Unique answer to whats your story/why this group
Seems I've gotten tons of advice regarding story for interview prep. It's obviously a important part of a candidate, but do you really need a unique story to stand out and land the role?
My answer is kind of a standard these three things about the company and team that are strong and show I did the research. Anyone on the hiring end have a view on this? I think the main points are do we like this person, does he have the skills to do the job, can I hangout with him.
From the employer side....
It helps to be interesting, makes you more memorable, really gets to culture fit, and the whole "do we want to have a beer with this person"
That said, you don't need some fancy story about "why real estate" or "why firm XYZ", but having something beyond "I saw this job on LinkedIn and said, what the hell!" is actually more useful than you can imagine. So, being able to make your "life" story interesting and tellable in under a min is worth practicing, if you can practicing sticking the landing with why a career in ABC, then you are just a jump to why apply to XYZ.
Frankly, you can say you are "impressed with the deal of the century" they did awhile back that got covered in the WSJ, but you won't get too far with the flattery (but it cannot hurt, and does show you researched them, just if it was super public knowledge, its less meaningful).
The bottom line, having a good, well delivered answer is crucial to being remembered. Being remembered is critical to being invited back for subsequent rounds. Just don't go overboard to where you get remembered for the wrong reasons.
I have three solid reasons that I can expand on those with examples since this is a demanding role and I thought going this route is appropriate since you need to be well researched for the role. For being interesting I have a few interests on my resume and I think along with being conversational and friendly it will help. I always think when people say interesting or want to have a drink with you need to maybe make a joke or two to show your real personality but I'm not sure how it will fly since you're just meeting these people.
That all sounds good. Another point... (to be fair, this is important at the mid and senior levels and above, but earlier the better to get the mindset)...
The real skill is making these stories/whys fit into why it is beneficial to THEM. Do they really give a shit you found real estate and finance cool since middle school? No, they don't give a shit, they need to be impressed that your skills/background will make you awesome at the job, and thus make them more successful. This is the entire game when interviewing for senior level roles, as you background is well obvious. At the analyst/associate level, it's more about effort, dedication, and some curiosity that could led you to advancing the ball in unique ways.
It's an old saying, but talking about yourself is boring, if you can connect your story to their story, winning.
I don’t particularly care if your answer is “standard” as long as you are somewhat specific and it feels like you actually believe what you are saying vs. being overly broad “growth opportunity” and it feeling fake.
I interviewed 10 people last week for a spot on another team (we cross interview at my company) and you could tell the people that were prepared but genuine with their answers vs. the ones telling you what they thought you wanted to hear. Don’t be the 2nd person.
also, as someone younger in your career, really consider dropping interests/activities from your resume and using the space to explain your experience more. Same with your education. Saying you have a degree for x school in y major is enough, don’t need a list of courses you took. Dedicating that space to transactions you worked on is way more beneficial when trying to land an interview that is being hr screened.
Ok, made it through HR and get what you're saying. I haven't had too much experience to fill up the space and feel the interests may be good talking points if the interviewer has the same ones.
Honestly, I feel like it's important to have the interests section. It allows you and the interviewer to connect outside of just work and technicals and stuff and can be an awesome conversation builder. I was asked about something related to the interests listed In like 90% of my interviews.
For me, seeing your interests is a losing proposition. At best, it is neutral (great we have something in common, but that won’t make me pick you vs. someone who is more qualified) and at worse it it bad (you list that you play sports in 2 rec leagues and that makes me question if you are willing to put in the required hours or if you are going to tell me that you have to leave every Thursday at 5pm to make it to your soccer game - which was a real thing).
just be mindful about it as you get older/more experienced. I can tell you that the two VP candidates I interviewed last week should of used that space to describe their experience more than telling me that they enjoy reading, cooking and brewing beer.
Don’t you think it is actually luck of the draw? By that I mean, sure you don’t like to see it, but others may. I had an interview last week where I spoke with a partner for 45 minutes of the interview (1 hour long) about my hobbies listed and the partner’s hobbies. Some people will react well, some may not care. That’s my take.
It could help with the fit/personality part of the hiring equation, but I’m 100% positive that you didn’t get that interview because of whatever hobby you listed on your resume; experience came first. If experience is the thing that gets you past a resume screen and into the room to discuss further, then shouldn’t you do everything you can to get that chance, especially in a very competitive environment?
I actually disagree with this, hard. If I bring you in for an interview, I know you're qualified. Or I strongly suspect it based on your work experience and reputation. I can ask for references if I want to know if your skillset is real. We can talk shop a bit, sure. But part of the agreement here when interviewing is that the interviewer do their homework too. When I was looking for jobs, it always pissed me off to no end if it was obvious that the person sitting across from me was reading my resume for the first time in the interview.
When I sit in on hiring meetings for our team, cultural fit is always why we're sitting and talking in person (or on the phone these days). Anyone who can't do the job isn't getting to an interview. I want to know that the person being hired is going to be someone I can sit with until 10pm working on a deck, or putting together an investment memo. When I have to drive an hour and a half to visit a property, I want to know that we'll have something to talk about on the way.
But to the original question, I'll echo what everyone else has said. Even just a "I've seen some articles on what you've been buying/building, and was intrigued because you seem to have active deal flow" shows interest in the firm and a basic awareness of the market.
Agree that you aren’t bringing in someone for an interview unless you have a base knowledge that they can do the job, but you have that knowledge based on the experience listed on the resume (or a reference). Interests didn’t play a role in that conclusion.
Seems like I’m in the minority here, but I just don’t need interests listed to evaluate fit/personality. For me, it definitely isn’t the swaying factor when I pick candidates. If it was, then probably 1/2 of the hires I’ve made would of been different.
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