ISEG Career Guide by ISEG Lisboa

CAREER GUIDE Powering

your Future

iseg.ulisboa.pt

Are you ready for your Career Path? Here, you can find all the essential tools for a meaningful career and Job Search! Successful career moves rarely happen without acquiring new skills. Embrace the learning process and look at this time as being an investment in your future and make sure you get what you need!

Career Guide

Index

02. The Career Services

03. The Career Management Process

3.1 Know Yourself

3.2 Explore the Market* / Define Career Alternatives

3.3 Career Objectives

3.4 Personal Marketing Plan

3.5 Job Search Tools

3.6 How To Approach The Job Market

3.7 The Job Interview

3.8 Evaluation Tests & Questionnaires

3.9 Group Assessments / Dynamics

04. Useful Sites

Career Guide

01. Introduction

01. Introduction Starting this new stage of your academic life you will find new challenges and experiences! These challenges include choices and decisions that you are going to make throughout your education. I have finished my degree! Now what? Find a job, or go on with my studies? Stay at the same university, or should I opt for another school? Do I continue in the subject area of my degree, or should I move to another one that complements the first one? For most students who have just finished a Bachelor or Master degree and are preparing to start a professional career, questions such as “What do I want to do?”, “What do I need to do” or “How or where can I start?” are all very pertinent and give rise to doubts which can be frightening at this highly emotional time. This is a stage of life that can generate a lot of anxiety, together with significant responsibility, which typically marks the beginning of a career. The aim of this Career Guide is to provide essential and necessary information about the career process, which will help you to reflect and make choices about your career path. Here, you will find all the information and essential tools that you need to successfully find your life purpose and dream job.

02. The Career Services The Career Services provides all ISEG students with a specialized and personalized service, supporting them in both making informed decisions and preparing plans for the future, as well as assisting in the development of the skills that they need to be successful. Our team can help you – at whatever stage you are at – to develop skills, to start to consider your professional future or look for a job, and to find an internship, volunteer opportunities or international experiences. It is important to take the following into consideration: •

Your academic education is important, but it is only a basic requirement for for entering the job market. Employers also expect you to have work experience and to possess the personal skills that complement your university degree.

•

The Career Services is here to offer you support, opportunities, advice and information, but cannot guarantee employability. Only you can do this, by being proactive throughout your academic career.

•

Do not start thinking about your future just during the last year of university, but start much earlier, as there is a lot to do, to explore, and to develop.

•

There are many opportunities to develop skills here at ISEG - stay informed and take advantage of them.

Career Guide

Activities Developed by The Career Services An excellent way to be able to develop your employability and to acquire useful information for your career is through being involved with the activities and tools that the Career Services organizes and provide:

•

JobTeaser - Career Platform

You must sign up in the platform to be able to see and respond to job offers, in JOBS. These are posted by companies who are specifically interested in recruiting ISEG Students. Here, it is also important to submit your CV (whose structure must comply with the recommendations presented in the ISEG RESOURCES tab - CV templates), and we will provide you with feedback on that. Finally, you can get tips for interviews and also practice tests for further recruitment processes. All the events that we create will be posted in the EVENTS tab, and you can register to each one respectively. •

Events with Employers

Dozens of employers visit our university every year. You can find out about them at our annual Career Forum and the Networking events that are organized throughout the year. At these events you will be able to meet alumni (who are already in the job market) and employers, providing an excellent opportunity to request career advice and tips, as well as to gather information about different areas and career paths, companies, different sectors of activity and the job market in general. Events are promoted by e-mail, ISEG website and JobTeaser. •

Soft Skills Workshops

If you want to develop skills such as communication (oral and/or written), teamwork, project management, negotiation, etc., you can register for specific workshops/ programmes that we organize for you throughout the year. Stay tuned to our e-mails, news and JobTeaser updates. Also, you can request an appointment with us, through JobTeaser, and we will, individually, give you tips on how to develop that. •

Recruitment Workshops

The Career Services organizes training sessions on CVs, motivation letters, LinkedIn, preparation for interviews, evaluation tests and questionnaires, group assessments and dynamics. These sessions are essential for your success in demanding and competitive recruitment processes. •

Career Advisory

Do you need individualised and personalised support in your preparation for job searching? Book a meeting with one of our consultants using the APPOINTMENTS tab in JobTeaser. You just have to select the topic you want to talk about, select the consultant you prefer and book the session according to his/her availability. After requesting the appointment, you will always get a confirmation message from the consultant.

