February 9, 2004
Mock Interviews, Real Rewards
by Erica Grieder
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It’s safe to say that job interviews are not considered a particularly good pastime—in fact, for most students, they fall somewhere between standardized tests and dental appointments on the spectrum of stressful events. And although most business undergraduates have acquired experience with the standard interview format in the course of searching for internships or summer jobs, fewer have had case interviews, in which they are asked to analyze and resolve a given business dilemma.
Case interviews are a popular test for students with newly minted Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degrees, especially among consulting firms. “For a couple of years now, we’ve used case interviewing as a complement to behavioral interviewing, because we really want to get better at identifying and assessing analytical and problem-solving ability,” said Chris Jones, the recruiting director for Stockamp & Associates. “We want to see how thorough, and thoughtful they are in their approach—it’s one of the key skills for us, how people think on their feet and whether they can remain poised while they do that.”
Stockamp, a health care consulting firm, was one of 26 companies that participated in the Ford Career Center’s Corporate Mock Interview Marathon last week. The goal was to give undergraduate students at the McCombs School a chance to hone their case interviewing skills in a realistic, though depressurized, setting. As Stan Budzinski, a recruiter at Caterpillar, put it, “When I do these mock interviews, my purpose is not to drill down and find weaknesses and all that stuff. My role here is more that of a coach or mentor.”
Although the Ford Career Center has hosted mock behavioral interview marathons in the past, this was the first mock case interview marathon for the BBAs, and they responded in force. Over the course of the day, 330 students participated in mock case interviews with recruiters, and received real-time feedback.
For Jason Hsiao, a sophomore in the Business Honors Program, his interview with Stockamp was the perfect time to practice case interviewing. Although he was familiar with standard interview procedure, he had never had a case interview before. “Prior to the interview, I was not quite sure what it would be like, so there was some typical nervousness,” he said. “But the experience was wonderful! The recruiter gave me some very specific feedback, such as, take notes when given the premises for a case.”
Hsiao is glad he had a mock interview. “The day before, I really wanted to cancel, because I had tons of reading to do for my classes and I didn’t know much about case interviews. The experience gave me information about the process, which makes me feel better and more comfortable about having to do one in the future, regardless of which company I’m interviewing for,” he said.
Adam Simmons, a junior in the PPA program who interviewed with Phillip Morris, shared Hsiao’s sentiments. “I was kind of nervous before the interview, because I didn’t know what to expect. I felt like I could talk to people pretty well, but I just didn’t know the type of questions that would be asked, how laid back it would be, and so on,” he said. “Afterwards, I felt good about the mock interview. I think I just needed to get in there and see what it would be like. Now I have an idea of what to expect and how to adjust my answers for real interviews.”
Other students were old hands at interviewing. "Before the interview, I felt confident," said Sam Laine, a sophomore accounting major with a remarkably sanguine attitude about the process. "I've had enough experience thus far, thanks to the FCC, with the interviewing process to have come to some realizations: One, the interviewer is a person. Two, if you are a right fit for the job, generally, the interviewer will know this, and if not, it helps you in your job search because it weeds out the jobs that are not potentially for you. Three, it is not a question of "Do I get a job or not?" It's more a question of, when will I get a job. Everyone will get a job, it just takes some longer than others."
Still, said Laine, "The more practice at interviewing the better you become, the better you become, the more comfortable you are, and the more comfortable you are, the more confidence is expressible."
The students who were interviewed benefited from the process in several ways. It gave them a clear picture of how case interviews work and specific, individualized advice on how to shine in that scenario.
In addition to being a good forum for finding companies they would like to look at again, these events can help students winnow down their choices. "I walk into interviews knowing that I am the one interviewing the company, just as they are interviewing me," said Laine, who interviewed with Ford and a marketing firm. "If the company representative and I do not mesh well in the interview, then generally it is a question of whether or not I am a good fit for this company. With the marketing interview, I had an enjoyable experience; however, it was brutally clear that we were positioning ourselves differently, and did not fit each other."
On the other hand, Laine said, he could see himself working for Ford in the future.
And perhaps most importantly, students found that the process increased their confidence for future interviews. “I felt like the interviewers liked me and thought my answers were meaningful,” Simmons said, adding: “I hope all my real interviews go as well as my mock interview.”
However, the relationship between students and employers at the mock interview marathon was symbiotic. The company representatives cited several reasons for their presence at the event. Budzinski, for example, appreciates the interaction with the students. “One thing I’ve enjoyed most of all in the 29 years I’ve had at Caterpillar is being around young people, and seeing them mold their careers and plan their futures,” he said.
The marathon also provided an opportunity for companies to promote themselves at the school. “I like to come and just brand our company a little bit more, because we are a new name—we used to be part of Reliant Energy,” said Mondragon. “It’s been a good opportunity to let these students know about us, especially because they’ve done research before coming in to these interviews, so they’re learning about the company.”
And although the interviews were, technically speaking, “mock” interviews, that does not stop recruiters from keeping a sharp eye out for students they would like to see in the future. “We’ll definitely send follow-up emails to three, and probably as many as five, of the seven we’ve seen thus far today,” said Jones.
Mondragon and Budzinski also saw the McCombs students as a rich pool of talent. “They’re all mature, and very prepared—they’ve done their research,” said Mondragon.
“Everybody has been professional, and everybody has been professional in their appearance—I mean, this is Corporate America, and that’s a biggie,” said Budzinski. “I’m surprised at the maturity and sincerity of these students.”
Although Budzinski stressed that he tried to make the interview experience as comfortable as possible for the students, he, too, was thinking forward to future hires. “Yeah, we are looking for people,” he said. “We’d be crazy not to!”
For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
