This past week, I had a first round interview with Nomura on campus for internal finance summer analyst. It was a 30 minute long interview, and I expected it to be me talking for majority of the interview. However, it went nothing like I expected.
When the interview started, the recruiter asked me "Tell me about your self.." which I did for about 7-8 mintues. Then the recruiter started talking about the program in details for about 20 mintues, where at the end I decided to add comments as to why I am so interested in this program etc. Following that, she was just like so do you have any questions for me...and I did ask some good questions and she said their would be a second round interview for this position.
A couple of other people that I know had this interview had exactly the same exact experience as me, where the recruiter asked them one question and then talked about the program for about 20 mins. Today the other people I was talking to and I got an email saying that we didn't advance to second round.
It is what it is and I can't really change the outcome now, but I am curious as to what went through this recruiters head when she decided who to invite to second round or not. There was only one question asked in the entire interview -"Tell me about your self"- and apart from that she did all the talking. So what could've been the deciding factor for her, because I don't think it was that quesiton.
Any thoughts?
No rhyme or reason, just her illogical way of doing things. Oftentimes these aren't Rhodes Scholars you're dealing with.
are you fugly? no one likes to hire a fug
HAHA
I think 7-8 minutes is at least twice as long as your should spend on "tell me about yourself." I wonder if she would have asked you more questions otherwise.
I usually don't plan on talking that long, but she did ask me to elaborate on of the things I mentioned when I was talking about my self. But regardless, I'm sure if she had more questions to ask she would've asked them before going on to talk about the program. Do you think it could've been something else?
This - though it happened to me before with a Big 4.
Ooops...i think I made the same mistake too...Atleast I know now.
I think 7-8 minutes is 7-8 times what you should spend. Practice a 60-second pitch for that question... I thought it was stupid advice at first but that question is so common it pays to structure what you're going to say beforehand (it just can't sound like you memorized it).
Edit: if she asked you to elaborate then obviously it's fine to take longer
Talking about the program is a time filler. She may have used this as a way to hit the 30 min mark.
Honestly, I suspect you said something she didn't like or for whatever reason she just didn't like you.
You will be able to tell ~10 minutes in if you've got it. Undortunately this comes with time and repetition.
For the most part, I felt pretty confident about my response to that question. However, you may be right and it could've been my answer that led her to start talking about the program. But is it logical to base your selection for the second round on a question as vague as "Tell me about your self". As I said, I know a couple of people who interviewed who had the same exact experience, so I highly doubt that it was my answer to that question that caused me to get dinged.
I thought you said in your OP these people also received rejections?
Have you seen the Mergers and Inquisitions guide to answering this question before? It is very pragmatic and essentially a 4 step process of introducing your background through to your university and then why you are there today, while touching on how/why you became interested in finance/the position and firm.
This is probably the most important question because A) its the first thing asked 80% of the time B) you get to demonstrate your speaking ability and highlight your uniqueness while ALSO matching yourself to the firm e.g. I lived overseas for 3 years and I am very attracted to the global aspect of Nomura. and finally C) You get to steer the conversation. e.g. I bring up my internships in my about me by saying: Fordham has been great to me and its proximity has allowed me to take on internships that absolutely helped augment my academic experiences, from my time at xzy firm etc.
Being able to steer the conversation is gold. You are essentially setting the pace while also demonstrating how everything you have done has been linked and with purpose thus making you the PERFECT candidate.
Would you mind sharing how you responded (roughly)? Did you use a lot of 'umms' or 'you knows'?
maybe if you weren't Obama and didn't like speaking just to hear yourself speak, you would have done better...Just a thought, Barack
i got the same situation. I had a 15-min interview with a accounting firm through my school's connection.
At first, he talked about the program for 10 minutes the asked me. The ONLY question he asked me was: Do you have any questions for me? Then i got the offer. Its really strange that he used this method to everybody he interviewed.
Seriously, I dont know why or how he decided to choose the right candidate.
Was this for H and R Block's Tax office in a strip mall?
fucking japanese...
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