Career Guide

Build On Your ExtraCurricular Experiences In today’s competitive job market, it is no longer sufficient to leave university with just a good academic background. Acquiring high-quality work experience can differentiate you from the crowd, and shows employers that you have the skills, knowledge, and experience that they are looking for. This experience can be gained through the following: •

Internships: professional or summer internships. Carrying out an internship with certain companies can greatly increase the likelihood of you being recruited by that same company, or another in the same industry. You can, and should, apply for summer internships as from the Second Year of your Bachelor’s degree.

•

Voluntary work: Attention, you must choose a volunteer job where you can effectively develop experience and skills. Handing out food bags at the door of a supermarket may not be considered a relevant experience!

•

Associative activities: Be a part of associative activities, such as the Students Association, ISEG Junior Business Consulting, AIESEC, among others/or participate in Business Challenges and other competitions. You can also take part of Associative activities out of school.

•

Sports, music, theatre, etc.

Why is experience of the professional world valuable and important for you?

What can you start to do now?

•

• •

•

Helps you formulate and clarify your career goals. You get a better understanding of the professional world. You have the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills acquired at university to real-life situations. Earns you good references and broadens your network of contacts. You have a real-life experience which you can present during a job application process, in your CV, or in an interview. Helps get a job: 20% of students get a job through such work experiences.

•

Think carefully about what you want to acquire from a work experience. Research relevant information about the sector or sectors in which you may be interested. This will help you define what strategies you can use to find work experiences. Check the application dates for summer internship - some companies start their recruitment process very early (starting in September/October of your Second Year). Update your profile on JobTeaser - career platform - and pay attention to information published through the platform and also through the Career Services communications. Use the resources made available by our office (website, workshops, and career counselling). Record all work experience or volunteer work that you have done.

What Skills Are Valued? Employability skills are the skills that many employers value and seek when recruiting recent graduates. Young people who have these skills are clearly ahead of other candidates.

01.

Communication skills

02.

Teamwork

03.

Career Guide

But what skills are these? Analysis and Problem Solving

Involve the structuring of ideas in a clear and logical way, the presentation of a speech adapted to the target audience, active listening, and the ability to question others in an appropriate way.

Involves cooperation and negotiation with others as they work towards a common goal. Being flexible, knowing how to cooperate in shared tasks and motivating others are all important requirements for teamwork.

The ability to identify, analyse and evaluate information that can be presented in different ways and find appropriate solutions for the problems detected.

04.

05.

06.

Creativity and Innovation

Stamina

Being creative and innovative is often associated with being an entrepreneur. However, it is much more than this: it is about being able to identify opportunities and taking risks, to consider new ways of doing things, to think “out of the box”, to observe and evaluate trends and generate new ideas.

The ability to deal with problems and adversities in a positive way, becoming strengthened from situations. It involves being flexible, willing to rethink and adjust plans according to requirements, being available to meet challenges and being able to manage risks and emotions.

07.

08.

Experience of the Professional World

Has to do with practical working experience, away from the academic world.

09.

IT Skills

Excel (at advanced level), Python, IA, Machine Learning, R, Databases and others.

Planning and Time Management

Being able to perceive and understand what is needed to achieve a specific goal, to set deadlines and complete tasks in a timely manner, setting priorities according to the importance and urgency of tasks, and to monitor and adjust deadlines. All this implies good organizational skills and flexibility.

English

In large multinationals, not being fluent in English may mean that you are immediately eliminated from the recruitment process. Invest in the development of this skill as soon as possible. Participate in an Erasmus exchange programme and have an international experience, or studying for a Masters in English are both excellent ways of becoming fluent in English.

...and finally Showing enthusiasm, a sense of commitment, dynamism and speed of work, flexibility, perseverance, self-motivation, open-mindedness, and a preoccupation for quality are all characteristics that can make you stand out.

