Sounding Scripted in Interviews?
Moderator Note (Andy): Best of WSO - this post originally went up October 2006 and we thought it deserved to go back on the homepage for those who may have never seen it.
Obviously, you prepare a good deal, but how can one avoid sounding scripted during superdays?
How To Avoid Sounding Scripted In Interviews
Most people feel a lot of pressure to do well when prepping for an interview and it’s no surprise. After working so hard to get to this point, you want to make a good impression with potential employers. It is very important that you prepare for your interviews. An interviewer will know if you didn’t and will take that into consideration when the time comes to decide.
Watch the video below for interview tips from Don Georgevich.
Here are a few suggestions to make the most of your interview and avoid sounding scripted:
- Take a moment to think before you answer. There’s nothing wrong with taking a pause to consider your reply. It’s easy to blurt the first thing that comes to your mouth but that isn’t necessarily the best idea in all cases. Pause, consider, then answer.
- Practice interviewing with friends/family/professors. This will make your more technical and scripted answers feel more natural and fluid. The more you practice speaking with an interviewer, the more comfortable you will feel. It may feel a little silly but if you both stick to character it can be an effective method.
- Have solid talking points to typical questions. Write three to four general points to questions you can expect to hear, ie. Why banking? Write them in bullet form and touch on the different topics you want to cover. These are meant to be guidelines, not something you memorize word for word. Write the full answer in full sentence so you know what you want it to sound like and keep the keynotes as reference.
As you practice the above items, they will begin to feel more natural and you won’t need to worry about sounding scripted.
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don't blurt out an answer instantly, wait a few moments to "think" about the answer
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD...follow the advice at your own risk
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD...follow the advice at your own risk
For someone who didn't have an interview yet, that is a very good point for you all to know.
Please don't blurt and say something dumb...I've had a lot of my friends come out kicking themselves. Even myself in my earlier interviews. Think. Than speak.
You'll be expected to be like that no matter what job you end up doing.
Practice interviewing with your friends/professors to make your technical and scripted answers sound fluid. Seriously the more you practice talking to an "interviewer" the more natural your dialogue will appear.
aspmonkey... I seem to remember you saying that you haven't even been to a 1st round yet - mind adding that to your disclaimer? Thanks!
Best way I've found:
Take the most common questions you'll be asked (elevator question, strengths/weaknesses, why banking/our bank, etc.) and write out answers to them in full sentence form. Then make an outline of that with 3-5 bullets/talking points with maybe 1 or 2 subpoints.
When you're answering, don't try to think of every word of even every sentence in your answer. Just try to focus on those 3-5 speaking points you want to make sure to hit on for each answer. That way, you hit your major points and every answer is different, so in essence, its not rehearsed, although you'll find the more you practice it, the more phrases you'll repeatedly come back to...
This is the right advice. It worked very well for me.
You do need to know the key talking points for answers to typical questions (i.e. why banking and why our bank). I found that actually writing you answers down (briefly) makes them easier to remember and more tangible. So when you get asked a question like "Why banking?" you know exactly the 3 or 4 general points you want to hit on (although you should just memorize a general idea (like that you've enjoyed quantitative coursework) and not the whole sentence with which you reason it out).
Practicing with your friends is a great idea as well. The more interviews (or fake interviews) you do, the better you get. I also found the practicing alone and just saying my answers out loud works well too.
done
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...
Scripting answers is for tools. Just freehand it.
This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Do you think an MD walks into a pitch without becoming intimate with the company details and pitchbook beforehand? Granted, in rare instances an MD can get away with winging it, but being prepared and doing your research is part of the job.
Your reading comprehension is sub-par. "Scripting" is not the same as preparing. "Freehanding" means speaking freely using your brain.
you still need to prepare...i.e. if they ask tell me about yourself...its good to have an outline you can follow instead of... well lets see I go to so and so school. I am a senior. I like playing football, I like to read books..OH YEAH! my gpa is X.XX, i was born here and there...OH YEAH my major gpa is X.XX, oh and speaking of major its finance. Hrm Um Lets see...Um I'm 5'11 and weigh 180 lbs, oh yeah I worked at so and so company over the summer. My dad does this, my mom does that...oh yeah that football thing I mentioned helped me build a strong character.
If you had in your mind a conscise outline, you'd know exactly what to say w/o figuring out how to structure the answer on the spot: School stuff Job stuff ECs
But hey...what do I know I never even had a first round interview at IB yet.
Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...
I would say practicing with friends is useless since you're too comfortable. That's my opinion. I much rathered get intimidated by my finance prof or the career centre consultants.
You can practice with friends just make the feel like it's the real thing and stay in character. It works well if the friend is in IB and knows how to do a tough interview
As obvious as it sounds don't just practice what to say. Make sure you have the right tone and expression when you practice.
The way I went about it was touched on earlier but I would like to emphasize the point. Get to know the major 3-5 points you want to hit on for the general questions and then go from there. I feel like memorizing entire sentences would sound very scripted.
AND PREPARE A LOT! Know the bank inside and out and everything that is going on in the market. If you don't show interest in the position they will not give you the time of day. It can be tricky because you don't want to sound like a tool either. Be a calm confident...
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