Recruiters assist students with the art of personal pitch

"So, tell me about yourself," says the interviewer. In an attempt to answer this vague, yet critical question, the student begins conjuring up thoughts of her favorite color, birth date, mother's maiden name and shoe size. Her heart skips a beat, and she wonders, what should I say? You might be thinking that this is an uncommon response, but the majority of students who venture out into the intimidating corporate world don't know how to answer this simple question.

In an effort to help develop the interview skills of their fellow students, Beta Alpha Psi, a nationally recognized honor society for accounting, finance and computer information systems majors, co-sponsored the first annual Interviewing Skills Development Program with the Starr Career Development Center on March 6. The event, "Sold! How to Sell Yourself to the Finance Industry" was part of Beta Alpha Psi's overall effort to help students bridge the gap that exists between their academic studies and their future professional careers. Professionals from Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase were in attendance.

There was a seven to one ratio of students to professionals at each table. Each student had the opportunity to present his or her personal pitch to the professional and receive feedback and advice on how to better tailor the pitch.

For those of you working on improving your personal ad, here are 10 great tips from the professionals:

(1) Keep the duration of the pitch between 20-40 seconds.

(2) Be sure to first introduce yourself.

(3) State your status and major. (e.g. a junior majoring in accounting.)

(4) Explain how you became interested in the field.

(5) Research the essential skills needed to succeed in the position/industry you are applying for. State why you possess any of those skills; state how they are relevant or important to the position/industry.

(6) Mention your strengths. (e.g. a leader, a problem solver.)

(7) Give examples of how you have exemplified your strengths in the past. (e.g. If you mentioned that you are a leader, talk about your leadership role in the club you are an officer in.)

(8) Don't memorize your pitch. In order to keep the pitch sounding natural, practice it by writing down a few key points you would like to convey to the interviewer. Do not write down and then recite a speech.

(9) Be honest and truthful; this way, when the interviewer starts asking follow-up questions, you won't get stuck and not know how to answer them. (If you say that you enjoy reading the Wall Street Journal on a daily basis, be ready to tell the interviewer which article you read this past week that was of interest to you and why.)

(10) Most importantly, do all of the above while being yourself!

Beta Alpha Psi will be sponsoring similar events for accounting, finance and computer information systems majors throughout the rest of the spring semester. If you missed this event the Starr Career Development Center will be holding a workshop, "Preparing Your Personal Pitch" on Tuesday, April 17. Stop by the Starr Career Development Center at room VC 2-150 to pick up a schedule of workshops for this semester.