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What Recruiters Look for in
On-Campus Interviews
Continued - Part 2
By Mike Wilson
What skills, traits and qualities do you look for when evaluating
students you interview on campus?
Bank of America -- looks for communication skills
(written and verbal), leadership skill as demonstrated in previous roles
students have held, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, and a
global mindset demonstrated through second-language skills, working
abroad, etc. Bank of America evaluates students on the basis of: first
impressions, poise and sincerity, communications skills, and
responsiveness to specific questions and thought organization.
BASF Chemical -- looks for adaptability, initiative,
resilience, motivational fit, high work standards, as well as good
communication skills. The individual must also have an outstanding work
ethic and demonstrate academic achievement. Furthermore, it is important
that the individual be open to other cultures and different experiences.
If he or she can speak a second language, that is even more appealing. A
candidate should also be open to moving, since our Professional
Development Program requires participants to relocate to different sites
throughout the country during the program.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car -- The qualities we look for in filling
our Management Trainee position (where virtually all employees begin
their career at Enterprise) are based on our core competencies, which
include: demonstrated leadership skills, sales orientation, customer
service ability, a strong work ethic, goal orientation, problem-solving,
good communications, multi-tasking, and flexibility.
FedEx Corporation -- looks for the following
characteristics: business acumen, information technology knowledge,
sales skills, interpersonal skills, goal orientation, and evidence that
candidates are looking to make a positive contribution to FedEx.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company -- will be looking to hire 600+ recent
grads during the 2006/2007 recruiting season. The skills and attributes
they will be looking for are: integrity, business acumen, customer
focus, creative problem solving, demonstrated leadership skills,
potential career growth, a strong work ethic, and behavioral skills.
Liberty Mutual uses a “behavioral-based” interview approach both on
campus and in the follow up on-site interview. Generally speaking, this
process asks a candidate to describe a situation when a problem or
opportunity arose for you. What did you do in the situation, and what
was the outcome?
Nationwide Insurance -- looks for verbal and written skills, ability to be flexible and
learn on the fly, problem-solving and analytical skills, a 3.0 GPA or
better, demonstrated leadership skills, participation in a student
organization while in school, and ability to deal with ambiguity.
Previous intern experience is a real plus.
Steps in Nationwide’s
evaluation process include: assessment of academic performance,
pre-selection before company comes on campus, and behavioral-based
interview with hiring manager during campus visit.
Sodexho -- For an entry-level manager role, the
typical knowledge and skills require some related experience in one of
our disciplines: food service, housekeeping, engineering. Also,
experience in contract management or on-site services is very helpful.
Students should have completed all required internship experience.
Additional experience and supervisory experience enhances a student’s
competitiveness. Some other specific traits we look for are: strong
communication skills and articulation, interpersonal skills, customer
focus and business acumen, organizational skills and self-confidence,
demonstrated leadership ability, and community awareness and interest in
charitable undertakings.
During the campus
interview we use a 1-5 rating scale, five being the highest. In
follow-up interviewing, we use a behavioral- and competency-based
approach for the in-depth interview process.
How would you prepare for an on-campus interview if you were a student
today?
Bank of America -- We would recommend a student know as
much about a company as you can. Specifically, know: financial results,
employee base, key competencies, corporate value systems, and
competitors. Be able to tailor your responses to be compatible with the
above, relate personal experience on how you fit in this environment, be
prepared for global discussion, and be flexible.
BASF Chemical -- I would go to the company website to
learn as much about the company as possible. This includes learning
about the company’s products and businesses. I think it’s also important
to look up any current news about the company, such as recent mergers or
company goals. If possible, I would also see if I could talk to someone
who works there.
In addition, I would try
to think of questions the interviewer could possibly ask me, including
questions that could arise from my resume. If a career center was
available to me at school, I would also make use of any practice
questions they had as well as mock interview sessions.
It is also important to
understand behavioral-based interviewing. This technique is based on the
principle that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past
performance in similar situations. This requires the individual to
provide concrete, detailed answers instead of broad generalizations.
Since most companies now use behavioral-based interviewing, I would try
to think of multiple situations that I could use from my past experience
to answer possible questions.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car -- I think the best student preparation
is to do thorough research on the company you are preparing to talk to.
Specifically, know the value system and core competencies, as well as
lines of business, recent news and events, financial results, locations,
competitors, etc. Also, it is important to know your own strengths and
weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and how they might fit into each
company’s environment and culture.
FedEx Corporation -- Students should research the company
thoroughly prior to the interview. With limited time, the recruiter
doesn’t want to spend valuable time briefing the student or explaining
what our core business is. Students should also have a clear idea of how
they can contribute to the success of the organization and be able to
articulate that in specific terms.
Our approach at FedEx is
to work closely with professors in various disciplines on campuses that
generally have a better knowledge of individual students than we do. We
in turn follow their recommendations in identifying students and
contacting them prior to our campus visit. We also use a
“behavioralbased” interview approach for further assessment.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company -- Research, research and more research:
the company’s culture, core competencies, lines of businesses and
locations, financial results, market share, and business outlook. Be
prepared to give specific examples of your accomplishments in a
behavioral-based interview approach.
Nationwide Insurance -- Do a good job researching the company
you are interviewing with. Know how your personal background and
aspirations fit into the company you are talking to. Tailor your resume
based on the research you have done, and be able to explain your career
aspirations. Being vague about your personal career goals and how you
want to get there is a turnoff for most companies.
Sodexho -- Some of the key steps a student should
take in preparing for an interview include: research the company’s
website and know as much about the company’s business and mission as
possible; have a resume that highlights all experience related to the
company’s business needs; participate in interviewing skills classes or
seminars if offered by the school; be prepared to answer questions about
your prior experience, offering specific examples of accomplishments and
how you handled difficult conversations.
Michael Wilson is
Director of Diversity, Diversity Services for Recruitment Enhancement
Services (mwilson@resjobs.com), a division of Bernard Hodes Group. |
