Any Advice on How Not to Bomb a Coffee Chat Amid COVID-19?
I've got some video chats coming up with some top management consulting firms (think Deloitte, MBB, Accenture, Oliver Wyman) and I'm aiming to leave a good impression. I REALLY suck at that, so I'm wondering if you guys have any tips.
if these are interviews, my biggest tip is to be concise in your answers. They are likely interviewing a host of other candidates and frankly listening to people answering questions all day is boring af, especially if they aren’t getting to the crux of their answer quickly.
Getting good at this is the same as anything else, practice. Write down questions you anticipate you’ll be asked and write a good concise answer to it. Get someone to do a practice run with you and practice saying it aloud.
Another tip is to have a good set of Q’s to ask them. This shows your keen and have done your research
Hey, unfortunately, it's not an official interview. It's more of a coffee chat equivalent - instead of meeting in person, they're providing Zoom links to chat. I spoke with them briefly in a previous network session, so I have some familiarity. With that in mind, I want to keep this connection going, but I'm not sure how to go about that.
Do your best to be prepared. Have non-trivial questions thought ahead of time, ask follow ups, and smile and thank them profusely for their time at the beginning and end. If you do this, even if it doesn't go great, it won't go poorly.
Thanks, but even the "non-trivial" questions are a bit generic when you look at what people traditionally ask.
The go-to for me is to build up the story from their side: * How were your first few weeks?
* What was your most interesting project? * What was your most difficult assignment? * What are your thoughts on COVID-19 and its affect on the Consulting industry?
I try to follow up into anything fascinating.
And then shift the conversation to: * What do you think are the most necessary skills that have helped you thus far? * Do you have any advice or insights for someone trying to break into the Industry?
From there, I often close with a "thanks for your time" type of thing.
Wouldn't ask about most difficult assignment - not a fun question to answer and relive. Rest is fine. You probably want to ask things more relevant to actually getting the job, e.g. how to prepare, common interviewing pitfalls, other non-conventional tips etc.
By non-trivial I mean generic stuff about what types of projects the firm does and stuff. Personal questions about their experience with projects, staffing model, etc is all good
Try not to cough
Why do you worry, if this is not an interview? Do you have an offer already or not?
No, but I'm trying to make a strong impression since these people will most likely be the ones viewing my resume when I do apply.
Having been on the receiveing end of many coffee chats:
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