Blog

Introduction

The interview is a crucial part of the recruitment process and one that many milkround candidates fear greatly. Ultimately the milkround process is made up of two stages;

The Application – this is where you prove yourself on paper by providing academic credentials, details of work experience and extracurricular activities etc; and

The Interview – this is where you prove yourself in person by backing up your application, showing your communication skills and portraying your interest and suitability for the role.

While I am not an expert at interviews, I can hopefully, from my experiences, give you a solid foundation in preparing for your interviews, a mind map for interview preparation and other useful tips and links as you begin your preparations.

This post will be an introduction into the area of interviews. For more detailed information please see my interview section which includes common questions and some more interview tips.

It is also important to note that each firm will have their own unique interview process (some with a single interview, others with two interviews as well as a case study to analyse or essay questions to answer) so it’s important to understand the process the firm takes and be prepared for it.

 

Mind Map

For many it will be the first real interview they have ever done so it can be a very daunting experience. The below mind map will hopefully give you a good foundation to begin preparation for the interview.

 

 

 

Types of Interview/Assessments

Interview Types
Many milkround interviews will take the form of a competency based interview. Some may alternatively be based around the CV/application of the individual which I will also discuss.

Competency based – this is a style of interview where the interviewer focuses on the candidate’s key competencies by asking for real life examples of where the candidate illustrated these competencies. Many firms will be explicit in the key competencies required to be successful in the role and candidates should pay particular attention to these when preparing situational examples. It is useful to have a variety of examples from both work, academic and extra-curricular activities (e.g. teamwork from work based project, sporting team and group work in college). Take a look at the STAR technique when preparing answers for competency based interviews.

CV/Application based – this type of interview typically follows the structure of your CV/application and will go down through each section asking questions and getting you to expand on certain areas. The key here is to know your CV/application inside out and also to pre-empt certain questions that may arise. Asking a friend to honestly review your application form/CV and ask the “hard questions” is always a useful exercise in this regard.

Note: It is unlikely that an interview will be strictly one or the other type and it is usual for interviewers to use the CV/application of the candidate as a starting base and then move into competency based questions as the interview progresses. Having a knowledge of, and being prepared for, both will ensure you are not stumped on the day of the interview.

Assessment
Many firms now also include an assessment as part of the interview process with applicants expected to complete an individual (or sometimes group) exercise on a certain topic. These can range from analysing a business case study and presenting your findings to writing a 30min essay on a selected business issue. Each firm will vary and it is important you do your research to be aware of what type of assessment, if any, the particular firm will have to allow you prepare appropriately for it.

Common Mistakes

There are a number of typical mistakes that interviewees make time and again;

Further Research/Resources

As you continue your preparation for your interview(s) take a look through my interview page which has a detailed list of typical questions interviewers may ask. I have also outlined below a few more ideas of different information resources and avenues you can utilise during your preparations:

Career Services – many of the colleges’ career service teams will have interview workshops and CV workshops preparing students for graduate role applications;

Mock Interviews – family, friends and people in the profession you are applying to;

Devil’s Advocate – get someone to ask the hard questions and to look for issues in your application/CV that interviewers may pick up on (e.g. gaps in timeline);

Firms – presentations, talks and CV workshops. Many firms will tell students in their talks about the core focus of their process etc;

Online – Gradireland, Irishjobs.ie, Morgan McKinley ;

Conclusion

The interview will likely be the most daunting experience for the majority of graduates during the milkround. However most of the time it will be merely an informal chat which allows the interviewer(s) to see what you are like as a person and whether you will fit in with the culture of the company. For many, this will be their first proper interview(s) and I would strongly encourage you to start seeking out some practical interview experience as soon as possible from friends, family and also your college – many career services teams at colleges run workshops on interview preparation skills and also typically provide guides to graduate interviews. Confidence is a crucial part for any interview and the more practical experience you can get in interview type situations and preparation for the different types of questions that could be asked the more confident you will be.

Best of luck over the coming weeks (and remember – nobody likes a dead fish handshake!!)

As always feel free to ask any questions you have via  info@accountingmilkman.ie, @accmilkman or the feedback function.