Actuarial Science at Illinois
pillar.jpg

Resources

Interview Tips

 
 
 

How to Prepare for Your Interview

  • Research!

    • Yourself 

      • skills, strengths, interests, short/long term goals

    • The firm 

      • values, mission, services/products, types of customers, competitors, locations

    • The position

      • Roles and responsibilities, potential for growth, challenges and demands

      • Read the job description carefully

  • Prepare questions

    • Open-Ended

    • Avoid asking “me” questions

    • Follow up on something mentioned earlier in the interview

  • Pick out your outfit ahead of time

  • Prepare technology (Visual and Audio check) for virtual interviews

  • Conversations should be 50/50 between interviewer and interviewee

  • “Channel your nervous energy for peak performance”

  • Send a thank you message afterwards

    • Mention key points from interview

  • Give them time to get back to you with results before reaching out



Types of Questions

  • Informational

    • “Walk me through your resume”

      • What they are accessing

        • A quick overview of your work experience and achievements 

        • Why you are suited for the role and why you are interested in working for them

      • Strategy

        • Start with a strong opening statement that summarizes your areas of expertise and number of years of experience

        • Highlight your most relevant and impressive experiences and accomplishments, starting with the most recent

        • Connect your experiences to why you’re interested in that position and the firm and why you would be a good fit

    • Examples

      • Tell me about yourself

      • What are your strengths/weaknesses

  • Behavioral: ask you to draw upon a time or experience in the past in which you demonstrated a particular skill or trait

    • Examples

      • Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult team member.

      • What accomplishment are you most proud of?

      • What is a piece of feedback you have received from a former supervisor or colleague?

      • Give a time when you disagreed with your manager

    • What they are accessing

      • Future performance or success

      • Communication skills

      • Personality and cultural fit

    • Tips

      • Show evidence of impressive, tangible accomplishments

      • Communicate clearly, concisely, and confidently

      • Demonstrate your personality and values

      • Research what skills and values the firm prioritizes in its culture and focus those qualities in your responses

    • How to prepare

      • Prepare 6-8 stories

      • Make sure each story focuses on a different skill

      • Make sure each story is unique, impactful, and impressive

    • Follow the STAR Method

      • S - Situation

        • Answer, when, where, and who

        • Keep it short

      • T - Task

        • Answer the what, objective/goal, and why

        • Keep it short

      • A - Action

        • Answer what steps you took, how you took those steps and why you took those steps

        • Focus on what you did specifically rather than what the team accomplished

      • R - Result

        • Answer if you met the goals/objectives, what was the outcome/impact, what did you learn, how did you grow/develop

        • Quantify the impact you had

    • Themes

 
 


  • Situational

    • Example

      • What would you do in this situation

    • Tips

      • Reiterate the Context

      • Relate to past experiences

      • Emphasize skills

  • Technical

    • Example

      • Questions about Excel, VBA, or something logical

    • Tips

      • Walk through each step

      • They want to learn about your thinking process

  • Curve-Ball

    • Example

      • You are shrunk down to the size of a penny and dropped into a blender. How do you escape?

    • Tips

      • Show creativity and personality