In the new experience of job interview, you should pay attention to some small details. No matter what you do, you should master the discretion. It is inevitable to meet colleagues you don't like, and you should try to adjust and relax when the pressure is too great. Have you learned any new experience in job interview?
New experience of job interview 1 Not long ago, someone asked me this question: "How many peas can be put in a plane?" I'm not talking to a precocious five-year-old child, but to a middle-aged man in his forties-he works in a leading global enterprise, and I'm interviewing for an attractive position in that enterprise.
In the same interview, someone asked me, "What is the cube of 36?" "What do you think the interest rate on February 17 of 20xx will be? Please answer the interest rate figure accurate to the last two percentage points. " Every MBA student will tell you that we are in the recruitment season.
Interestingly, this interview is not an interview with an investment bank or financial services institution, as my students at Insead initially guessed. In fact, this recruitment is for a position in the sales and marketing department. Although the interview process seems to be casual for sales and marketing positions-at least for those who apply for investment banking positions, this special organization added "stress interview" to their finale program.
In stress interview, the interviewer will quickly throw a bunch of questions to the candidates, which are usually complicated and have a short time to answer, so as to observe the response of the subjects to "pressure". There are other changes in this type of interview. For example, the employer arranges a group of interviewers in a row, so that one or all interviewers can appear at once, and each interviewer's only task is to put pressure on the candidates. In sharp contrast to stress interview, the behavioral interview, in which candidates are asked to describe their past work experience to show their leadership, team spirit or creativity. In this interview, any answer is acceptable. What matters is how to describe the event.
In addition, there are other types of interviews, such as information interviews, structured interviews and semi-structured interviews. In Singapore, sometimes the company interviewing us is only a recruitment area in Fontainebleau, France, so there are also video conference interviews, campus interviews and on-site interviews. These types of interviews actually constitute a different axis, and all other types of interviews can be conducted here. The nuances of every interview take a lot of time to prepare. However, the best advice I got about the interview is: relax and remember that you are interviewing them as if they were interviewing you. This advice helped me get rid of an employer, because he giggled when I talked about wanting to work in a job where I can experience happiness from my career in the next five years. He replied that in his 20-year career, he never felt happy one day, which is the essence of "work". Therefore, I decided that this company was not suitable for me. This suggestion also helped me rule out another person who might be my boss. At that time, he invited me to attend the final interview, but unexpectedly revealed that the position was actually not in Singapore-they had convinced me that the position was in Singapore. This suggestion also helped me to get rid of the idea of consulting, because many of my MBA students hate consulting.
On the contrary, I have decided to continue to be loyal to my strengths and enthusiasm and not be confused by some contracts that are beyond gold and jade. I will continue to develop in the field of sales and marketing and devote myself to shaping consumer behavior. To my surprise, so many MBA students seem to be planning to change careers, whether they choose to change their workplaces, jobs or industries. I may not be typical. Former strategic consultants are now looking for management jobs in the industry. Some business development personnel began to try to engage in investment banking. Some entrepreneurs turned to compete for the position of senior consultant. Some people are tired of their jobs and try to start their own businesses. Everyone is coveting other people's jobs. Why not open some kind of internal market for these jobs? This is quite similar to the "double coupling" problem we learned in macroeconomics.
Once upon a time, people exchanged bread for eggs or eggs for bread. But in order to do this, the baker must find someone who is only willing to accept his bread and exchange eggs. When the baker wants milk, he must find another person who is willing to exchange milk for bread. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, monetary unit came into being. In this way, the baker can make money by selling bread, and then use the money to buy anything he needs. Similarly, we should establish a system for these students' work before INSEAD. INSEAD alumni are worried that the number of people who can't find jobs is surprising. Some people have always been excellent and won numerous praises and large year-end awards, but they also admit that they are worried that they are not good enough. No matter whether the position has changed or not, we have mastered many new MBA skills. Even I feel that I have recently practiced Excel skills and the ability to create macros and pivot tables. Just a year ago, I was one of those people who only used the down arrow to scroll down 30,000 lines of spreadsheets.
Now, I can also pay attention to marketing activities from different angles, and I am (almost) eager to tell anyone who wants to hear how these marketing activities may be improved. I find that I can think within the framework and hope that people can express their views in a more organized and concise way. I thought of new enterprises and new products that may flourish in Singapore, and noticed organizations that have not invested enough in sales force or need major management changes.
When we enter the last semester of five semesters, I think we are almost ready to enter the real world again. Who is willing to accept those of us who have all the latest MBA knowledge is still in the air. This company is there, and when I find it, I'm sure the interview will be smooth. Now I know that "the cube of 36 equals the sixth power of 6" and "in any case, the interest rate on February 17 of 20xx will be printed on the front page of the Financial Times" are not smart enough answers.
As I am about to graduate, I can't help but think of Qian Zhongshu's famous saying in Fortress Besieged, "People who live in the besieged city want to come out, while people outside the besieged city desperately want to go in". This philosophy of life is particularly profound for me today.
When I first went to college, I was always pestered by adults. What are college students like now? It is difficult to find a job, and the employment pressure is great. If you don't study hard, it will be difficult to find a job in the future and so on. At that time, I was indifferent to these, even a little dismissive. The blood spilled just after the college entrance examination is full of beautiful ideas and expectations for the future life. Although I am not without a little worry about what I will face in four years, I am young and frivolous after all, and think that even if there are more difficulties, I can break through and surpass them with my own ability and persistence. After I was far away from my parents and hometown, I thought I could be truly independent, but this is not the case. The university campus is still full of all kinds of exams and restrictions, and most of the expenses are still supported by family members. Therefore, I often think, if one day I can walk out of the campus and break into my own small world, how happy it would be!
