Job Interview Questions ...from Joseph

1.  How would you describe youself?

My backgroud to date has been centred around preparing my self to become the very best financial consultant I can become. Let me tell you specifically how I've prepared myself. I am an undergraduate student in finance and accounting at Misco Skill University. My past experience has ben in retail and higher education. Both aspects have prepared me well for this career.

2. What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for your life?

I want to be working for an excellent company like yours in a job in which I am managing information. I plan to contribute my leadership, interpersonal, and technical skills. My long-range career goals is to be the best information systems technician I can be for the company I work for.

3. How has your college experience prepareed you for a business career?

I have prepared myself to transition into the work force through real-world experience involving travel abroad, internship, and entrepreneurial opportunities. While interning with a private organization in Ecuador, I developed a 15-page marketing plan composed in Spanish that recommended more effective ways the company could promote its services. I also travelled abroad on two other occasions in which I researched the indigenous culture of the Mayan Indians in Todos Santos, Guatemala, and participated in a total language immersion program in Costa Rica. As  you can see from my academic, extracurricular, and experiential background, I have unconditionally committed myself to success as a marketing professional.

4. Please describe the ideal job for you following graduation.

My ideal job is one that incorporates both my education and practical work skills to be the best I can be. Namely, combining my education in finance with my working knowledge of customer service operations, entrepreneurial abilities, computer skills, and administrative skills. I want to utilize my analytical expertise to help people meet their financial goals. This is exactly why I am convinced that I would be a very valuable member of the Merrill Lynch team.

5. What influenced  you to choose this career?

My past experiences have shown me that I enjoy facing and overcoming the challenge of making a sale. Without a doubt once I have practiced my presentation, and prepared myself for objection. I fell very confident approaching people I don't know and convincing them. They need my product. Lastly, I like sales because my potential for success is limited only by how much of myself I dedicate toward my goal. If any profession is founded on self-determinism, it surely must be sales.

6. At what point did you choose this career?

I knew that I wanted to pursue information systems technology about my sophomore year in college. It was then that I realized that my hobby (computers) was taking up most of my time . My favourite courses were IT courses. I also realize that I was doing computer-oriented work study that I enjoyed so much. I would have done it for free.

7. What specific goals have you established for your career?

My goals include becoming a Certified Financial Adviser (CFA). So Ican obtain a better working knowledge of financial research analysise, which would allow me contribute to my client base as a better financial consultant since I would have that extra insight into the companies they are seeking to invest in. Also ,this is the foundation block to advancing my career to portfolio manager or even branch office manager.

8. What will it take to attain your goals, and what steps have you taken toward attaining them?

I've already done some research on other workers at Merrill Lynch to see how they achieved similar goals. I know that Merrill Lynch encourages the pursuit and will reimburse for tuition of a graduate degree. I plan on pursuing an MBA to give me an even more extensive knowledge of business and financial analysis.