PwC Employability E-learn Interview script - Amit

Podcast – Build relationships:

Candidate: Amit

Listen option B:

Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you've drawn upon the people you know to achieve a goal.

Ummm….. When I had to use people I know to achieve a goal? Erm (long pause)……..

Interviewer: yes, have you ever drawn on your friends, family or people in your social circle to help you achieve something – this can be a time from school/ college/ or work experience

Ok sure……….well erm……I got in touch with some family and friends last year to help me with a project….(pause)

Interviewer: okay….. what did you want them to help you with?

Umm…well….. school said we had to do work experience. They had a placement arranged for me, at a company that’s based down the road from me actually, in the finance team. I really wanted to do work in finance so I thought this was going to be great, was really happy it was close by. Then I found out that my placement had been cancelled so I was left without anywhere to go for a week before I had to start.

Interviewer : Specifically what was it that you needed help with?

Ermm…….I guess I needed to get a new placement as soon as possible…… thought they’d be able to help me as some of them worked in companies where they had finance teams …umm……I was hoping that they’d help find me a new placement. Some of my friends had asked their friends and family to help them find something so I thought it’d work for me….umm….the school really helped in the first place as they had the perfect placement for me………I guess it’s not their fault that the manager was off ill and there was no one else that could er…..that could look after me…….

Interviewer: OK, who did you approach and why?

Ummm…….mostly family and friends really…..just people that I thought could help me find somewhere….umm….like my friend’s mum who works in finance so I thought she’d be able to help if I got in touch with her……..

Interviewer: and how did you contact them?

….by email….easiest way now isn’t it? So I sent an email out to everyone I thought might be able to help or knew someone that they thought could help. Obviously I didn’t have everyone’s email address so I asked if they could send on to anyone that they knew could help me.

Interviewer: what did you need to tell them?

I thought I mentioned that earlier ………….my placement fell through and I needed a new one as soon as possible as I only found out the week before I was supposed to start that I’d lost my placement. What else did I tell them? Erm ………well a bit about why I wanted to do a placement in finance and when I needed them to get back to me by.

Interviewer: And what was the response like?

Okay really…umm…. a few people got back to me with some suggestions……….. well….. erm.. I called them to explain a bit more about what I needed. Then asked how to best approach the person they had suggested to me…..sometimes I think you need to know these things so you can have something else to talk about when meeting…….it just makes it a bit easier.

Interviewer: and what was the outcome of this?

I got a placement in a really good company; actually it was my brother’s friend in the, in the end who helped me…… and I really enjoyed it……made some good mates during the week there……. 

Interviewer: what did you have to do to get the placement? 

Well, Joe, my brother’s friend put me in touch with his boss and then I followed up and asked if we could meet……..this must have gone well as they offered me the placement for the week I needed it. I managed to get a part time job over the summer too,….. it probably worked out for the  better in the end.

 Interviewer: what did you learn?

(Long pause)…….I really enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot about finance, I’m glad I had the chance to do some work experience.