At this point, the potential employer likes what they see - if you had no shot, they wouldn't be calling you in for an interview! Now, it's up to you to make a great impression during the interview to land the job.
While this post is focused on how to stand out in an actuarial interview, the same can go for many other types of interviews, too. Follow the tips in this post in order to go above and beyond so you can have a competitive edge in your interview!
1. Research the Position and Company
Bare Minimum:
You should at least know the basics - know what industry the company operates in, lines of business, and other basics. The company website, job posting and a basic google search can give you the information you need about the company.
Above and Beyond:
For example, if you find an article saying the business unit recently won an award for innovation, don't just blurt it out! Find a way to naturally bring it up in conversation or create a question based around it - "I saw this business unit won an award this last year for innovation regarding XYZ - I would love to hear more on how your team is able to continue innovating and staying competitive in the market." You may also find a new product or service the hiring business unit is offering - leverage that information in your interview to show you are interested in the work the group is currently doing and show you are aware of at least one of the things they are working on.
2. Know your Resume Inside and Out
Bare Minimum:
If you have a few years of experience, it's possible you may not remember a lot from something you listed on your resume from your first year. Make sure you are able to put together a few sentences to discuss those points since they won't be as fresh in your mind.
Above and Beyond:
This could be useful for some potential questions you may be asked in an interview and some of your answers. Instead of just saying you know the basics of SQL, you could say you know how to use joins to combine data or pull from multiple databases using the same criteria. Make sure you are familiar with the different types of joins and can elaborate on any of your answers if necessary. If you are familiar with the concepts and can walk through your reasoning on how you would perform a process in any of the programs (VBA, R, SAS, SQL, etc.), this is gold for the interview!
3. Integrate your Resume with the Job Posting
Bare Minimum:
Going into the interview, you should have an understanding of the skills or experience the hiring manager is looking for, so make sure you know the areas of your resume to highlight to show that you are a qualified candidate.
Above and Beyond:
Once you've done this, you know what you should focus on from your resume when you are preparing for the interview. You don't want to sound too rehearsed, but there's nothing wrong with saying something along the lines of, "When I saw this job posting, I was really excited to see XYZ in the job description. In my current role, I've not only had the opportunity to work on a similar project/process, but I've been able to refine the process through my knowledge of ABC. I'd be really excited to work through this process on this team and see if there are ways to make it more efficient!". You wouldn't want to do this for every point in the job description, but doing this for a couple of points can show you are really interested in the position and have ideas you can bring to the team to improve workflows.
4. Develop Thoughtful Questions to Ask Interviewer
Bare Minimum:
If you have at least five questions to ask going into an interview, you should be set. There are also tons of articles out there that can help you out if you're stuck. This Actuarial Outpost thread has a couple of good ideas... but there are a few horrible ones mixed in, so just don't be that guy/girl that tries to fit "body bag" into the interview somewhere. This is another good AO thread with slightly less sarcasm (I mean, the second comment in the first thread listed was already sarcastic, so I guess can't get much more sarcastic than that) and more comments.
Above and Beyond:
Since you can find out about the company culture elsewhere, use the time for questions to ask thoughtful questions about the department and position. Don't be boring and ask the standard "what does the career path look like for someone who starts in this position" or "what type of skills would make a future candidate successful". Instead, set yourself apart by asking thoughtful questions such as "what are some of the metrics used to evaluate the results of this team in terms of annual and longterm goals" or "how does the work of this team affect the bottom line". Don't be afraid to ask follow up questions, too. You may want to follow up one of the questions by asking whether or not the team is on track to meet their goals and the impact someone coming in to fill this position could have on meeting these goals. If you are confident enough to run with it and the conversation is going well, you may even be able to tie in some of your skills to show you are quick on your feet and you'd be able to work through problems and develop solutions on the job.
5. Practice!
Bare Minimum:
You want to make sure you are getting your points across in a concise manner. Don't ramble, but at the same time, you don't want to leave out important information. You also don't want to practice in a way that will make you sound too rehearsed in an interview. The point of practicing is making sure you are able to speak on all of the points you need to cover without rambling or using filler words.
It's the easiest to ramble when an interview asks the "tell me about yourself question" or "why are you here". The Muse has a short video to help you answer this question in a clear and concise manner. This is a gimme question - I've been asked this question on almost all of my interviews, so make sure you have a solid answer!
Above and Beyond:
With some creativity, you should be able to tie back a lot of your experiences and skills to what the interviewer is looking for in a candidate based on the job description. Practicing out loud will help you refine your answers and help you work through how to display your answers in a way that will make you irresistible to your potential employer!
If you have any experiences you are really passionate about, volunteer work for example, practice how you would broach that subject and how you can relate that to the skills the interviewer is looking for. This is important because in most cases, these extracurriculars are experiences you are passionate about and the passion can come off as enthusiasm while also making you (and even the interviewer) more comfortable.