Are you able to demonstrate any of these characteristics? Never forget: It’s not enough just to be, you have to be seen!

Invest in your career profile and collect the profits in the future.

Effective career management is based on an accurate analysis of yourself and the surrounding environment, generating three key benefits.

•

An effective performance in interviews. Although there are many reasons for success in an interview, preparation is an essential factor. You should remember, organize, and practice the description of your background information before participating in any interview. Poor performance in an interview can close a door definitively.

•

Writing a high-impact curriculum. Exemplary curricula are a brief summary of immense information that are designed to confirm a professional objective and target a specific target market.

In a simple way, the career management process involves the following phases: •

The definition of an adjusted and realistic professional objective, taking into account personal characteristics, motivations, interests and abilities/skills on one hand, and, on the other hand, the requirements and characteristics of the target market.

Career Guide

03. The Career Management Process

3.1 Know Yourself Being able to identify and understand your strengths and weaknesses can help you identify the professional areas where you need to invest in. It has been proven that people who work in areas that fit their profile are happier and are more productive at work. •

Strengths: something at which you are good at, that you feel pleasure in doing, and which energises you.

•

Weaknesses: Something that you do not do well, which leaves you unsatisfied, lacking energy, and unmotivated.

•

Learned behaviour: something that you are able to do well, but does not give you energy, and which does not make you feel fulfilled.

Hard Skills Education

Professional Experience

Extra-Curricular Activities

Bachelors, Masters, Erasmus, PG, Academic Prizes, …

Paid and non-paid

Volunteering, hobbies, sport, projects, training, certifications, projects …

Which skills and characteritics have you developed through these activities/experiences?

Career Guide

Soft Skills A) PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS •

Understanding and knowing your personality and the impact that it has on your behaviour can benefit you in many ways. One is to be able to help you choose a career and a work environment in which you feel happy. Another is to be able to face the challenges of a recruitment process.

•

What are the main characteristics of your personality? The following are examples of personality traits (adverbs or adjectives):

Affable

Emotional

Original

Committed

Artistic

Demanding

Energetic

Peremptory

Self-confident

Perfectionist

Persuasive

Exact

Self-controlled

Adventurous

Enthusiastic

Sensible

Committed

Practical

Expressive

Efficient

Stimulating

Concerned

Rational

Leader

Different

Dedicated

Communicative

Gentle

Reliable

Organized

Responsible

People-focused

Sensitive

Empathetic

Funny

Loyal

Sense of humour

Imaginative

Independent

Emotionally stable

Loyal

Expressive

Trustworthy

Susceptible

Astute

Assertive

Adaptable

Results-oriented

Persistent

Dynamic

Meticulous

Flexible

Impulsive

Curious

Autonomous

Sociable

Intuitive

Sociable

Tolerant

Autonomous

B) SUCCESS SITUATIONS •

How do you identify your main skills and abilities? You can do this from the identification of Success Situations. Examples of these situations may arise frequently in job interviews, where you can gain points in your favour.

Situation

•

Describe the situation

Actions

•

What actions have you developed

Results

•

What results have you achieved

What Skills and Characteristics has this situation brought to light? Examples of Success Situations: •

Have you identified a problem and solved it? What actions did you take, and what were the results?

•

Have you participated in decision-making or planning? What were your contributions to the team? What were the results of your efforts?

•

Have you had a brilliant idea for teamwork? Did you get acceptance of the idea? How did you do it? What results were achieved?

•

Were you confronted with a conflict between colleagues? Did you contribute to resolving it? In what way did you do so?

•

Have you led a team? In what way? How did it go? What results were achieved?

Examples of transferable/transversal skills (verbs):

Communication

Coordination

Analysis and use of quantitative data

Planning

Helping others

Selling

Managing information

Researching

Negotiation

Leadership

Organization

Managing people, projects, or tasks

Resisting pressure

Motivating others

Analysis and utilisation of written information

Making decisions

Solving problems

Teamwork

Prediction

Interpretation

Follow up

•

What are your main areas of interest? At what moments of your degree did you feel more motivated and interested in studying?

