Time flies so fast! It is already OIG’s last meeting. We held one of OIG’s biggest events of the year: the Senior Job Panel. This year, OIG was able to co-sponsor the Senior Job Panel with 85 Broads Bryn Mawr Chapter, Bi-Co Finance Club and Consulting Club.
Seniors from both Haverford and Bryn Mawr, who will be pursuing careers in the Financial Industry after graduation, gathered at Taylor G and gave excellent talks. The Panel was followed by a great networking event.
Many students came to the event to learn from our panelists’ experiences. The following are some of the advice given by the panelists as they shared their experiences of interviews for interviews and jobs:
1. Remember that people like to talk about themselves and let them talk during networking and interviews.
2. Always say something positive because networking is like dating and nobody wants to spend the entire date listening to your complaints.
3. It’s very important to find the right fit. You should know what types of situations you are facing and what types of people you are talking to. You should prepare respond differently to different situations.
4. Never dominate the conversation. This will make others feel uncomfortable.
5. Show your interests to the interviewers and always smile while speaking and listening.
6. Even though interviews are competitions, it’s more important to enjoy them and make them a learning experience. It’s also important to learn more about yourself during the process.
7. Be genuine and friendly during interviews.
8. Always take a pen and notebook during internship. For every second in the internship, you are learning something new about the finance industry. Every second counts.
9. Do as much as research about the project you are assigned to. Be prepared for the possible challenges you can think of. Although you are not familiar with the subject, be as prepared as you can be.
10. Don’t ask about something directly. There are arts of asking questions. Instead, tell them what you’ve already known and show them where you got stuck. Don’t just throw the questions at people and never ask questions that can be found easily online.
11. Make an effort to get to know about a company’s own resources during an internship and get to know people in your team and in the company and listen to their experiences in different positions. Reach out to the HR department for contacts info if you want to know more people.
12. If you don’t know something, never ever make it up, just admit that you don’t know. People in the industry will tell whether you know it or not immediately.
13. Always remember to send the thank-you note, and include the answer to the question if you got stuck during the interview. Interviewers will appreciate your efforts of looking for the answers.
14. During the interview, take the direction that interviewer leads you to, follow their instructions.
15. One panelist offered his four secrets during interview: be succinct, insightful and confident and use body movement.
16. One question that Bi-Co students are always asked is why Bryn Mawr/Haverford? It’s never bad to answer it with talking about the link with the school size compared to that of the company.
17. It’s a cliché but yes, technique questions and brain teasers come all the time.
18. Be confident but don’t pretend you know everything.
19. For the case analysis, don’t be afraid if you go beyond the questions they ask. It’s always good to offer them your unique ways of problem solving.
20. Know your audiences and be prepared for different kinds of questions.
This will be my last blog for OIG club as the Secretary of Year 2011-2012.I am really grateful for those a few people who read my blog and gave comments. OIG is looking forward to having another fantastic year with old and new friends.