Stories of the Institutional Past #7

Interviews

And here we go again with another episode of stories from my institutional past. This time, I will be reflecting on interviews, both from the perspective of an interviewer and interviewee.

I can’t really remember my first proper job interview. As a student, I was running some part-time jobs to finance my bills. That was usually a piece of cake. When it came to starting to interview for proper roles as a first job out of university, however, things got obviously a bit more serious.

Source: Dall-e

My first experience was with Accenture (Andersen Consulting back in the day), who invited me to one of their hiring events just outside Nice in the beautiful south of France. Theoretically, we had to work on some case studies during the day before then partying hard on company credit cards in the evening. It was a three-day fun-fest. I hardly did any case study work, to be honest. I was, therefore, quite surprised when, after the three days, I was offered a job. I was amazed and humbled but gracefully declined their offer. This was just too easy, I thought.

I was then looking for what I would actually like to do. I got interested in management consulting, and I got invited to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) interview day. Unfortunately, this coincided with the morning after my graduation party. Big mistake. I was hungover, clearly unable to articulate any of the brainteasers they threw at me. No job offers for me.

The next one was an event where you could meet various people from different sectors and companies. It’s something similar to a speed-dating event. I got talking to this nice chap who worked for a US investment bank. We got on well. I got a call a few days later to come and talk to the head of the local office. It went very well, and I was sent to London to participate in a “Super Saturday” where you’re being interviewed from morning to evening, including a math assessment and a short presentation. I was honestly too relaxed, happy to be freeloading a London trip and meeting new people. I didn’t think I’d get a job, but they called me the next day, and I was in. The rest is history.

From that point onward, I was also involved in interviewing other people, which I hadn’t done previously. I thought about the whole process and how some of the questions are so obvious that anyone can prepare answers for them. How can you possibly find out something about a person by questioning their CV and asking them obvious questions? I always shared the view that you have to throw people off guard a bit to see a glimpse of their true selves. I would generally ask personal questions; not even sure you are allowed to do that these days, but that would give me some insight into who’s sitting opposite me. “Tell me something unusual about yourself” would normally be a good ice-breaker, especially if I would sense someone’s a bit nervous. I would get some great answers out of people.

One time, I was interviewing a guy for a portfolio manager role. Unfortunately, that was the day after my birthday, and I was properly hungover (again!). It was a Friday. The interview started well, but I was not feeling great. We progressed on some topics of interest, mostly about his investment style. Suddenly, I felt the urge to “ease” myself from pain, so I had to stop the interview, take a fast stride towards the toilets and try to get better.

I re-entered the room, acting like I had forgotten that I had to do something important. The guy got the job and actually turned into a really good friend I am still seeing to this day. It took me a few years to confess.

When I changed jobs for larger roles, I would need to prepare a little in order to bring my a-game. I would also occasionally get nervous, especially when I was in the race for a senior role in one of the world’s largest asset managers. I heard rumours about how hard some of the questions were, as they would typically try to intimidate you. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. I would also listen to certain music just before going to a meeting in order to relax. I mostly chose “Mykonos” by Fleet Foxes, which put me into the right mindset. Whatever works, I guess.

Rather than focussing on what questions you will be asked, it is quite important to ask quality questions. The best questions are those where you can showcase that you know something about the firm, its processes, etc. It has double the content power. Another thing I’d say is that body language is very important. Most people don’t focus on it. I picked up on it as a former boss would tediously analyse everyone and their bodily behaviour. He was very right about people. I started studying, but I also found ways to demonstrate subtle ease and confidence by purely sitting or looking at people the right way. This is even more important if you are dealing with an interviewer who is a bully; there are many of them. They are trying to see whether you flinch and how you would react if you are being challenged. Heck, I was even involved in a role play in an assessment centre. That was oddly fun. I would say that just being yourself is your best weapon. Nobody can test that, and you will feel more comfortable. The irony is that not many people dare to be themselves. It’s a shame. I find people instantly more likeable if I can sense that they are just themselves.

Every interview, of course, is different. Giving some tips and advice is, therefore, only as good as what I have personally experienced on both sides of the table. I hope that some of my anecdotes and experiences have been helpful or at least fun!

Be yourself, and then let the rest flow.

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