Career Guide

C) INTERESTS

D) VALUES •

What are your priorities in life? What is really important for you? Carrying out a professional activity that matches your values can make all the difference for your satisfaction and productivity at work.

Analyse the following values and reflect on which is the most important for you: Independence and autonomy (acting alone without the imposition of rules and restrictions) Power (control the situation in which you find yourself, in order to make progress in organizations) Leadership/Management (coordinating the work of others and taking responsibility for results) Technical expertise (possess skills/abilities in specific areas) Lifestyle (be holistic in relation to the conjugation of the various parts of your life) Helping others (contributing to the well-being of others, dedicating yourself to a worthy cause) Friendship

Security (lack of concerns for the future, stability and predictability)

Challenges (facing and overcoming difficult challenges)

Economic (accumulation of wealth and gaining high financial returns) Realization (doing something that is personally and professionally fulfilling) Competence (being good at what you do) Recognition (be recognized for the work performed and for the skills demonstrated)

3.2 Explore the Market/ Define Career Alternatives •

What are the main trends in the job market? Explore the different sectors where you can develop your profession.

•

Which sectors do you like the most? Identify the companies that operate in these sectors.

•

What are your career options?

What I want / Do not want to do Exclusions

Plans

Possible plans

Want / do not want to do in terms of geographical zone, conditions and work environment, size of company, sector of activity, etc. …. Exclusions

Plans

Possible plans

3.3 Career Objectives Before searching for a job, it is key that you know what you want to do. No employer is going to choose you if they feel that you are lost and have now defined objectives. Therefore, you need to invest in your self-knowledge and explore the market so that you can answer the following question.

What do I want / am I looking for? What is my professional objective for 3/5 years’ time?

Example: I want to work in information systems management/consulting for a multinational company in the IT sector.

Career Guide

3.4 Personal Marketing Plan •

You should look at your job search as being a sales process, where you are the Product that you want to place in the Market. As you are the Product, you have a Brand, which you must promote in your Target Market – Personal Branding.

•

Elaborate your marketing plan (action plan) with the definition of the target market that you want to approach.

•

The target market should include the definition of the job functions that you would like to perform, the geographic area, the market sector(s), and the type(s) of organization that you want to work in. Finally, you should list the target companies that meet these requirements.

Look at the following example:

Financial area

Objective

Job functions

Market

Companies

Financial Analyst

Consultant/ Auditor

Large companies / Multinationals in IT

Large companies / Multinationals in Distribution

Start-ups

Multinationals in the area of Consulting

CapGemini, NovaBase, Accenture,...

P&G, Grupo Sonae, Unilever

Raize, Doutor Finanças, Coverflex

PwC, Delloitte, EY, KPMG

Once you have created this plan, you are ready to approach the market and start your job search.

3.5 Job Search Tools

Curriculum Vitae Exemplary curricula are a brief summary of the various activities, responsibilities, results and skills developed relevant to the career objective. The CV is a “sales brochure” that presents you to potential employers. Thus, you have to differentiate yourself from the competition: Make it personal. Do not use the Europass format, unless it is specifically asked for. Most recruitment agencies spend just 15 seconds to analyse a CV. Consult the CV templates recommended by the Career Services on Jobteaser – ISEG RESOURCES.

•

If you are at the start of your career, then the CV must have 1 page. The maximum allowable is 2 pages.

•

It should be visually appealing and easy to read and analyse.

•

It has to be clear, concise and honest.

•

Your name can appear as the title.

•

If you choose to include a picture, make sure it is professional.

•

Must be written in the third person. Avoid using “I am”, “I was”.

•

Uses action verbs (developed, managed, organized, planned, implemented, ...)

•

The document should be reviewed by someone else, to make sure that it has no errors.

•

The information must be organized chronologically in reverse (from the most recent to the most distant).

•

Use bold, underscore, etc. to highlight certain important items.

•

Do not use abbreviations.

•

Avoid writing long paragraphs: keep it simple.

•

References should only be facilitated on request.

•

Include salaried and unpaid work, internships, volunteer activities, hobbies, sports activities, etc.

•

Save in PDF with your professional name (e.g. CV Ana Silva).

