Last Thursday, we kicked off our 3-part Career Series with the Interview Workshop. We’d like to thank Professor David Sharp for attending and holding mock interviews. They were valuable, entertaining, and, most of all, insightful. You can see the best clips from the mock interviews in the video above. We’ve summarized the most important takeaways here:
Do Your Research Interviews can strike fear into the hearts of the best of us, and a big reason is because we don’t know what to expect. However, we do have the power to control one thing, and that is the research and preparation we do beforehand.
Apart from impressing Professor Sharp – who teaches MBA accounting courses at Ivey – with her interest in accounting, Anisha also stood out for doing her research. At 0:42, she explains how she knows she’ll have to complete a four year degree and complete her exams before becoming certified as an accountant. Anisha was able to respond confidently to the question because of her prior research. On top of that, she was able to show that she was genuinely interested in becoming an accountant. Employers want to see passion and dedication, and doing your research is the easiest way to demonstrate it. Because of the high competition for the best experiences, you can bet that every candidate who receives an interview will do their research. So be sure to do yours!
Reference Your Existing Experiences Students, especially first year students, often don’t have industry experiences to refer to. Anisha demonstrates how to effectively handle this challenge. Professor Sharp throws her a curveball at 1:09 by asking if she’s had any industry experience in accounting. As a first year student, the answer is obviously no. But instead of getting thrown off, Anisha references her existing extracurricular involvement in accounting. She mentions her DECA accomplishments in high school. She turns what could have been an embarrassing moment into an opportunity to talk about competing on the international level. Recruiters will understand that you don’t have industry experience as a student. However, you can impress by referring to related extracurricular activities. This shows initiative, interest in the field, and potential to grow. For an undergrad,these can be just as important as experience.
Allow the Interviewer to Get to Know You Starting at 2:35, Prabhnoor makes sure he’ll stand out to Professor Sharp by talking about his background in BC. Within just a few minutes of conversation, Prof. Sharp learns that Prabhnoor is the first in his family to leave the province. The personal connection helps Professor Sharp better understand why Prabhnoor wants to come to Ivey. Interviewers will hold several interviews per day. Eventually, the answers they hear start repeating. Mentioning something unique will help you stand out and connect on a more human level. Being genuine not only gives your interviewer a better understanding of your personal motivations, but also allows them to see that they can enjoy working with you. Avoid
Negativity in the Interview Starting at 2:45, Professor Sharp tries to bait Prabhnoor into talking negatively about Sauder, a competing business school to Ivey. Prabhnoor doesn’t fall for it. Instead, he talks positively about the BC school and simply explains why he prefers Ivey’s case method. Professor Sharp stresses that you should never speak negatively in an interview. Regardless if it’s a former employer or a competitor, speaking negatively about someone in an interview looks very unprofessional. Your interviewer will feel uncomfortable imagining what you’ll say about them when you’re interviewing for your next job. Instead, try Prabhnoor’s approach. He explains why Sauder isn’t the right fit for him,but he still believes that it’s a great business school. This demonstrates maturity and professionalism.
How to Handle Tough Questions Professor Sharp threw some tough questions at Qitang and Jordan. He asks Qitang if she’s had experience with people who are hard to work with at 4:30. It’s a difficult question, but as Professor Sharp mentions, it’s also a fair one to expect in an interview. Like we mentioned earlier, the one thing you have control over in an interview is your preparation. Professor Sharp advises that preparing for tough questions like these will help you answer smoothly and with confidence. You can use a difficult question as an opportunity to demonstrate your poise and ability to think on your feet.
How to Handle Your Nerves The competition for your dream job will be stiff. If you’ve made it to the interviews, it can be very stressful convincing your interviewer in 20 minutes that you’re the best candidate. How do you handle your nerves? Professor Sharp says that practice is crucial. Being a professor at Ivey, he references the business school’s strong support system. The career management staff will provide you with the necessary practice to develop your interviewing skills. Such a strong support system can be found not only at Ivey, but at Western as a whole. Resources like the Interview Workshop, the Student Success Centre, and many others also form a strong support system. You won’t have trouble finding opportunities to practice and conquer your interview nerves!
Don’t forget the first thing we mentioned in this article: You may not predict what happens in an interview or which tough questions get asked, but the one thing you have control over is your preparation. Set yourself up well for the interview by doing your research and refining your interviewing skills. Use difficult situations as opportunities to impress with your poise. Best of luck in your future interviews!