Before I talk about the interview, let me go over the week I had. Well, Monday was Columbus Day and I don’t recall what I have done. I believe I was playing ping pong and getting ready for school the next day. I had my usual classes on Tuesday and then I headed to work in Manhattan. It was one of my coworkers last day at work and so during Kid Zone, they had a celebration for her. Our boss bought her a cake and toasted to her hard work and future endeavors. Kid Zone is a Tuesday night special when the non-profit organization feeds the kids, teach them karate, and play games with them.
Wednesday would have been one of those regular days if there wasn’t a bull, spinning seat, and a last minute interview acceptance. It’s not all the time that QC has a mechanical bull on the quad and I didn’t want to lose the chance of getting on it. I’ve always wanted to ride on a mechanical bull but I didn’t believe the bar was the setting. I thought the bulls would be going up and down? This bull sent me flying side to side. My whole bottom half started to hurt after I flew off. I was at least on it for 5 seconds, which is great compared to all the other contestants. I also went on the spinning seat on the other side of the quad. This seat spun me around until I got a headache and all this before my 2:00 course.
I had a 10 minute break in between class and I checked my voicemail to find out I had an interview with PwC! PwC is one of the big 4 corporations specializing in accounting needs such as tax, auditing, assurance, and advisory. I rushed back to FH building to ask Liz, the coordinator, how to prepare and she set up my interview on Friday at 11am. I was so psyched since it was my first big interview and I love last minute things. I like to show myself how well I can prepare even if I received notice just 3 days before.
Thursday was class, Chinese test, work and then a pre-social event for PwC. This is where you get to meet the PwC employers before the interview so that they can know you better. I am glad that my internship would allow me to leave 30 minutes earlier than usual so that I can make it to the social on time. I arrived approximately 10 minutes late since it was raining hard and public transportation was late. I came dressed with conservative colors such as blue, grey and black. I received many compliments during the day of how dressed I appeared. The experiences and credentials that the other interviewees brought to the table were amazing. Some were receiving their masters, 150 credits like me, 2nd BA, or already had their CPA. The employers were inspiring and their recommendations for the interview were to keep positive and be unique. Most importantly, be yourself. The pre-social employers were all alumnus from QC.
Friday was the interview and the night before I stayed up studying PwC. The interview was great and enjoyable; it left me feeling I knew myself even better. The cutoff for the 2nd interview is about 75%. Four to five people will move on to the next interview for the full time positions and meet all the other interviewees from different schools such as Hofstra. Four to five people out of all of the schools will receive a full time position due to cutbacks and the recession. Even if I don’t progress to the second stage, I am glad that I had the opportunity and that I have the credentials to compete against the best of the best of QC. After the interview, I headed to work with no lunch break since I arrived at work at 1pm. After work, I lent a hand to a friend to edit her paper for 2 hours.
With a long week dwindling to an end, I needed a way to enjoy myself over the weekend. My cousin and I rode to Central Park from Queens and took some pictures of the scenery.
HOW TO DRESS FOR INTERVIEW:
I am not the best dress student in school but I believe that I came from a long background of different styles so I can assist with some of the business dress code. I am going to help the men out, sorry ladies unless you can give me some pointers. The suit you buy does not have to cost a million dollars but you must feel like you are worth that much. It should be a snug to tight fit and come in conservative colors such as grey, blue, black. Ties should also be in conservative colors at first until you have enough to purchase other bright colors. If you are planning to go into the business sector, a businessman will need at least 5 suits for a different color everyday of the week (my opinion so you don’t look the same everyday). If the pants are long, please get it tailored. I learned the hard way because it was dragging on the floor and you don’t want your expensive suit to drag. First impression is important so please come clean cut with facial hair and well groomed. My suit cost about $200 from Zara. Let me know what you think.
Central Park
Art on my Way to Central Park
Spinning Seat
Riding the bull
