BAcc 2014 Intake (2 Viewers)

[smileplease]

Alrighties Dark_End4, now it's your interview tips time! =)

Who was your board made up of?

My board was made up of an ex-BAcc and the HR manager from Macquarie. Generally, all candidates will face 2 panelists.

What is the interview style? Answering questions or chit chat.

How formal was the interview?

They start of with a "Hi, how are you?" "How are your holidays?" chit chat and then get into the questions. They have number of applicants to get through in that day and a set of questions to ask, so as much as they want to get to know you, I guess they are wary of time and how much chit chat can actually go on :L It really depends on the panelists you get, but I do think it's formal so definitely be professional, but don't be afraid to tell little interesting anecdotes of your experiences because they do want to get to know you. Don't over think it and just go with the flow.

What do they look for in the interview?

What are some questions, if you remember, that they asked?

Any general tips?

Be ready to expand on your application. As I recall, my application asked about team/leadership things I had been involved with. And then the questions were like "describe a time when you worked in a team" or "tell us about a time when you had to lead a group and make difficult decisions". So get ready to discuss what you've written down in the app-including why you want to do accounting.
They mentioned this in the handbook that you guys should have received, so I think it'd definitely be wise to study up on these because the questions will definitely come up from them:

1. A genuine and informed interest in an accounting-based career.
2. Personal attributes needed to succeed both as a student and in a business career - communication skills, inter-personal skills, team-working skills, problem-solving skills, enthusiasm and dedication.
3. Involvement and achievement in a range of activities and interests.
4. Demonstrated leadership qualities or potential.
5. Academic ability (desirable ATAR: 95*).

You can expect that your interview will address your achievements and record in each of these 5 areas.

Think about the questions they can ask you from these and plan out which experiences you can talk about in your head so that you don't leave afterward thinking "oh I should have said this instead". It also helps being able to give a variety of experiences than just repeating the one for every question, so I think you should definitely look over your co-curricular activities and certain experiences in your preparation.

Be prepared for a problem solving question. This is really testing how you can cope with a curve ball being thrown your way. Remember to remain cool, calm and collected because this will simulate how you deal with a challenging situation in the workplace.

In addition to that, they will ask you if you have any questions at the end of the interview. Your questions will also have an effect--it will show them how interested you are in the course. It would be ill-advised to leave that room without asking a question.

In regards to any other tips, all I can say is to be yourself. Sure it might sound cheesy, but they do genuinely want to get to know you as a person. HR people on the panel will be able to see through any facade that you put on, so just remember to be relaxed, calm, confident and yourself. I'm sure that you will perform better that way as well, and the interviewer will see a composed person that they might want to hire.

Best of luck everyone!! I hope that I've helped and don't be afraid to post any further queries

 

[Dark_End4]

Thank you heaps for your replies

I was wondering what types of problem solving questions are they? In what format? Of what nature? Is there a time constraint? Is it done in a group or alone? How important is it to interview and your selection? Are there any practice questions available? Is it some sort of cognitive test? If its not too much to ask, do you remember what yours was like?

Thanks again

 

[kerowillyam]

Thank you so much for the advice smileplease - There was so many helpful hints that I didn't know about when I talked to spoke to some of the current Bacc students at the info evening.

I'm counting down the days until the interview period :3

 

[smileplease]

No problems! =)

What I've learnt from hearing what other people were asked and browsing through these forums myself before my own interview was that they can just about ask anything ! It's usually testing your ability to think outside the box but I've also heard of people who have had to solve maths problems (no, you don't have to study up on your maths). Just like I mentioned before, it's to simulate how you would handle a challenging situation in the workplace so just remember to be calm and draw out your thinking for them -- explaining how you came to a certain solution. The way you handle the question is much more important than getting it right/wrong.

Each interview is conducted alone with your 2 panelists and this question as part of your interview will have as much weighting as the other questions I'd imagine, and so would be equally as important.

You can find many of these types of questions online. One example would be "How do you test whether the light in a refrigerator turns off once you close the door?" . My advice would be to first think about your question logically. If that isn't getting you anywhere, then let your imagination run wild. Let them know what you are thinking, even if you come to a roadblock "oh that wouldn't work because...". Remember that the key is to communicate.

There is no time constraint.

 

[Dark_End4]

No problems! =)

What I've learnt from hearing what other people were asked and browsing through these forums myself before my own interview was that they can just about ask anything ! It's usually testing your ability to think outside the box but I've also heard of people who have had to solve maths problems (no, you don't have to study up on your maths). Just like I mentioned before, it's to simulate how you would handle a challenging situation in the workplace so just remember to be calm and draw out your thinking for them -- explaining how you came to a certain solution. The way you handle the question is much more important than getting it right/wrong.

Each interview is conducted alone with your 2 panelists and this question as part of your interview will have as much weighting as the other questions I'd imagine, and so would be equally as important.

You can find many of these types of questions online. One example would be "How do you test whether the light in a refrigerator turns off once you close the door?" . My advice would be to first think about your question logically. If that isn't getting you anywhere, then let your imagination run wild. Let them know what you are thinking, even if you come to a roadblock "oh that wouldn't work because...". Remember that the key is to communicate.

There is no time constraint.

So its coming to conclusions using logical thinking by undertaking a well planned procedure that you explain. By doing this you show your analytical skills and how you perform underpressure (of being judged). I see...

