International Business School students get first-hand interview experience

Two dozen Brandeis IBS students got a quick immersion in the job interview experience during a recent “speed networking” event with alumni who did mock interviews.

The 14 Brandeis IBS alumni asked general questions that commonly come up in real interviews, such as "tell me about yourself.” In the final three minutes of each timed 10-minute encounter, they offered feedback to the “candidates.” Marcia Katz and Jane Mahoney Outar of the Career Strategies Center organized the January 18 event and prepared students and alumni for the interviews.

“The students got to meet and network with successful alumni, and they could practice their pitch and interview answers and get constructive feedback from professionals with experience in fields they’re interested in entering,” Katz said. “Alumni also were overwhelmingly complimentary of the event. They felt the students were well prepared, and they had a number of constructive comments about how the students could improve their interviewing skills to better present themselves.”

Participating alumni represented companies including Athena Capital Advisors, BNY Mellon, Brown Brothers Harriman, Dell, GMO, GRM Information Management Services, Hugo Boss, KPMG, Liberty Mutual Investments, MassPRIM, Metropolitan Credit Union, Shire and TIAA.