GRADEMPIRE

Behavioural Based

 

The Internship/ Graduate Process

 

1. Online Application

2. Phone interview

3. Assessment Center

4. Offer

 

Online Application

Oneline applications are always quite similar. They ask you to describe your experiences and also to complete a psychometric test. In most online tests, there are three components: verbal, numerical and logical. However, not all companies require you to do a psychometric test. Each part takes around 30 min to complete. It is highly beneficial to practice the types of questions asked. Although it seems difficult on first attempt, the strategy is very easily learnt. Click here see sample psychometric tests.

 

Companies look at five aspects in an online application

1. Academics. Most companies only accept applicants with a credit average. 

2. Professional Experience

3. Extra-curricular

4. Motivations - either in industry or for the company

5. How well the application is written

 

Don't expect recruiters to read your application is great detail. A company may get 100+ applications. They will spend only a few minutes reading through the ones that grab their attention.

 

Phone interview

At this stage, you will be called or emailed by a member of the HR team. Generally, the questions they ask are not technical. Instead, they will inquire about your experience and also ask about your knowledge of the company and why you want to work there. It is very heavioural based and should last between 20-30 minutes. 

 

Some of the questions asked include:

 

Why do you want to work here?

What is the main values of XXX?

Why are you interested in this role and what skills?

Have you applied to other companies?

 

Assessment Center

Most ACs consists of two main parts.

 

1) Interview

The interview can either be with someone from HR or a member of staff from the Actuarial division. Depending on who interviews you, the technicality of the interview varies. Basically, they want to know what you can offer and also what you are like as a person. Use the STAR Technique when answering behavioural questions. Be sure to know your CV very well - they will ask about your experience in depth. There shouldn't be any very difficult questions abour pricing or valuations. However, they do expect you understand the basic Actuarial logic. 

 

Questions include

Tell me a difficult situation where you did had to negotiate in a difficult situation.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

 

2) Group Interaction

All companies do this part differently. Some will have a group and also individual presentation. Regardless, this is a major part of the selection process.

 

There are many ways to test how you interact. Generally, they want you to work in a team to form a pitch. This allows this is see your communication skills as well. 

 

After a short briefing, the HR staff will split you into groups and give you around 20-30 minutes to give a pitch. 

 

One example is: "XXX has five strategies they are considering implementing. Select one of the strategies as a team and give a presentation to the top managers about your selected strategy"

 

Interviewers are looking at three things.

- How you behave in a group? Are you a leader, a follower, a thinker, a implementer, a communicator? You should be engaged and confident but don't be overbearing

- Your logic

- How well you know the market and general knowledge

 

There is no one way to approach a group task. A large bank or consulting firm takes employees of many different personalities. The most important thing is to be likeable - show that you can work in a team.

 

Offer

If you are successful, HR will generally contact you within 5 days.