Students often ask me how they can compete with candidates who had more experience in an industry, attended more “prestigious” schools, or had internships at marquee institutions. My answer is, “Tell your authentic story and explain who you are.” This may be surprising for students as the metrics they have previously been evaluated on were test scores, GPAs, and other relatively objective criteria.
In the real world, hiring managers make hiring decisions based on their emotions and other qualitative factors rather than just a strictly rational analysis of candidate qualifications. Skills and accomplishments convince the interviewer that you are qualified to do the job, but explaining your motivations, aspirations, and values (answering the “why” behind your decisions) will help evoke reactions such as empathy and trust from interviewers. If the interviewer can relate and connect with you, it will increase your chances of receiving a job offer. You can also engender trust from the interviewer by portraying positive personality traits such as sincerity, open-mindedness, confidence, eloquence, and strong listening skills.
To prepare for interviews, students should engage in some self-reflection and be able to answer the following questions:
- Who inspires you?
- What motivates you?
- Why are you interested in a career in the industry?
- How do you define success?
These questions may not seem germane to the recruiting process but providing compelling answers can be the difference between receiving an offer and being passed over for the position. The purpose of these questions is to determine your values and priorities in order to see how well you “fit” within the organization. Inspirations and motivations can be from friends, family, extracurricular activities, school, or a professional anecdote or revelation. Make sure to tell your story in a unique and personal way. These days, the typical my-parents-moved-from-China/Korea/Mexico/India/Bosnia/Russia-to-the-U.S.-to-build-a-better-life-for-their-children story has been told so many times it’s almost meaningless. Plus, talking about what your parents or grandparents did and sacrificed for doesn’t tell us anything about you.
You can explain what you learned from people that inspired you and how it is relevant to your life and career. For example, a finance professor at my business school began a class by writing a long equation on the board. He then explained that given the number of investment managers in the United States and the distribution of market returns, there should, statistically speaking, be at least one or two managers in the country with consistent, long-term outsized returns like those Warren Buffet produces; it just happens to be Warren Buffet. As an engineer, this professor’s analytical view of the world thoroughly resonated with me. This same professor also explained that finance is no more challenging than remedial algebra – on a good day! I had zero experience in finance before business school but his perspective helped give me the confidence to compete with candidates with several years of experience on Wall Street.
Jerome Wong
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