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      Be Prepared: Interview Prep using HIVE's Buzzwords Process

      Article Sections

      • The Quick Pitch
      • Behavioral Interviews
        • Popular Behavioral Interview Themes
        • Examples of Behavioral Interview Questions
      • Buzzwords: HIVE'S Primary Interview Prep
        • Behavioral
        • Industry
        • Company/Person
        • Position
      • Asking the Right Questions
        • The Rehearsed Question
        • The Bite Your Tongue Question
        • The Success Factor Question
      • Case Interviews
      • Technical Interviews
        • Finance Technical Interviews
        • Non-Finance Technical Interviews
      • Informational Interviews
        • Informational Interview Prep Steps

      The Quick Pitch

      The Quick Pitch is the start of most interviews and career conversations where you tell employers your story. This is not a regurgitation of your resume, but rather a highlight of important career-focused milestones and personal background, in chronological order, that explain how you got to where you are today. Make sure you mention something interesting and memorable about yourself. The original Quick Pitch you prepare can be in full paragraph form to collect all of your thoughts and ideas. However, for your conversations moving forward, it’ll be important to work this information into condensed bullet points.

      ⚡️ HIVE Hack: Interviewer Connections

      If you’re able to find some background on your interviewer and you find something you share in common with them, try working it into your narrative.

      Behavioral Interviews

      The Behavioral Interview focuses on your past behaviors and experiences to help employers understand your future performance. To answer behavioral interview questions, develop personal, experience-based stories that showcase your efforts in different scenarios. Incorporate the STARS Format (Situation - Task - Action - Results - Specifics) you used to build your resume when answering these questions to demonstrate how statements you’ve made about your behavior are supported by your experiences. Instead of spending hours memorizing answers to 1,000 different iterations of the same question, use the STARS Format to prepare key ideas and scenarios surrounding common Behavioral Interview Themes. You’ll work these into bullet points (Buzzwords) and having five to seven total stories that are flexible across as many themes as possible will make answering these questions much easier. Make sure you have examples related to your personal life, work experience, school involvement, etc. to show variety in your answers.

      Popular Behavioral Interview Themes

      • Teamwork, Client-Facing Skills, Ability to Adapt
      • Leadership
      • Conflict, Handling Stress, Dealing with Challenges
      • Time Management Skills
      • Motivations & Values
      • Failure, Mistakes, Problems at Work
      • Creativity
      • Goal-Setting
      • Non-Work Interests

      Examples of Behavioral Interview Questions

      Example 1: In a previous Management Communications class, I had to lead a group project with an aggressive and disruptive team member who didn’t like me for personal reasons (Situation). I had to figure out a way to move the group ahead and complete the project to the best of our abilities (Task). I noticed that the disruptive team member needed a lot of attention, publicly, so I gave him a good piece of the presentation. I delegated the content of the presentation to other group members who could work more effectively to get the job done (Action). We ended up finishing the project well before the deadline, receiving a great grade on our final assignment (Result).

      A version of this answer could be used for multiple questions associated with the themes of Teamwork, Leadership and Conflict.

      Example 2: As a Development and Production Intern at Television Network, the way that the other interns and I were handling inventory in the office was incorrect, and we learned that one of the employees in the office was very unhappy about the situation (Situation). However, we had to continue collecting information on office inventory - knowing that something was wrong - because it was an essential part of our job description (Task). While the other interns were a bit nervous about approaching this employee, I found a moment of free time in his schedule to talk about how our inventory collection went wrong. I took a bit of criticism, but I communicated that I wanted to know how to best adjust the issue to help this employee, and I communicated our mistakes with the intern team (Action). I developed a strong line of communication about what was going on with office inventory and fixed the problem. As a result, I created a positive working relationship with that employee that allowed me to resume new responsibilities in the long run (Result).