Career Guide

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WRITING A CV

THE STRUCTURE OF THE CURRICULUM VITAE •

Personal details (name, age, address, E-mail, telephone, LinkedIn)

•

Summary and/or Professional Objective (optional)

•

Education/Academic qualifications

•

Professional Experience (relevant to the career objective, which may include work placements or trainee programmes). You should describe the responsibilities carried out, and show the results achieved.

•

Extra-Curricular/Other Activities and Interests - Prizes - Summer/Professional Internships - Training courses - Hobbies - Sports (with evidence of results achieved, prizes, …) - Volunteer work - Occasional work, unrelated to your professional objective - Cultural activities - Associative activities - Music - Others

•

Languages and IT skills

•

Acquired skills (through education and extracurricular activities)

Motivation/Presentation Letter •

The CV must always be accompanied by an E-mail/presentation letter (which should contain the “body” of the E-mail).

•

Write your base presentation. This text should always be customised and tailored to each advertisement and to each company. It is essential to research the company first.

•

The text should include the following information: • Who I am • What I am looking for (professional objective) • Why I want to work for your company • What I can contribute (your added value).

•

Save in PDF with your professional name (e.g. CV Ana Silva).

Common errors that should be avoided •

Too long a text (the text must be synthetic, clear and objective)

•

The same text for all applications

•

To leave “Fw” in the subject of the email, due to a lack of concentration and a lack of care

•

E-mails starting with “good afternoon/good morning” should be personalized (e.g.: “Dear Dr. ....”)

•

The e-mail address does not identify you. It should contain your name (e.g.: maria.silva@gmail.com)

•

Using nicknames in your E-mail address

•

Do not include a personalized signature at the end of the email

For further tips, you can check ISEG RESOURCES on JobTeaser – Cover Letter

Career Guide

E-Mail Signature Define your E-mail signature! This transmits a professional image right from the start.

Examples:

Maria Silva Masters in Finance ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics & Management , Universidade de Lisboa 919 919 919 maria.silva@gmail.com LinkedIn/com/mariasilvaprofile

José Lopes Junior Auditor 919 919 919 jose_lopes@gmail.com LinkedIn/com/joselopesprofile

Presentation Pitch You must be able to present yourself in a maximum of 2 minutes during a brief contact with a prospective employer/recruiter, with a contact from your network, or even in a recruitment process. You should include the following information: Who I am, What I want, What I have to offer.

LinkedIn & Facebook Did you know that 92% of Human Resources companies use LinkedIn to recruit? And of these, 67% do so exclusively through this professional network? This is the largest professional network in the world. It’s critical that you create your profile on LinkedIn! Then you must customise the link and put it in your CV. You should use LinkedIn to: •

Search relevant contacts in the companies where you would like to work (sending an invitation to join your network);

•

Gather information about “Who’s Who” in those same companies.

•

Follow the companies that interest you.

•

Expand your network of contacts.

•

Search job offers (there are companies that only post job adverts on LinkedIn).

•

Integrate groups from your area of expertise or from the area of recruitment.

•

Be visible to the “world”.

Pay attention to the way that you create your profile and the designation that you place next to your name! You should highlight your area of expertise or profession. Examples: •

Masters in Finance

•

Undergraduate Student in Economics

You can also invest in creating a personal website, or blog, or an online CV (re.vu, about me, CVitt,…)

Do you have a Facebook profile? Be careful with comments, posts, and public photos! Before they make a job offer, many employers analyse the information you make available to the world! Do not risk losing the opportunity of your life! If you are, or intend to enter the professional world, then you must attempt to always maintain a professional image.

Career Guide

Business Card Invest in a personal business card! This is an effective tool for consolidating all your contacts and for giving them greater impact. • • • • •

You can include a picture It can be simple, or creative You should show your area of work / specialization Use your professional name Apart from your contacts, also add your link for LinkedIn

Make yourself stand out! 25

3.6 How To Approach The Job Market Networking Over 80% of job seekers identify a new opportunity by exploiting their contacts. A common misconception of many people is that they think that they do not know many people who they can contact, which is completely unrealistic. This exercise is designed to help you understand who your contacts are, and where they can be found. Make a list of the people in your network from each of the following categories: Friends, Family, Neighbours, University and/or Work Colleagues, Teachers, Colleagues from Associations, Volunteering, Sports, Family and Friends Networks.

