How can I stop fucking up in interviews?

I have an interview next week at a boutique. I’m non target as fuck (outside of US, and even in Canada my school isn’t well respected).

I study the 400 questions, I write out STAR stories that I can use when they ask about success/failure, I network, etc. Then, when I get into the interview room, I just become retarded and forget everything. I think it’s a nerves thing, but I absolutely need to nail this interview so I’m looking for advice.

Any tips?

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More mock interviews bro, they seem repetitive but will help a ton.

- Dress up for them and treat them just as you would treat the real interview. 

- Perhaps focus less on answering the question in a certain way (STAR) and just more on communicating person to person with the interviewer. 

- Do not try to memorize word for word answers but rather just have an idea of what to talk about for each question.

- After you are asked a question, do not just rush into answering but take 10 seconds to collect your thoughts. It will make you seem more composed and you will answer more clearly. 

 

I'm just a freshman and have only done BS interviews for non-banking internships. However- lots of schools offer mock interviews, and I've done a couple, they can be very helpful. If your school has a banking-related club (ie. Kelly IB workshop/Cornell Hedge Fund), odds are someone in that club can grill you in a mock interview and prepare you for a real interview. A lot of my upperclassman friends said the best way they prepared for interviews was to have friends in the banking student org (people who already had EB or BB jobs) grill them in interviews so when they got to the real thing it was easy.

 

Wish I had these resources. I’m the president of my university’s only investment club, so I’m usually the one doing the mock interviews for members.

I just can’t seem to apply the advice I’m giving out to myself lol

 

Do you have any friends/family/anyone that currently works for a bank that can help you? I understand not everyone has that luxury. If not, perhaps mock interview stuff online-I have never personally tried them but ik WSO has some, so does BIWS

 

practice practice practice practice practice, do mocks with everyone anyone - parents, friends, upperclassmen, teachers, grandma and grandpa, etc.

The best way to not be nervous and make an interview go well is to walk in knowing you've already got many prior "interviews" already under your belt

also do mock with students in financial orgs but dude lmao how are you doing mocks and giving advice to other people but not embodying that advice yourself, lol. just breathe in and take it easy my man.

edit: oh yeah and smile more, hard to overdo smiling (but make sure you don't, smiling a little too much can come across overly fake)

 

Smiling makes you less nervous. Smile regardless if you are nervous or not.

Initiate small talk with your interviewers at the beginning (like asking “how are you” “how’s your day going” “nice to meet you” etc). Starting that convo and the fact that you’re leading it takes away the nerves.

 

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