Let’s face it: interviewing for a brokerage position in New York City isn’t the same as other professional interviews, especially in today’s economic climate. Here are some of Michael King’s tips for making the most of your retail brokerage industry interview.

Read The News

It seems like a no-brainer, but before you walk through the door of your dream company for that all-important interview, make sure you’re completely up to speed on what’s going on in the global financial market. You need to go a little deeper than just skimming the headlines in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, though. Most CEOs and other senior managers are going to be looking for more than a basic understanding of what’s going on: they’re going to expect you to have considered insights into the current economic situation. Making it a practice to read reliable industry news sources and analyses on a daily and weekly basis will not only help you land a brokerage job, it will help you better perform that job and assimilate into the new corporation’s culture once you’re hired.

Keep Up To Date & Review Old Knowledge

Make sure you’re familiar with the latest standards in the brokerage industry, but please do take some time to review financial basics, especially if you’ve been in a specialized position for a number of years. Reviewing textbooks and guides, attending continuing education workshops or seminars, and networking with trade-group members will go a long way to helping you develop into a fully rounded and evolving professional.

It’s In The Details

If you’ve added to past employers’ bottom line over the years, make sure to include a list of statistics that demonstrates that value to bring with you to the interviews. Merely claiming that you’ve added to the bottom line won’t cut it.

But What Does It Mean For Them?

In a similar vein, make sure to demonstrate how your particular past experiences bring specific value to a company’s current needs. In today’s budget-conscious financial climate, everyone wants to know what specific and immediate value you can bring to their business.

Be Honest

Those of us in the financial industry need to be extra careful about integrity these days. That’s why you need to be scrupulously honest in both your application materials and your interview. Remember, in today’s world of social networking, its really easy for an employer to not only verify that what you say in your resume about your past experiences is true, but it’s also easy for her to check out your professional network and ensure that you really know who you say you do. Exaggerating your relationships will not only fail to land you the job you’re interviewing for, but it also may sully your chances for future positions at other companies as well.

For more information on how to secure your ideal position in the brokerage industry contact Michael King Associates now.