Interview Experiences for Internship

~Interview Experiences for Internship~

PUI YIK SHEN; March 2013

Dear juniors and readers,
Greetings!

I am honoured to have this opportunity to share my interview experiences with you.

I will start by introducing myself, I am Yik Shen from March 2013 intake. Firstly, I am really excited when I received internship offers from AXA Affin Life Insurance Berhad, AON Malaysia, Ernst & Young, JPWall Consulting Partners (JPWall) and Malaysian Life Reinsurance (MLRe). After much consideration, I chose to be an intern in JPWall starting in January 2015!

From our experiences (my peers and I), a good progression in SOA/CAS professional exams is very important in helping us to get to the stage of interview. To be an outstanding candidate, it is also important to have good academic results and extra-curricular activities records in the cover letter and resume. In addition, we need to make sure that our cover letter and resume are well organized and error free. Any minor mistakes can be a big turn off!

A good preparation is crucial in leading to the actual interview. Some knowledge in the background of the company is essential to impress the interviewers. (However, both JPWall and MLRe did not stress on this part). Moreover, we have to make sure that we can explain all the details written in our cover letters or resumes. In doing so, the interviewers are more convinced of our abilities and credibility.

Here are some tips and tricks that could possibly make you the ‘right’ candidate:

1) “Tell me about yourself” is the most common but also the most important question to attract the attention of your interviewers. It is advisable to share your hobbies which are related to having certain interactions with people. For example, according to a Director of Audit from KPMG, he said that playing pool and clubbing are the hobbies that he likes to hear the most from interview candidates!

2) Share stories based on your own experiences or vision which could show the interviewers that you are determined and willing to work hard to achieve your goals. Those old stories like growing up from a poor family and you needing to support your family financially is no longer an effective story to impress them. Show your interviewers some knowledge related to the actuarial field that you know while other candidates might not know. It will help you gain some extra points for the interview. For example, the implementation of Financial Services Act, de-tariffication of motor insurance starting in 2016, and how does it affect the insurance industry.

3) Always be sincere and honest in your interview! Tell them honestly that you do not know about the things or do not master the skills that they required. From my past interview experiences, I was honest to JPWall and MLRe, telling them that I am still a beginner with very little basic skills that they mostly require such as Microsoft Excel VBA and Microsoft Access. However, I was surprised when they told me that they are willing to teach me rather than being lied to that I have mastered those skills but actually I have not.

Please be reminded that the interviewers are looking for people to work for them, not those straight As students who are not equipped with any computer skills. So, it is important to learn those important skills like Excel VBA, R Programming, Prophet, Access beforehand!

Last but not least, I am aware that I might not the best but I hope my advices based on what I have gone through can portrait an image of a real life interview. It is all mine, my friends’ personal experiences and advices from seniors or speakers from forums.

Thank you and all the best people!

MANDY LEOW; March 2013

Hi everyone! I am Mandy Leow from March intake 2013. I am honoured to be invited by SUAS to share my experience in the internship interviews which I had recently.

First and for most, I received internship offers from CIMB Investment Bank Berhad, AXA Affin Life Insurance Berhad and Hong Leong Bank Berhad. However, I have decided to serve as an intern in the Treasury Unit of Hong Leong Bank Berhad starting from January 2015 to March 2015. I was lucky enough to receive an offer from the most wanted company on my list and this would definitely grant me an opportunity to have a first-class sneak peek into the working world.

There were a lot of preparations to be done in order to get me an interview opportunity. Resume and cover letter are the only tools that you can rely on to get you that interview. Therefore, I have to do a lot of research and look through tonnes of good examples as the guidelines for me to write my cover letter as well as my resume. Before applying for any internship position, I seek my mentor for advice to make sure that there are zero mistakes in my writing, the format is appropriate and the content is attractive to grab the attention of hiring manager. There is one saying which sounds like this: ‘A good resume and cover letter should be like a lady’s skirt. Long enough to cover the important parts, but short enough to grab attention.’

Coming to the stage of interview, it is very important to get yourself ready and be fully prepared before you go for an interview. You can search for some FAQs for an interview on the website and prepare your answers for those questions. Some examples of FAQs are “Tell me about yourself.”, “What is your strength and weaknesses?”, “What makes you a better intern compared to the others?”. However, from my interview experience with CIMB investment bank, they asked questions such as “What do you think a good leader should and should not do?” and “Have you faced any failure when you are achieving your dream?”. If you are considering to working in CIMB investment bank, be prepared to get questions like these as CIMB are known to be very picky when they choose their interns.

Bear in mind that interview is the key to success for you to get your desired position. To create a good first impression to the interviewers, we must behave in a good manner and dressed up with formal attire. Never forget to greet the interviewers once you meet them. Do not be nervous and make sure the flow of the interview is good. Try your best to appear confidently with respect when answering the questions. Highlight your unique strengths that might not be found from others which will be an additional points for you.

Lastly, just be yourself in the interview. This is the time to show them that you are well-prepared and you are the one they are searching for! And not to forget to prepare some questions for the interviewers, for example, “How do you assess your interns during their internship period and decide which interns to be taken as your permanent staffs?”, “What is the culture in your company? (e.g. parking, lunch)” and “Is there any professional body/papers that I should join or take to improve myself if I’d like to continue my career in your company?”.

That is all from me. I hope my past experiences and advices may help you in the future.
Best of luck guys!