In a blink of an eye, four years of college life came to an end inadvertently. I didn't make up my mind to take the postgraduate entrance examination next semester. Only when I saw with my own eyes all kinds of disappointments in finding a job did I find the original one. Passion is really fragile. Maybe staying on campus will be a stopgap measure, so I joined the postgraduate entrance examination. After going through the postgraduate entrance examination, I have tried my best, but I have to admit that the postgraduate entrance examination failed (although the results have not yet been announced).
For me, the real beginning of job-hunting life is after the senior high school entrance examination, so job-hunting is also a brand-new first experience for me. Since this is the first experience, it is inevitable that there will be different feelings and ideas. I will record all these little things one by one, which may be personal, but they are all what I really feel. I think there must be something to share.
First, the preliminary experience of work preparation
There are several necessary tasks to be done before entering the job search team.
The biggest difference between students and newcomers to the workplace is first manifested in their appearance, so it is very important to buy a set of professional clothes. So, I spent nearly an afternoon looking for a suit for myself.
Although I have never bought formal clothes like professional clothes, I have chosen and determined several principles:
1, the price must be appropriate. There is a simple reason. It's parents' money now, and they shouldn't be burdened.
2. The style should be formal and mature. Formal business attire is used in serious interview occasions, which shows your respect for the candidates and fits in with the atmosphere during the interview, so that you can get into the state as soon as possible and become calm and confident. Mature style is because I feel a little younger than my actual age and a little naive, but employers generally want mature employees, because mature people will appear more stable and reliable. Finally, I chose a gray suit with moderate price.
I used to hear that make-up is a compulsory course for professional women, so whether make-up or not also reflects the seriousness of professional women's work. Knowing this, as a layman, I usually only make up on some "important occasions" and most of them are made by others. Makeup has really become a big problem. I still remember the first time I put on makeup, I was really shocked when I saw the horrible look in the mirror! However, after scaring myself several times, I still fulfilled the old saying that practice makes perfect, and my makeup skills have gradually improved, so I can naturally show it to others.
Resume is the cornerstone of successful job hunting, the teacher told us in the process of job hunting and career selection in junior year. At that time, we also asked for a mock resume, and I didn't care much. I just downloaded a resume template on the Internet and filled in some basic information. After nearly a year, when I had to write my resume seriously under the pressure of job hunting, I found that a good resume takes a lot of energy and time. I spent an afternoon doing the first draft of Chinese resume, carefully checked it and asked my classmates' opinions, and found that there were still many shortcomings. So after several days of constant revision, a decent resume was completed. What is more troublesome is the English resume. Don't think it's just a Chinese translation. There are many words and sentences translated in Chinese resumes, either they can't be translated at all or they seem to have changed their taste. I think my English level is not bad (after CET-6). When I rack my brains to think that I can't change the original intention of Chinese resume or the translation is too rigid, I really think translation is the greatest genius in the world.
Second, the experience at the beginning of the demonstration.
The first demonstration I attended was organized by Ernst & Young. Although the number of participants in the venue was expected, it was still shocking to really participate. Such high-paying positions and units with development potential seem to represent the value orientation of a large part of college students today. The presentation was composed of corporate culture, recruitment process, etc. What impressed me the most was the free questioning stage. The person in charge of Ernst & Young (a Hong Kong native who seems to speak English better than Mandarin) recalled his own experience when answering a classmate's question. From a little apprentice with no knowledge and background, I went to study in the UK with the money I earned from working, obtained the British accountant certificate, and then entered this industry, and gradually achieved today's achievements. Young people, no matter where we are, are unyielding and dare to break through and surpass themselves, which may be the most admirable quality.
Third, the first experience of the job fair
I have long heard from my sisters that my resume at the job fair is eight or nine times. Despite these warnings, I tried to attend a job fair. There was a sea of people at the job fair, and I finally squeezed into the booth of a company. When I asked, I only hired people with two years' work experience. One unit is like this, and so are several units. At the job fair, I shuttled for over two hours, submitted several resumes, and then left in a hurry. The job fair is not suitable for college graduates, which left me with such an impression.
Fourth, the experience at the beginning of the interview
The interview was held in the office building of a building, and there were six people coming for the interview. In the conference room, after watching the video about the company profile, I entered the personal interview stage. Before the interview, I heard two applicants interviewed before me talking about the same question asked by the interviewer, "Which is more important, experience or youth?" One answer is young and the other is experienced, but no matter which answer is scolded by the interviewer. So, I entered the interview with trepidation, afraid of being asked tricky questions, but the whole process was much smoother than I expected. I really can't find the right answer at the moment, except being asked, "Are you not good at school? Have you no motivation? " .
As a college graduate who is about to leave the campus "besieged city" and enter the society, I often miss the "simple and beautiful little happiness" on campus when I first taste the pain of job hunting. Maybe man is really a strange animal, always pursuing some things and having to leave others behind. However, just like that time when I got lost on the trip, an old man told me that I could find my way back as long as I followed the direction of the mountain. The choice of life is probably the same! When you are confused, bravely follow your inner wishes, and tomorrow will be really beautiful and brilliant.