Why is networking important? •

It allows identifying professional opportunities that cannot be divulged by other means, except through “passing the word”, that is to say, through contacts.

•

It allows you to research relevant information about your target companies, about the type of job functions that exist in these companies, and what each of these functions does.

•

For your professional life, whenever you want to find a new job, you should count on using your network of contacts.

NETWORKING & LINKEDIN work together perfectly!

Other ways of approaching the job market Apart from networking, you should also approach the job market in the following ways:

Spontaneous Candidatures

Replying to Adverts

HR Companies

Recruitment at University

Career Guide

3.7 The Job Interview For an employer, the main purpose of a job interview is to find out whether the candidate: •

Is genuinely interested and motivated for the job and to work for the organization.

•

Demonstrates the adequate skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to succeed in the job and in the company. An employer looks for candidates who make the perfect match with the desired profile and the culture of the company.

Preparation for the Interview

•

Research the position and the company/organization. Gather information about the industry and its key competitors. Think about what attracts you to the company and the job function. The main sources of information are: • Company websites • LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter • Professional Journals • Participation in events organized on campus, namely: company presentations, fairs, and business breakfasts.

•

Analyse your strengths and weaknesses, review your career plans and motivation factors for working in that area/company, reflect on examples of concrete situations that can highlight your characteristics and skills. Do not forget, your strong points should be relevant to the job function in question and, when mentioning weaknesses, you should be honest, without presenting any characteristic that is key to the function.

•

Practice the analysis and resolution of case studies (the websites of some companies give examples of cases to practice), and reflect on concrete situations in the current national, international, political, and economic scenario.

•

You might check on JobTeaser - ISEG RESOURCES tab – examples of questions made during Interviews. There you will find typical questions that you must be able to answer before going to any interview.

•

Prepare for the more logistical questions: 1.

Do you know where the company is, and how long it takes to get there? It is important that you arrive at the location 5/10 minutes before the interview. During the time that you are waiting for the interview, take advantage and observe what is happening around you, get a feel of the environment, and read some available literature that talks about the company. The goal is to gather information about the company’s culture.

Select and prepare in advance the clothes that you plan to wear, which should be appropriate for the job function and organization (elegant and formal, but comfortable).

You should take your CV and motivation letter with you, as well as something for taking notes, if necessary (a notepad, smartphone, or tablet).

Career Guide

During the Interview •

Demonstrate a winning attitude

•

Demonstrate knowledge of the company, sector and job function

•

Listen carefully and make sure you understand the issues. Take your time!

•

Be aware of non-verbal behaviour

•

Always respond positively and confidently

•

Maintain eye contact and show interest, optimism and enthusiasm. Smile!

•

Ask questions at the end of the interview (about the job function, the company, next steps, etc.)

•

Try to avoid signs of being nervous

•

Do not show signs of being irritated by delays / interruptions

•

Admit it if you do not know something

•

Greet the interviewer with a strong handshake

•

Spend some time with your personal care

•

Avoid expressions like “you know”, “like”, etc. ...

•

Do not talk about salary issues!

•

This topic must be addressed, in the first place, by the company.

After the Interview •

If you are not successful in the recruitment process, you should contact the company and request feedback about your performance, from a perspective of continuous improvement.

•

You should always think about the issues that you feel did not go well and how you can improve next time. That is to say, reflect on your performance during the interview and identify aspects that could be improved.

Types of Interview TELEPHONE INTERVIEW, OR BY SKYPE •

The first direct contact of an employer can be made through a brief telephone interview to check whether you meet certain fundamental requirements (for example, fluency in English), and/or to measure the motivation for the job and the company.

•

If the employer is physically very distant from the candidate, interviews can be carried out via a video conference call

ONE TO ONE’ – INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS •

This is the most common type of interview, where both the interviewer and the candidate are present. You can expect to address subjects regarding you academic and professional education, extra-curricular activities, professional experience, and personal interests. As many interviews as necessary can be carried out, beginning with a Human Resources Specialist, and ending up with Partners or Directors. The number of interviews carried out may range from 1 to 5, depending on the complexity and level of demands of the processes and the companies.

