SEO Interview Preparation

So I had an interview with SEO at 555 California Street 45th Floor Goldman Sachs Co., on 12-16-05. Here's the stuff that I wrote in prepartion for this interivew as a reference.

Outline

I. Before the interview

II. Interview questions

§ Behavioral

§ Motivation for I-Banking

§ Case question

III. Questions to ask the interviewer

IV. Immediately after the interview

V. The night after the interview

I. Before the interview

1. Arrive 5 minutes early

2. Pull your collar straight

3. Make sure your hands aren’t too cold or sweaty

4. Firm handshake w/ the interviewer to show confidence

5. Overall appear calm, confident, and composed

6. Remember to make eye contact to all interviewers

II. Interview Questions

1. Why SEO? How did you hear about the SEO program?

The idea is that you actively seek opportunities

From email from career center

è infosession

è talking to some SEO Alumni and got really interested so I checked out the website to learn more about SEO

è SEO website

è Apply

(mention SEO’s specific training)

2. Program – Why Hong Kong?

§ knowledge of culture and language

§ dual abilities -> English, Mandarin

§ knowledge of customs

§ desire to work in Asia after graduation

§ (intern where you want to end up)

§ Further pursuer this goal this winter break

3. Tell me about yourself

§ (the idea is to tell the interviewer about your profession self/professional interests)

§ (where you’ve been, what you’ve done, where you want to go)

§ grew up in Taiwan

§ came to the U.S. in 9^th grade

§ worked really hard during the high school years

§ was fortunate enough to get into Berkeley as Biochem. major/ but realized not interested in science research

§ switched gears to study economics and operations research and management science (found dynamic work place much more appealing, constant learning environment)

§ career interests in financial sectors(and specifically in I-Banking)

4. Why I-Banking

Two things that I-Banking offer that are of interests to me

i. Challenges & skill sets

§ learning environment

§ use analytical thinking to solve real-world problems

§ ability to be a team player

§ ability to work under high pressure

ii. Merger & Acquisition

§ research and client in a good proportion

§ tie back to Hong Kong, recent M&A developments

§ (M&A is a growing sector again after the tech. bubble burst)

§ (CNOOC acquiring Unical Energy)

§ IBM personal computing & Lenovo computers in China

§ However, these are just a broad path, I am pretty flexible within all divisions in I-Banking

5. Behavioral Questions

§ Provide STAR Answers

§ Situation\

§ Task \ Tie each question with a story from resume that can

§ Action / backup the characteristics/qualities to the questions they

§ Result / are asking

§ Mention/emphasize your accomplishments

§ think of an example for each of the following situations

o How you deal w/ competition?

o How you deal w/ conflict?

o How you deal w/multitasking?

o How you deal w/ stress?

6. Community Involvement

i. VITA & Tax-Aid

§ Don’t say “I once participated…”

§ you should say “I am part of {}” and I participate every year during tax season. 1040A, 1040EZ forms

ii. BSJ Community Outreach Program

§ scientific/research awareness to high school students. Donation of our journals.

§ Blueprint Leadership Development program sponsored by the Office of Student Life.

o socially responsible leadership

Be brief and concise, but to the point

7. Case Questions:

Always verbalize your thinking (avoid long pauses)

Walk the interviewers through your analysis

è Make a list of assumptions

è mention what other variables could have affected this answer

III. Questions to Ask the Interviewer

1. Suck-up question: by asking the interviewer about their SEO experience. (So pay attention when they were introducing themselves and remember their names!).

2. Housing issues….blah blah blah

Important! (Here comes the kicker)

“I don’t have any more questions but I would just like to add one more thing. On the SEO website, it mentions that SEO is looking for people who are hungry to succeed, possess a voracious appetite to learn and demonstrate leadership and initiative. I believe from my academic records and extracurricular activities I have demonstrated these qualities. And I am confident that I will be a very strong candidate for this position.”

IV. Immediately After the Interview

1. Again, shake hands with interviewers. Thank them again for their time, etc.

2. Remember to ask for their Business cards

V. The Night After the Interview

1. Compose a ‘thank you’ email to the interviewer

After the interview, a couple of after thoughts:

Overall, I was way way way too nervous. Be sure to check the weather of the interview place, and dress warmly according to the weather. Save the kicker speech where it’s suppose to be said, and not anytime before. When asked about is there anything I would like to add I should have mentioned my community service experiences.