Interviewing for students interested in Business

A popular online video interviewing software used by many top employers. Typically sent to candidates for initial screenings before the first round of interviews.  HireVue involves answering pre-recorded questions within a set timeframe. Most platforms allow candidates to re-record their answers 1-2 times before submitting final responses. Artificial Intelligence technology helps analyze these recordings, aiming to reduce hiring bias. Additionally, HireVue can facilitate virtual assessments like coding challenges or psychological games.

Watch the following video for more information:  https://www.youtube.com/embed/JmF-SUiMWV4

Tips for HireVue Interviews:

• Schedule your interview during a quiet, uninterrupted time.
• Dress professionally, as you would for an in-person interview.
• Utilize the practice round to refine your responses.
• Keep your answers natural—there’s no need to fill the entire time slot.
• Let your personality shine through!

Often serve as an initial screening or first-round interview to evaluate your fit and interest in the role. Typically conducted by a recruiter, these calls are quick and may also involve scheduling the next interview round. While some phone interviews are scheduled, others might happen unexpectedly, so it’s essential to be prepared.

Tips for Phone Interviews:

• Answer unidentified numbers with a professional tone.
• Set up a professional voicemail message and ensure your voicemail box is not full.
• Be ready to answer common questions like, “Tell me about yourself,” or “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
• If caught in a noisy or distracting environment, politely ask to reschedule.
• Follow up with a thank-you email to show appreciation for their time.

As technology advances, virtual interviews have become increasingly common, offering flexibility and cost savings for both employers and candidates. These interviews are often conducted live using platforms like Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, or HireVue.

Tips for Virtual Interviews:

• Prepare a clean, distraction-free, and well-lit space for the interview.
• Dress professionally from head to toe to maintain a polished appearance.
• Test your internet connection and audio equipment in advance.
• Position your camera at eye level and maintain eye contact by looking into the camera.
• Silence your phone and minimize other distractions.

On-Campus Interviews

Many employers visit WashU to recruit students directly through on-campus interviews (OCI). These interviews often follow information sessions or career fairs and typically occur in one of the offices in the CCE. Invitations to interview are usually sent via Handshake, where students can select their time slots. Staying vigilant with emails and Handshake alerts is crucial during this period.

Tips for On-Campus Interviews:

• If wearing a suit all day isn’t practical, plan to change or freshen up beforehand.
• Use waiting time in the lobby to relax and focus.
• Arrive at least 10 minutes early to show punctuality and professionalism.

Are a common final round in the financial services industry. Reaching this stage means you’ve successfully navigated multiple prior interview rounds. The process often begins the evening before with a networking event where you’ll meet other candidates as well as associates or managers from the firm. While these events may feel less formal, they are a critical part of the evaluation process.

The next day consists of a series of back-to-back interviews, including both one-on-one and group formats. These interviews typically focus on assessing cultural fit while also testing your technical skills, often with questions or brainteasers. To prepare, explore the Finance, Consulting or Tech Exponent  section for industry-specific technical questions.

Tips for Superdays:

• The fast-paced structure mirrors the work environment, so stay calm and composed.
• Be confident and consistent, as you may face similar questions throughout the day.
• Show your authentic, best self with everyone you meet.
• Prepare for surprises—expect the unexpected!

Final round interviews are often conducted on-site, providing you with the chance to see your potential workplace and meet with future colleagues.  However, with advancements in technology, some in-person interviews are being replaced by virtual ones, even at the final stage. 

Tips for In-person:

1. Arrive at least 15 minutes early to demonstrate punctuality.
2. Treat every interaction professionally and courteously, from the receptionist to senior staff.
3. Bring a padfolio with multiple copies of your resume and any documents you may want to reference.
4. Dress appropriately for the company culture, erring on the side of being overdressed.

• Maintain a balance of enthusiasm and humility.
• Arrive at least 15 minutes early

As you practice for interviews, whether it’s for an internship or to join a business fraternity, being prepared will help increase your confidence and your chance of getting the role. There are many different types of interviews but behavioral interviews are the most common across the various industries. The purpose of behavioral interviews is to learn about the candidate and how they have performed in their past to predict their future performance.

 How to prepare for upcoming behavioral interviews:

1. Identify what skills are imperative to perform the job by examining the job description or by talking to others in the role.
2. Inventory your past experiences and think through which situations you have experienced that showcase how you have performed the specific skills. You want to be able to demonstrate to the interviewer that you would be able to perform the tasks if hired because you have experienced similar tasks in the past, whether you were successful or not. If you weren’t successful, highlight how you learned from the task and what you would do differently in the future. Use examples from past internships, classes, activities, team involvement, community service, and work experience that prove your competence with the desired behaviors.
3. Break your experiences down into 4 sections representing Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This will allow you to make sure you aren’t missing any important details while telling an organized, concise story. After you write out your story in each section, practice out loud or with a friend. Make sure to not read directly off of your answers so you are natural when telling your story.

