Official Off-Topic VT Thread

[MattB4VT]

so... my fellow hokies... im asking for a bit of help if someone has it.

i was told last night that im getting the opportunity to do the final stage of interviews for this company ive been going through the process with.

it is to come up with a big presentation on a product of theirs they sent me info on last night.

the other part of it is basically a sales role-play thing (people like VTFF hold your dirty jokes. this is serious) i feel a lot more comfortable about the sales role-play, but does anyone have any tips on getting ready for the presentation?

they didnt give me much in terms of preparation time. this all takes place friday morning at 10 am. but at least theyre putting me up in a hotel, and paying for my mileage. im driving into charlotte from knoxville in the morning.

anyways, anything helps... either here or in the private message me.

thanks and Go Hokies

 

[ckhokie]

Don't use the word 'YOLO.'

Good luck.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

or hashtag or God's Conference

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

But for real, be confident but not cocky.

Wear a dark suit but add a little non Men In Black to it, paisley tie, pocket square, go chalk stripe, colored shirt, something.


Take notes, research them and have a set of questions but when question time comes, always say, "Well guys, you have answered most of these but...." even if they havent and ask at least three really good questions.

I have never not gotten a job after an interview, FWIW.

 

[Whatsupppppppp]

You any good at Power Point?

Use their own words from their papers or website. Check out their sales data, and crunch it, looking for strengths or weaknesses. Not too obvious.

If they have a vision statement online, memorize it. Sure to be handy during Q&A.

If the big boss asks you if you have any weird hobbies, say yes.

I once got to the final two, and blew it on that question. Seems the dude loved to skydive, race bikes, and scuba dive. #YOLO

 

[MISKO]

hey 46 took this from an artical I was reading your guy is off the pup list.

The situation gained a little more clarity Tuesday when Pro Bowl outside linebacker James Harrison (knee) and top backup Jason Worilds (wrist) were taken off the physically-unable-to-perform list. Both players are scheduled to return to practice Monday for the first time since the spring and, barring any setback, should play in the season opener in Denver

 

[sparko]

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation ... If it's marketing and sales stuff, powerpoint with charts/visuals will help. But bottom line, know what the hell you're talking about .. in and out .. If you know the material, you'll come across as confident and competent. Look neat but not stiff. If you have time once your presentation is completed get someone who is at least a reasonably intelligent to give you a mock interview with the presentation.

 

[MattB4VT]

yea powerpoint isnt allowed haha. ive been just memorizing the F***out of it mostly. 2.5 pages of text when fully written out. ive done the phone interview, technical assessment, personality assessment, and webcam interview. this is the last step as far as i know. i somewhat grilled the recruiter guy casually (not the one who works for the company) and he sort of let it slip that there are only a few people gunning for the spot in the location i am going for. thats def good. he also said that i "shouldnt worry to much, because ive already gone above and beyond.." and then like cut off because it seemed like he shouldnt be saying that. do u think that means that I am doing more/better than the other candidates? haha.

sorry for all the info and typing, etc. just trying to Git er done!

 

[wildturkey]

yea powerpoint isnt allowed haha. ive been just memorizing the F***out of it mostly. 2.5 pages of text when fully written out. ive done the phone interview, technical assessment, personality assessment, and webcam interview. this is the last step as far as i know. i somewhat grilled the recruiter guy casually (not the one who works for the company) and he sort of let it slip that there are only a few people gunning for the spot in the location i am going for. thats def good. he also said that i "shouldnt worry to much, because ive already gone above and beyond.." and then like cut off because it seemed like he shouldnt be saying that. do u think that means that I am doing more/better than the other candidates? haha.

sorry for all the info and typing, etc. just trying to Git er done!

Wait, so is it a sales role or a technical role? I'm a bit confused. I'm an engineer so I could maybe help you out if its technical but I don't want to get involved if its sales.Technical presentations can be quite a bit different than sales or other presentations.

Only thing that carries over well imo is to know your source material. Don't memorize because you'll sound robotic. Go over it enough to where you have a thorough understanding of it to where you can speak comfortably about it whether its to 1 person at lunch or 1,000 people in an auditorium.

 

[hokiecheme11]

You're doing my biggest tip. Memorize the shit out of your presentation. That will give you the confidence they will want to see and you will show you know your stuff. Then instead of looking at a powerpoint or something, you can make eye contact and be engaging.

 

[hokiegrad]

only thing I'll add to what the guys are saying is don't BS. If you don't know the answer to something they ask you, that's ok as long as you're confident in what you do know and show that you're willing and able to find out what you don't know (and confident that that should be good enough... don't get down on yourself, which will bring everything down around you).

 

[VT_Football_Fan]

I think an HTM degree is a terrible thing to waste.

 

[757Hokie83]

oh and dont forget, skip the handshakes....fist bump is the way to go these days...

 

[sparko]

fist bump .. hahaha .. for sales people that may work, for techie nerds, they'll wonder what the hell you're doing. good points about not bullshitting. don't make up crap. if you don't know the answer, show confidence that you'll use the resources you have to find it....and know your material!!! but don't memorize it. your presentation will be much more fluid if you just know the stuff inside and out and can talk "freely" about it .. unless of course, you insert a bunch of "you knows" into a free conversation.

 

[MattB4VT]

YOO!!!! I GOT THE JOB!!!! everything about it is the perfect fit for me. working for Keyence Corporation of America. Technical Sales.

Im going to be in Richmond!!! Who out there is an RVA Hokie?

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

#YOLO!!!!

Rep!

Congrats man!

 

[VT_Football_Fan]

YOO!!!! I GOT THE JOB!!!! everything about it is the perfect fit for me. working for Keyence Corporation of America. Technical Sales.

Im going to be in Richmond!!! Who out there is an RVA Hokie?

Congrats, but what do you do? Door to door, cold call, etc? Is it commission or salary? Those swimmer girls have expensive taste!

 

[robV703]

He sells sensors!!!!!! And other things for machine automation!!!!!!

Sensors and Machine Vision Systems for Factory Automation - KEYENCE America

 

[MattB4VT]

its technical sales. high tech manufacturing equipment for automation, quality control, etc. salary plus great commission package. baller ass base. especially for entry level. its B2B sales mostly all outside. which is exactly what i wanted. i cant be happier.

but who are the RVA Hokies on here???

p.s. GO VOLS!!!! Rocky Top!

 

[VT_Football_Fan]

Fuck the Vols. No seriously, fuck Tennessee.