Nila: Hi. It is good to see you, Jahir.
Jahir: Same here, Nila. It has been a long time since I last saw you.
Nila: Yes, the last time we saw each other was New Year’s Eve. How are you doing?
Jahir: I am doing OK. It would be better if I have a new job right now.
Nila: You are looking for a new job? Why?
Jahir: I already finished my studies and graduated last week. Now, I want to get a job in the
Finance field. Payroll is not exactly Finance.
Nila: How long have you been looking for a new job?
Jahir: I just started this week.
Nila: Didn’t you have any interviews with those firms that came to our campus last month? I
believe quite a few companies came to recruit students for their Finance departments.
Jahir: I could only get one interview with Fidelity Company because of my heavy work- schedule. A month has already gone by, and I have not heard from them. I guess I did not make it.
Nila: Don’t worry, Jahir. You always did well in school. I know your good grades will help you get a job soon. Besides, the job market is pretty good right now, and all companies need financial analysts.
Jahir: I hope so.
Nila: You have prepared a resume, right?
Jahir: Yes.
Nila: Did you mail your resume to a lot of companies? How about recruiting agencies?
Jahir: I have sent it to a dozen companies already. No, I have not thought about recruiting agencies. But, I do look closely at the employment ads listed in the newspaper every day.
Nila: Are there a lot of openings?
Jahir: Quite a few. Some of them require a certain amount of experience and others are willing to train.
Nila: My friends told me that it helps to do some homework before you go to an interview. You need to know the company well—what kind of business is it in? What types of products does it sell? How is it doing lately?
Jahir: Yes, I know. I am doing some research on companies that I want to work for. I want to be ready whenever they call me in for an interview.
Nila: Have you thought about questions they might ask you during the interview?
Jahir: What types of questions do you think they will ask?
Nila: Well, they might ask you some questions about Finance theories to test your academic understanding.
Jahir: I can handle that.
Nila: They might tell you about a problem and want you to come up with a solution.
Jahir: I don’t know about that. I hope I will be able to give them a decent response if the need arises.
Nila: They will want to know you a little bit before they make a hiring decision. So, they may ask you to describe yourself. For example, what are your strengths and your weaknesses? How do you get along with people?
Jahir: I need to work on that question. How would I describe myself? Huh!
Nila: Also, make sure you are on time. Nothing is worse than to be late for an interview. You do not want to give them a bad impression, right from the start.
Jahir: I know. I always plan to arrive about 10 or 15 minutes before the interview starts.
Nila: Good decision! It seems that you are well prepared for your job search. I am sure you will find a good job in no time.
Jahir: I hope so.
Nila: I need to run; otherwise, I will be late for school. Good luck in your job search, John.
Jahir: Thank you for your advice. Bye!