PANEL INTERVIEWS •

Panel interviews can be challenging but intimidating! A set of professionals involved in the decision-making process - human resources specialists, technical specialists, line managers or directors – all interview the candidate at the same time. The human resources specialist is there to assess whether the candidate fits in with the company’s culture and people. The line manager wants to know whether the candidate fits in with the team and would adjust to the role, and the technical specialist is there to validate the candidate’s technical skills.

•

These interviews are excellent for assessing how you deal with pressure, and how you interact with a large group of people. It may be more detailed and rigorous, as candidates will be facing different types of questions and issues.

•

This type of job interview is considered to be more time efficient.

TRADITIONAL CV-BASED INTERVIEW •

Interviewers deal with aspects that feature in the curriculum vitae, such as school and professional education, extra-curricular activities, professional experience and personal interests.

SKILLS-BASED STRUCTURED INTERVIEW •

This type of interview, also known as a behavioural interview, is the most commonly-used in recruiting recent graduates by Multinationals or large companies.

You are asked to speak about the actions that you have carried out, the results and objectives that you have achieved, and also to present examples of real-life cases that highlight your main characteristics and skills. Questions can be asked about how you analyse and solve specific problems based on real-life cases of the company. The interviewers try to evaluate how you reason and structure your ideas, how you deal with facts and data, and how you solve problems.

•

To present the concrete situations, you must use the previously-mentioned technique of: S-A-R: S (specify the Situation), A (describe the Actions carried out, and R (what Results are achieved).

Career Guide

•

PRESSURE-BASED INTERVIEW •

It is very difficult to prepare answers in advance for this type of interview (as opposed to the skill-based interview) as the questions are more personal, and they appear at a fast pace with a constant change of focus in order to avoid candidates using prepared answers. Interviewers are looking for fast, enthusiastic answers.

CASE STUDY-BASED STRUCTURED INTERVIEW •

This type of interview is commonly used for jobs in strategic management consulting (e.g. McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Roland Berguer and AT Kearney, which are considered to be the Big 5 of strategic consulting).

•

Candidates are evaluated by their analysis of a given problem (a case study), how they identify the main issues, how they structure their line of thinking, and how they develop their analysis and present the solutions. For more detailed information about this type of interview contact Career Services.

TECHNICAL INTERVIEW •

The objective of this interview is to assess specific skills and knowledge related to the job function in question. Real case studies or hypothetical technical problems can be presented to assess not only the level of technical knowledge, but also the way you analyse and solve problems.

You should bear in mind the following: •

Interviews can be mixed, or in other words, they contain typical questions from the various types of interview referred to above.

•

If the company’s official language is English, the interviews can be conducted in English. In this case, it is important to know in advance in which language the interview will be held and to prepare accordingly.

•

Notwithstanding all these recommendations, it is important to be genuine throughout the whole process. Be yourself!

3.8 Evaluation Tests & Questionnaires As a complement to interviews, the most demanding companies also tend to apply case studies for analysis and multiple choice tests for the analysis and resolution of problems, with questions related to real-life business cases of the business in question. The objective is to evaluate your analytical capacities and ability to solve problems. Companies can also apply personality questionnaires, which aim to analyse how you evaluate yourself in terms of your personality, as well as the way that you usually behave at work, how you relate to others, your energies, the way you work, and your feelings and emotions. These questionnaires have no time limit, and do not have right or wrong answers. Skill tests assess your ability to interpret or reason with various types of information, and have time limits. The most common are tests of verbal, numerical, and diagrammatic reasoning (the ability to follow logical instructions or sequences of diagrams).

Career Guide

3.9 Group Assessments / Dynamics Recruitment processes can include a group performance assessment phase, which seeks to assess interaction and communication skills, initiative, leadership, analysis, problemsolving and time management, among others skills. At the beginning of an assessment or group dynamics test, a personal presentation of 2/3 minutes is usually requested, which you need to prepare in advance, following the same structure as a pitch. On receiving the documentation/information that you will have to use to perform the assigned task, the group will have to perform this task within a time limit. During the exercise no questions may be asked to the observers, who simply observe the test being carried out.