      A version of this answer could be used for multiple questions associated with Failure, Communication and Problems at Work

      🐝 HIVE Helper: Sample Behavioral Interview Questions via The Muse

      Buzzwords: HIVE’s Primary Interview Prep

      Buzzwords are self-curated bullet points that represent connectivity between your skills and interests to four different categories of requisite content. Whether you’re taking an interview over the phone, through a video conference or in person, your Buzzwords will provide easily accessible talking points that demonstrate both your interests and qualifications. We have provided instructions, per each of our four categories, on how to prepare the most effective Buzzwords. You’ll use the resources we provided in Be Informed to understand exactly what the Industry, Company and Position you’re preparing for will expect or want you to know. Knowing what these expectations are helps you think through where you have skills and interests to connect and highlight via your Buzzwords. You’ll learn how develop them here, and to use them during interviews in Be Professional.

      Behavioral

      Buzzwords that are all about you and how you handle work-related scenarios demonstrating qualities like Leadership, Teamwork, Conflict Resolution, etc.

      Example: In a previous Management Communications class, I had to lead a group project with an aggressive and disruptive team member who didn’t like me for personal reasons (Situation). I had to figure out a way to move the group ahead, and complete the project to the best of our abilities (Task). I noticed that the disruptive team member needed a lot of attention, publicly, so I gave him a good piece of the presentation. I delegated the content of the presentation to other group members who could work more effectively to get the job done (Action). We ended up finishing the project well before the deadline, receiving a great grade on our final assignment (Result).

      Condensed Buzzword: *MCOMM* (Management Communications)

      Long Buzzword: In a previous Management Communications class, I had to delegate responsibilities and learn to manage a group member that was disruptive.

      Industry

      Buzzwords that connect your personal interests and experiences to the field/sub-field you’re passionate about. Use the following categories to source content for Industry Buzzwords.

      • Pre-College, Personal Interests (Family, Personal Background, High School Experiences, Hobbies)
      • Classes (Academics that made you more interested in or prepared for the industry, without getting specific to the job description just yet)
      • Internships (Structured professional experiences that offered valuable skills, learning opportunities and growth in an industry.)
        • Even if your internship isn’t directly related to the industry you’re currently interviewing in, that’s completely okay. Trying an internship in an industry you’re not currently interested in shows that you’re willing to try new things, and that you’ve developed a strong understanding of your professional interests.
      • Other Relevant Experiences (Include all non-formal learning experiences such as involvement in student organizations, volunteer opportunities and programs where you learned something valuable.)
      • Demonstrated Networking Conversations (Highlight real-time conversations with real people. The content from these discussions has allowed you to understand the industry with more specificity and will help you add value to future career conversations moving forward,)

      Company/Person

      Collect information on the company and prepare/create connections between your personal background and the company and person you’re interviewing with.

      • Basic Company Information: Know basic information about the company that they might use to test your knowledge. IE CEO, Offices, Subsidiaries, Popular Products, Business Lines, Stock Value, Key Professionals, Founding History, Major Milestones, Recent Press, Competitors.
      • Why This Company Over Others? Using company-specific research, social media posts and other resources, develop a resounding few statements that allow you to demonstrate your interest in the company when compared to others. But don’t just tell them who they are - they know that. Use this as another connection point to you by connecting them to a skill or interest of yours.
      • Connections to the Interviewer: Develop a series of talking points that allow you to connect your personal interests to specifics about the interviewer, whether elements of their career trajectory that fascinate you or areas where your passions align. Research their job title, job responsibilities, work history and personal interests (if accessible online). Find out what fascinates you about their career or personal interests, generate Buzzwords in the form of a talking point and/or potential question to ask.

      🐝 HIVE Helper: Company Research

      Position

      Use the information you collected about your classes, internships and other relevant experiences to connect skills and qualities to what the position description calls for exactly. Review the position description, highlight what you see they’re requiring or recommending, and develop Buzzwords to show them that you have substance behind what they’re calling for.

      Asking the Right Questions

      The Rehearsed Question

      The Rehearsed Question is something so specific to the company’s recent actions or successes that it will not be odd that you ask. This question showcases your knowledge of the company, and perhaps one of the bridges between your interests and the company’s efforts or culture.