 Quick Tip: Always think about what the interviewer is looking for when they asked the question. This will help what story you choose and how you frame it.

 STAR 

• What was the Situation?
• What Task did you have to accomplish?
• What Action(s) did you take to accomplish such task?
• What was the Result or outcome?

 Question:

Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. What did you do to correct it?

[The interviewer understands that everyone makes mistakes. What they want to know, with this question, is how you handle mistakes. A great response to this question is one in which you take full responsibility for the mistake, worked hard to correct it and took steps to minimize the likelihood that it would happen again.]

Answer:

Situation/Task: When I was working at a printing company, I misquoted the fees for a particular job. I realized the mistake, I went directly to my manager and explained what happened. He said he appreciated my honesty and suggested that we waive the setup fee for the job as an apology to the customer.

Action: I spoke to the customer directly and explained what happened and that the quoted price was actually higher than my original estimate, but that we would be happy to waive the setup fee. The customer understood and appreciated the effort to make the situation right.

Result: After that happened, I printed our price sheet to have it quickly at hand and implemented a new process for quoting estimates, one in which I double-check the final estimate before sending it.

 Below are two resources to use when preparing for your interviews:

• Big Interview- Answer Builder  (Log in with your WUSTL key)
  • Big Interview allows you to type in your answer for each STAR section while offering quick tips to make sure each answer is effective. You can name each story and save your answers in a bank to revisit later.

Behavioral Interview STAR Worksheet. Feel free to download this worksheet to your computer and use each time you are preparing for an interview. There are sample behavioral questions on the first page you can practice with and the second page is blank to type in questions you have received from previous interviews or you have found through research.

• Research the company and review the job description thoroughly before the interview.
• Follow up with each interviewer, referencing details from your conversation to personalize your note.
• Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer—it’s your opportunity to evaluate the company’s fit for you.

In certain industries, behavioral interviews are often followed by case or technical interviews. These specialized interview formats provide an excellent opportunity to showcase your skills and demonstrate your fit for the position. However, they require thorough preparation.

We encourage you to connect with a Career Coach to create a personalized plan that ensures you’re fully prepared when it’s time to put your industry-specific interview skills to the test. Additionally, explore the Industry Section to access resources tailored to your intended industry.

Big Interview

Is an online platform designed to help job seekers improve their interview skills and land their desired roles. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools and resources tailored to prepare individuals for various interview types across different industries.

It provides simulated interview practice with pre-recorded questions.  Users can record and review their responses or share with mentors for feedback.  It has a library of common and industry-specific interview questions, and much more.

https://wustl.biginterview.com/login

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI can be a powerful tool to help candidates prepare for interviews by providing personalized, on-demand resources and practice opportunities.  AI can analyze candidate’s answers, voice tone, body language (if video-based), and word choice to provide constructive feedback on clarity and structure of responses, use of examples (STAR method for behavioral questions), and non-verbal communication skills, and much more.

There are other public websites that offer interview sample questions by performing a Google search for the top behavioral in the applicable industry.   You can also utilize CCE resources to help brainstorm potential questions. Big Interview has several helpful resources including a Question Library where you can search for sample questions by competency and a Mock Interview feature where you can record yourself answering competency and industry-based questions.

A number of public websites offer interview sample questions by performing a simple Google search for the top behavioral in your industry. Finally, use sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.com to see what anonymous sources share about their interview experiences and questions they encountered.

After you have collected your list of potential questions, nail down the experiences you would want to highlight and begin to craft your STAR stories. This will ensure that even though you do not know the exact questions that will be posed, you are prepared to answer based on the research you have done prior to the interview!

Industry-Specific Interviews In some industries, behavioral interviews are followed by case interviews or technical interviews. These interview types provide additional opportunities to demonstrate your relevant skills and fit for the position. These interviews require significant preparation so talk to a career coach about building a plan that works for you and will have you ready by the time your industry-specific interview skills Exponent – Mock Technical Interview Practice – Center for Career Engagement | Washington University in St. Louis are put to the test. Look at the Industries Section to see what resources are available for your intended industry.

The CCE has limited interview rooms and students can reserve these rooms by going to DUC 110 anytime Monday – Friday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.  Career Peers are students that work for the CCE and are delighted to help.

Students can also reserve an interview room with the Center for Career Engagement using this link: Reserve a Space – Interview Room

Need to book an interview suite? 

Please visit reserve.wustl.edu to book individual interview rooms online at least 24 hours in advance.

Please email careers@wustl.edu with questions or group requests.