Thanks for the tips

 

[smileplease]

LOL. Just be calm and confident, be yourself, communicate and remember that at the end of the day-it is an interview and they are looking for people that they may potentially hire.

Go into the interview with all that in mind and you will do well

 

[tattoo2200]

HEY MAN! great thread! I got an offer an interview but I fear those curve ball questions like that light and the fridge question. Do you remember any curveball or obscure questions they asked you and how you approached it.

 

[smileplease]

HEY MAN! Thanks And congrats for getting an interview! + I think I went to your school actually..

For those problem solving questions, I just approached it as I would in real life. So personally, if I was to test my own fridge light, I'd put my phone inside with video recording on and shut the door. Then I'd take it out, watch the video and see if the light was on. So that's what I would have told them. Think about it logically and explain it to them so it makes sense. So for example, I did chemistry in year 12 and we learnt something about the silver halide salts changing colour with light so that could also be used. It might be hard to obtain, expensive --sure, but you have answered the question and it makes sense ! That's what matters at the end of the day.

As for my own question, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you what exactly my questions were on this forum. But it was a "what would you do if.." kind of question and I just thought about what I would do in actuality if I faced that situation. But I can tell you that in preparing for my interview, in retrospect, this site was quite helpful for those type of qs: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/qt/brain-teaser-interview-questions.htm
For the 'Tips' section - ignore "Bring a Paper and Pencil". For qs like q10, in brief I'd say something like "well I imagine there are ___ many hectares in Central Park and approximately ___ trees per hectare, therefore its ___ " . Again--remember it's about drawing out your thinking.

Whilst I'd prepare for this, if I were you I would spend a lot more time prepping for behavioral type questions. After all- a problem solving question was asked for my year but there is a chance that it might not show for yours. But behavioral type will always show and can sometimes put you on the spot.

 

[asianperson]

Are there any good links for samples of behavioral, have to start practicing =)

 

[smileplease]

Congrats on getting an interview asianperson!
There most certainly are! Google is all over that and there are an abundance of websites that give you tips and examples.
2 examples are: http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/interviews/a/behavioral.htm and http://blog.timesunion.com/careers/50-behavioral-based-interview-questions-you-might-be-asked/1538/

 

[jwang_2707]

Hi, in terms of the types of questions asked, will they ask more "general" behavioral based questions or could they also ask more "specific" behavioral questions?

E.g. "Describe a situation where you used teamwork to achieve a positive outcome" (general) vs. "Tell me a time when you were on a team and one of your teammates was not pulling his/her weight. How did you handle it?" (specific)

 

[smileplease]

They could ask you both types.
For the specific ones, you really have to dig deep to find something. If you feel that that specific type still doesn't apply to you, what I would do personally is give a hypothetical answer (e.g. talk to them and emphasise the importance of teamwork) and then give an example that relates closely to that (e.g. a person that was difficult to deal with).

I'd also recommend thinking about why you want to do/what you know about accounting and the course in your prep time, as probably highlighted by your guide anyway.

 

[jwang_2707]

oh ok, thanks for the advice.

 

[Dark_End4]

Can anyone that had an interview on friday comment on how it went? Or anything to share with the community?

Thanks

 

[Carriers]

Hey guys I had my interview on Friday, and I don't feel like it went too well. Could any current BAcc students comment on how they felt after their interview? Pretty bummed about it

 

[Dark_End4]

Hey guys I had my interview on Friday, and I don't feel like it went too well. Could any current BAcc students comment on how they felt after their interview? Pretty bummed about it

Btw, I am not a current student. But I am sure you did better than you think. Can you tell us what you struggled with and more about the interview, the questions, people in your panel etc.

Thanks

 

[zaczaczac]

Do they generally wait till the last day to contact you? Or like a few days before?

 

[Dark_End4]

I would wait atleast until Friday this week. All the round 1 interviews havn't been conducted yet so they can't extend an offer. Have you done your interview already? If so, how did it go? Who was in your panel and what type of questiosns did they ask?

 

[Dark_End4]

Hi smileplease, could you please outline the structure of the interview. So did they start with (for the first 5-10 minutes?) discussing your activities and what you learnt from them, then your interest in accounting, then a problem solving question. etc.

Also, was the problem solving question specifically mentioned? I mean, did they say, "now the problem solving question is...". Because one of the links you provided is for behavioural questions which could be incorporated in the core of the interview. Also, did they give you a chance to think it out? Did they do it at the end of the interview and let you figure it out on your own outside of the interview room (like a test?) or did they just give it to you and put you under pressure to figure it out as soon as possible? Was it 100% or was there a written component to it?

Also, how much do the representatives from the companies expect you to know about them? I have done research and compiled a summary for all the companies outlining their products and services and key facts (such as staff counts, number of countries they work in, major projects/work they have done, rankings in their industry and history).

Can you please let us know what you did to prepare for the interview?

Finally, what ATAR did you get? if you don't mind me asking. What ATAR would be competitive to gain entrance into this course?

Thanks

 

[Carriers]

Btw, I am not a current student. But I am sure you did better than you think. Can you tell us what you struggled with and more about the interview, the questions, people in your panel etc.

Thanks

I struggled mainly because I didn't mention what I had initially prepared to talk about, but overall the interview is very conversational and casual. I don't think I can tell you the exact questions they asked of me, but the general structure was from talking about your activities to more about yourself. I just got very nervous beforehand and had a mind blank, but you'll be fine good luck! When is your interview?