      • Example: As someone with a minor in Spanish, I’m curious, how will your entertainment company adjust its branding and marketing efforts when it launches its new slate of content catered towards youth in Latin America come fall of 2020?

      The Bite Your Tongue Question

      The Bite Your Tongue (BYT) Question resurfaces an interesting topic brought up during your interview that you want to continue talking about. Bite your tongue, so that you have an opportunity during the question round to demonstrate that you can listen, retain information, then access it later.

      • Example: You mentioned that the company is planning to open up a new corporate office out of Chicago. As someone interested in pursuing a career in corporate strategy and development, are there going to potentially be different entry-level learning opportunities available?

      The Success Factor Question

      The Success Factor Question depends on you having time to ask about how previous interns or employees have been successful and why. In addition to prepping one of these ahead of time, when you ask it try to make sure you bring it back to you - maybe a class you had or a skill you have that you haven’t been able to talk about yet.

      • Example: I recently finished a class in script coverage where we focused on the third-person narrative method. I believe this is something that will help me in this role, but are there any other classes that previous interns have taken that have been helpful and that I could perhaps focus on next semester?

      Case Interviews

      The Case Interview is an interview in which the applicant is presented with a challenging business scenario that the interviewee must investigate, and then find a solution. Case interviews are designed to test the interviewee’s soft skills and analytical abilities in a business setting, particularly for Management Consultant industries. Case interviewers usually look for their interviewees to demonstrate the following skills:

      • Numerical and Verbal Reasoning
      • Communication and Presentation
      • Business Skills and Commercial Awareness

      🐝 HIVE Helper: Case Interview Prep and Practice

      Your university may have specific descriptions to prep resources here, and they may also have programs run out of the career center to help as well.

      Technical Interviews

      Finance Technical Interviews

      Finance Technical Interviews includes problem-solving and strategy-based questions that test your competency for a career in finance. You might be asked to solve complex mathematical problems or speak to basic definitions, concepts and skills relevant to working in finance-related fields. Your interviewer might ask you to look at hypothetical financial statements or address theoretical scenarios with clients as a test of your competency. Careers in finance are very specific to technical capabilities - if you don’t have access to that through a curriculum, do your best to pursue this through other programs, bootcamps, and networking with other alumni and professionals who have successfully navigated careers in finance with nontraditional backgrounds.

      Non-Finance Technical Interviews

      Non-Finance Technical Interview assesses a candidate’s technical skills, problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills for success in computer science, engineering, IT or other technical fields. Technical interviews usually incorporate activities to test the interviewee’s competency within the specific field which include Brain Teasers, Numerical Reasoning Problems and Technical Assessments.

      Informational Interviews

      Informational Interviews with professionals in the industry are an excellent way to broaden your support network, learn valuable information about what it’s like to work at particular companies and discover what career paths can help you get to where you want to be. Your Industry and Company Buzzwords will be super important for leading these discussions. In addition to your Buzzword research, we recommend preparing at least 5-10 questions to ask the person during your informational interview. All of the research you collected about the company and their personal background (either through press releases or LinkedIn), will help you prepare. Use online resources like BalanceCareers.com and others provided in your university career centers as well to understand the purpose of informational interviews.

      Informational Interview Prep Steps

      1. Research your person’s name in the press and see what you can find. Asking them questions about their current achievements and accomplishments shows that you’re present, involved and up-to-date.
      2. Looking on their LinkedIn or using other resources, try to pinpoint previous positions that your person may have held or experiences that they’ve had that feel unique. Figuring out how they made the leap from one job to the next is an excellent talking point.
      3. Research the company they work at the current responsibilities associated with their position. Ask about the challenges/rewards associated with the job.
      4. Prepare a brief statement that articulates your own interest in the company. If they ask, you want to have potential internship listings and positions on hand to show that you’re interested in a future at the company. Your connection might be willing to help in the long-run.
      5. Prepare a brief bit of news that interests and excites you surrounding the person’s industry as a whole. Odds are, the person you’re speaking with has years of experience collecting this information, and they want to see that you’re equally passionate as well.