SEC Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed May 2009 (took a day)

I submitted my resume through the SEC website for a Summer Honors Internship Position. I submitted it to a number of locations since each location has a separate hiring committee. The process was simply and I only had the check the city name to ensure that a copy of my application materials were forwarded over.

I was asked to submit all transcripts from undergrad and grad. I am currently in an MBA program. Within a few months, I was contacted by two of the three locations, who conducted a brief initial phone interview. From that point, I was invited to a formal interview which took place over the phone with a panel (expect at least 2 Senior people who will be making the decision, to be on the call -- they all will ask questions).

While your GPA will get you in the door, the SEC looks for items on your resume and/or transcript that indicates you have an interest in the type of work you are doing.

I was asked detail questions about my resume, including what I did at each job, why I decided to leave, why I chose my major and what my future plans are. The best advice I can give is don't say what you think they want to here, be truthful. For example, "This is only a short-term position, why are you interested." If your goal is to work for them full-time, make sure you let them know that it's not a short-term position to you!

In addition, you also need to brush up on your knowledge of some of the new regulations and be able to articulate your opinion/knowledge of them. They will definitely ask. I left the interview feeling unsure about the whole process, because of some of the responses and follow-up questions I was given after each answer. But it all worked out!

After the interview, it took about 1 to 2 weeks to hear back, followed by a ton of paperwork that had to be filled out. You will need to get clearance before you can start, and if your credit report is not together, you will not be working for the SEC. So, if you have chargeoffs, collection items, etc. -- get them taken care of as soon as possible, or at least attempt to make payments on them and/or dispute them, if the dispute is valid.

Out of all the internship experiences I have had, the SEC was the best! The amount of experience and the level of involvement you gain from the SEC can not be easily matched!