Friday, February 15

Things To Do In An Interview

8 Feb 2013 (Tuesday)


Alhamdulillah..
Today was my 1st REAL interview in a company somewhere in Bandar Utama. 
Applying for a job as an Accounting Analyst Trainee.
"Dahsyat gila" was the only word that came out of my mouth as i walk back down to my car recalling the interview session. 

The morning was very busy, crazy traffic!
It took an hour and a half to get to BU, but alhamdulillah i made it on time.
At the LDP tol from Puchong-Damansara i mistakenly went into the wrong lane! 
Instead of the TnG i drove to the SmartTag lane..! Tiba2 berdebar, rasa nak terkucil..huhu

The drive in LDP was horrific! But the road to the builiding was quite ok, not so much jam.

I got just in time about 15 minutes early and the receptionist gave me a couple of forms to fill in.
One of it was the standard resume style form and the other was a questionnaire regarding the post i was applying for - Accounting Analyst Trainee.
So basically the questions would go like this:


- What do u understand about the role and responsibilities of an accountant? 
  (BASIC sgt, kalau tak tau jugak bermakna lisa tersesat la ni)

- How would u record prepayment of rental? 
(This question kinda hit me by surprise.Terima kasih Pn Asiah cikgu akaun Form 4 sebab dia la lisa ingat cmne nak jawab soalan ni :] )

- Several scenarios we given in which unethical behavior happens in the workplace. What would u do? Some scenario also asks on how u would tackle a job task n work in a team. 
(Just used my knowledge n experience as a fresh graduate and what i learnt during my studies )

- Why did u choose to work here? Why should we hire u?


Then the next page asks me about my Excel knowledge. And i realized that given my internship experience (with UBS software and Excel) it really isn't that Intermediate..BASIC je! huhu

There n then i thought i would fail this test.

*Oh, before this interview i had to answer this IQ test online. IQ test mind u! It consisted of 3 parts, the first was to guess the next number in a sequence. The 2nd part was to give solutions based on the algebraic problems given. Gila kan! I only sempat answer 2 parts since i ran out of time! 


So the next part was the REAL interview session, i was expecting an interview with the HR person...It was with the line manager! 
Ok..nervous much? 
Not exactly..she was friendly and i felt comfortable talking to her.

She asked the normal questions, like 'tell me about yourself' and she went on to describe the job scope of the position i applied for. 
She asked me about my 5 year plan and I told her that i was hoping to be a lecturer on day..she was ok with that plan of mine. 
BUT it's actually a BIG NO!! Don't be too honest my dear friends!! 
The template answer would to say that u hope to stay loyal to the company and go up the corporate ladder. 
Though i clarified that i love to learn and teach people. And the knowledge that i have right now is never enough, i still want more.

Nonetheless..i was lucky..whew! Not until i was introduced to the next interviewer! The 2nd line manager!

She was kinda firm and she tried to dig my answers even deeper. Giving lots of trick questions like, 
Why did u apply two very different companies at the same time? 
What is it that u want to fulfill exactly? 
Are u really willing to work overtime, on public holidays and on weekends? 
U want to become a lecturer, then why work here?



Haha dahsyat kan! It was like going to war. But i really gave my all and did my best.
Not really hoping much on the outcome, since there might be better candidates than me. 
(There were 2 other Chinese girls at that time, waiting to be interviewed)

Here's what i learnt from my Interview:

1. Be Humble. 
Even if u have Dean's List, the best student, u're active in extra curricular activities and such. DO be humble. Say that u are looking for a place to learn n grow.

2. Be Yourself.
Don't try to be a different person, because people can tell if u're lying or not. They can see right through u!

3. Be Confident.
Even when the interviewer hits u with difficult questions try to maintain ur cool and consistency. Most importantly be confident with what u're saying. 

4. Think Before You Speak.
Yes..be prepared for any possible questions that the interviewer may ask. Think carefully and ensure that both sides will be satisfied with the answer. Think on how it may effect the listener and always try to come up with backup answers. Every thing u say counts! Even if it feels like a normal conversation, don't EVER let your guard down! E-VE-RY WORD u say would reflect urself. 

5. Do your Research. 
Find out about the company. And if you could, list out why u would want to work there. Does it fit your interests? What are u really looking for in a job? Set your priorities. 
What kind of job is really suitable for u? To work in an audit firm (local or international), or just a normal company (local or a Multinational company) ? 

I really wished i had more time to do more research though. I felt like i was in a dream being able to get this job interview. Alhamdulillah :)

All in all i think i did good. If tak dapat it's ok, rezeki ada di mana2 kan. Insya Allah~ 


No comments: