I am well into the recruiting process, and the only way to describe it is – it has been an adventure. I applied for a wide variety of positions and firms, and I have experienced a wide variety of interviews. Here are some highlights from my experience thus far:

Walk me through your resume – Regardless of the position, firm, or round, you will have some discussion about your resume. Some interviewers will just want to discuss highlights or get an overview of your experiences, while others will focus on specific items and bullet points. It is imperative that you remember what you did in each experience and activity that is listed, because you may have to explain it in detail. This probably sounds silly, but if you have case competitions or leadership experiences from your freshman and sophomore year included, you may need to brush up on the case you worked on or your responsibilities and events for that organization.

Let’s get technical – Love them or hate them, if you are recruiting for finance positions, you are going to get technical questions. Technical interviews used to incite fear in me; however, my experiences have been positive so far. My interviewers have been very nice and laid back, and the questions have been over basic concepts that you can prepare for by reading a guide, such as the Wall Street Oasis Technical Interview Guide. Overall, a technical interview is just a conversation – perhaps you don’t regularly converse about discount rates, but regardless, there is no need to get anxious about it. Just stay calm, talk about what you have learned, and know that the interviewer is not trying to stump or embarrass you.

Take your interviewee to work day – This has certainly been my most unique experience; I actually got invited to work with a small firm for a day, in lieu of a normal first or second round interview. I joined the group for a normal 10 hour workday and was given three tasks that were based on actual work they had completed in the past. I gained a lot of insight into their culture and group dynamics, and I got to experience first-hand what I would be doing if I joined the group as a new associate.

How should a hamburger be cooked? – While interview preparation is important, ultimately, you cannot anticipate every question you may be asked. Case in point: one of my interviewers asked me over 30 questions, with no pause in between, on topics ranging from the performance of the economy over the past four years to how a hamburger should be cooked. Needless to say, this was stressful – however, it was also fun, because I never knew what the interviewer was going to throw at me next.

It’s going to be a Superday – I have just been invited to a second round interview for an analyst position. Interviews are scheduled from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and there will be a technical review session that morning. Between now and then, you will find me brushing up on all of my finance and accounting knowledge.

Like I mentioned earlier, there is no possible way to prepare for every interview scenario. Furthermore, none of us will be perfect in all of our interviews; you may give a less than eloquent response, answer a question incorrectly, or have to admit ‘I don’t know’. However, my best advice is to stay positive, regardless of what happens. If you stumble over one question, brush it off and approach the next one with confidence and enthusiasm. While being energetic and enthusiastic won’t guarantee you the job, not conveying those emotions may lose you the job. Interviewers want to see how you react under pressure; if you become frustrated or dejected, they may be hesitant about bringing you on as a new member of their team.

Have you had any interesting or unique interview experiences?