You’ve identified your dream job with us here at Deloitte. The opportunity ticks EVERY box for you, and you’ve secured an interview. Congratulations! The only kicker is that you can see on LinkedIn that you’re one of 50 applicants to apply for the role (not so hard to picture in this market, right?).. and you will likely be one of several strong candidates interviewing with the firm.
Meet Leticia, a Senior Consultant in our Deloitte Talent Acquisition team who specialises in recruiting talent within our Climate & Engineering Consulting practice.
She has been with our Deloitte team for the last four years and has over 15 years of recruitment experience combined. She has recruited across several business areas at Deloitte, including Tax & Legal, Audit & Assurance, and Enabling Areas.
Your personal brand
You’re confident that you have the right skills and experience, and so now the question is, how can you make yourself seen and shine as the awesome candidate that you are?
Well, here are three suggestions to showcase your personal value proposition at the interview:
Be your true self!
Speak from the heart - preparation is key to a successful interview; however, the trick is to avoid giving rehearsed answers. At Deloitte, people are at the heart of our business, and one of our values is “Be You”. The interviewers will be keen to learn about you and your preferred working methods, and we find that a conversational and relaxed approach is always the best way to convey this.
Avoid business jargon. It can be tempting to use punchy business lingo to impress during an interview, but ask yourself if it feels authentic and if you would use these words or phrases in your day-to-day work setting. Let your responses come naturally.
What are your superpowers?
What are your strengths? It’s easy to provide a standard response that you think our interviewers will want to hear (perfectionism is always a top market favourite), but take the time to think, what are my superpowers? Is it data analytics? Is it building stakeholder relationships? What about team connection? Talk with passion about what you do well and why you enjoy it.
What are your areas for growth and development? How do we approach this dreaded question? Well, we can’t all be perfect, right? 😊 We certainly can’t excel at everything, so think about what actions you put in place to address these (personally, I need a tight deadline to avoid losing focus). How do you use your superpowers to ensure your areas of growth and development keep you on track?
Use storytelling to paint a picture.
Storytelling builds connection. We love storytelling at Deloitte, and it can be a powerful tool to connect with your interviewers and make your responses more memorable. Think of your work history as a rich tapestry and a collection of moments that have helped shape you into the professional you are today! Interviewers are interested in your story, so how can you best convey this to them?
Provide examples – examples provide context and substance to your responses. Rather than giving a simple and straightforward answer, include a relevant example to make it more impactful. Reflect on your own story, have some examples in mind of when you have excelled in your career or challenges that you have overcome, and don’t be afraid to talk with enthusiasm. The key is to keep your examples clear and concise; it’s very easy to get sidetracked or lose your train of thought in an interview environment. The 'STAR framework' can be a great way to structure your responses.
We hope this helps you to start thinking more about your own personal value proposition and the best way to promote your unique self at your interview.