication skills / Personality / Leadership • Extracurriculars – focus on transferrable skills • Leadership positions • Dedication to an actuarial career • “ What made you want to be an actuary?
” • • • Prior internships Attempted exams Major • Technical skills • Passed exams • • GPA MS Excel, MS Access, VBA, coding experience • Time Management (work-exam-life balance) • Responsibilities outside of the classroom (work, extracurriculars) • Evaluate Fit • Are you right for them?
• Are they right for you?
• • • Respectful yet relaxed Confident but not arrogant • • No matter how qualified, you ’ re still an unproven entry-level candidate; act like it Portray that you are willing to learn “ Would I want to work with this person?
” • Make the interview conversational and personable
• • • • What is the position like?
• How do your qualifications fit their needs?
• Company information • How do they make money?
• How does the position fit your goals?
Financial health Current events • Ask good questions • Don ’ t ask anything available online • Repeating questions to multiple interviewers – can get multiple perspectives Don ’ t embarrass yourself
• • • • Traditional Behavioral Case Analytical
• • • • • • • • • • Tell me about yourself.
What made you want to be an actuary?
What accomplishment are you most proud of? What is your greatest strength/weakness?
What are your career goals?
Tell me about [something on your resume]?
What did you learn in your previous internship?
How you prepared for your next exam?
Do you have any unique extracurricular/experiences?
What ’ s your favorite class?
• Tell me about a time when you… • • • • • • …worked in a team with someone who didn ’ t pull their weight.
…made an unpopular decision.
…made a mistake.
…balanced multiple commitments.
…had a disagreement with a team.
…proposed an idea that was unpopular.
• STAR – be descriptive as if you’re story telling • Situation – recent challenge you were faced with • Task – what you were trying to get out of the situation • • Action – what did you do about the situation; alternatives Result – outcome of what you did; spin it to be positive
Case Questions
• • • • 30-45 min interview Presented with a business problem Collaborate with your interviewer to arrive at a solution Assesses your thought process in solving business issues
• How many taxi cabs are there in NYC?
• Could I fit a stack of pennies as tall as the Empire State Building in this conference room?
• How many windows are there in the business building?
• You won ’ t know the answer – just talk through your reasoning!
• They ’ re looking for your logic, not the final answer
• • • • Send a “ thank you ” interviewed you e-mail to everyone who Remember to get contact information Personalize each message – recruiters can spot canned responses Be concise – recruiters are busy!
• • • • • • • Ask good questions Pause to collect your thoughts Give concise and detailed answers Don ’ t ramble Don ’ t complain or make excuses Don ’ t speak negatively Mock Interview…Practice