What skills are evaluated in this type of assessment: • • • • • • • • • • •

Teamwork Interaction with others Ability to understand and absorb information Ability to identify key issues Speed of reasoning Ability to think “out of the box” Communication skills: the ability to express ideas in a clear and structured way through correct and fluent speech Capacity for argumentation and persuasion Ability to solve problems Critical troubleshooting Ability to manage priorities and orientation by objectives

What should you do? • • • • •

Work with the group and contribute to the challenge without trying to dominate Listen to others’ ideas Keep the group focused Support other members of the group Manage your time

4.0 Useful Sites Preparation for the Recruitment Process •

Some multinational consultancies describe their recruitment processes on their sites, indicating the type of tests and interviews that they use, with case studies, etc. Thus, if you apply, for example, to Strategic Consultancies, such as McKinsey, BCG, Bain, AT Kearney or Rolland Berguer) you must consult their site first.

•

SHL PORTUGAL: https://www.shldirect.com/pt; https://www.shl.com/shldirect/en-us/practice-tests/

•

HUMANET (Recursos Humanos e Gestão): http://www.human.pt/

National Job Sites •

ISEG Career Platform - https://www.iseg.ulisboa.pt/aquila/investigacao/CMX?locale=en

•

GoinGlobal (inside JobTeaser) - http://www.goinglobal.com/

•

Highered: https://iseg.higheredtalent.org/

•

Indeed: https://www.indeed.jobs/

•

Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

•

LinkedIn: https://pt.linkedin.com/

•

CAREERJET (jobs search engine): http://www.careerjet.pt/

•

Expresso Emprego: https://www.expressoemprego.pt/

Internships And International Employment

•

IAESTE (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience): http://www.iaeste.org/ ; http://iaeste.pt/en/

•

Inov Contact: https://www.portugalglobal.pt/PT/inovcontacto/Paginas/InovContacto.aspx

•

EuroPlacement: http://www.europlacement.com/

•

AIESEC: https://aiesec.org

•

GoinGlobal: http://www.goinglobal.com/

•

Vault: http://www.vault.com/

Linkedin: https://pt.linkedin.com/

•

EURES: https://ec.europa.eu/eures/

•

The European Union: http://www.europa.eu

•

The Youth Portal: https://programas.juventude.gov.pt

•

IEFP: https://www.iefp.pt

•

Indeed: https://www.indeed.jobs/

•

Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

Career Guide

•

Entrepreneurship & Start-Ups •

Start-Up Lisboa: http://www.startuplisboa.com/

•

Startups Factory: http://www.fabricadestartups.com/

•

Lisbon Challenge: http://www.lisbon-challenge.com/

•

Lisbon Business Incubators: http://www.incubadoraslisboa.pt/

•

Lispolis: http://www.lispolis.pt/

•

BGI - Building Global Innovators: http://www.bgi.pt/

•

StartUS: https://www.startus.cc/

•

Landing Jobs: https://landing.jobs/

•

Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

Volunteer Work And Humanitarian Service •

The European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/humanitarian-aid/ eu-aid-volunteers_en

•

The European Youth Portal: http://europa.eu/youth/EU/volunteering/european-voluntary-service_pt

Social Work – Associations, IPSS & NGOs •

ONGD: https://www.plataformaongd.pt/oportunidades-de-emprego-e-voluntariado

•

Relief Web: https://reliefweb.int/jobs?fbclid=IwAR1kScX8P-xU6TRjzuQW95nIfytuxEhoPq9DGf5d-b3GIctE0IHjkOfs8gw

•

AMI: https://ami.org.pt/a-ami/recrutamento/

Rankings:

Member:

Accreditations and Partnerships:

Career Services Edf. Francesinhas 2, Gab. 205, 1200-781 | Lisboa

ISEG_CS2022EN01

(+351) 213 925 896/7 careers@iseg.ulisboa.pt iseg.ulisboa.pt