Why should I hire you instead of the people outside?

so I got this interview question during an interview with a MD.

How would you guys answer it?

I basically just fed the bs.

  1. teamwork - gave example
  2. dedicated - gave example
  3. attention to detail - gave example
  4. interest in finance - gave example

Or are they looking for something out of ordinary like I play chess professionally or something?

thx

 

Try not too bs too much. By asking that question MD probably has a specific answer in ind that he wants to hear. As I'm pretty sure there are 20,000 former bankers on the street who can display examples of teamwork, dedication, attention to detail, and interest in finance faaarrr better than you can.


Just my 2c.

__________ Just my 2c.
 
Best Response

I think a few great answers are:

  1. If you come from a non-target stress how it was twice as hard to sit in the same seat as anyone else because getting to this final round or whatever, was tough because you had to reach out to people, make the connections, go to other school's info sessions, whatever.

I also made the argument that though students with liberal arts or non-finance backgrounds are great and come from impressive schools, in this market you've got to take someone who has shown a dedication to the field by studying it.

Remember you need not believe all these things, just sell them like you do. I found these two impressed many MDs who usually said "Usually people just give me some bullshit answer. Thanks".

  1. This one might be a bit riskier, but I think it shows some self-awareness. Tell them that you understand that things will be awful for the next few years. You're not here because of the prestige or for the other reasons usually show up for these jobs. You're here because you understand that being an analyst is an unmatched learning opportunity and you know what you want to learn in the next few years.

I hope that helps. I think this question is really a chance for them to see if you get nervous easily, or if you can get excited when you really have no business being upbeat. You can remind them that showing this kind of gumption for a question as tough as that means you'll be in the right mindset when it really counts for the next two years.

Definitely interested in what others say/have said.

 
Alphaholic:

I also made the argument that though students with liberal arts or non-finance backgrounds are great and come from impressive schools, in this market you've got to take someone who has shown a dedication to the field by studying it.

I agreed with everything except for this. I personally don't think it's a good idea to knock on non-finance majors because who knows, the guy interviewing you may have majored in a non finance degree..or maybe his son/daughter. I think there are ways to convey your passion for finance without saying this.

I think what the interviewer wants to hear is something unique. 9/10 guys will talk about how they are hardworkers/communicators/etc. but you wouldn't have made it to the interview without having that. I know these details are not what they want to hear because often interviewers will now preface this question with "aside from the obvious answers....what differentiates you/why do you deserve the position". I think it's silly that most people will answer with the generic detail/hardworker whatever answer because they are literally asking what make YOU better than these people.

I would typically talk about how I am willing to go the extra 2 steps and endure in order to achieve my goals. Talked about ********/****** (two high endurance sports) then talked about how I transferred schools and double majored to increase my knowledge base and technical background and then moved beyond a part time internship to a full time in order to gain more deal exposure.

Hopefully this helps and I have not given away too much information about myself.

edit removed details that may reveal who I am

 

there's only 3 answers to this. 1. you're smarter than the other candidates 2. you're harder working 3. you're better connected (i.e. a revenue source for the bank)

I always use a mix of 1 and 2 for this question. Highlight my academic success and also talk about my background and how i've worked that much harder to make sure I could compete with people who had more opportunities than I did to get to this point.

btw just in case you're stupid and actually tell him you're better connected, that was a joke. if you're that connected, people will already know by the time you walk into the interview.

 

You should try to come with something a little bit more specific than the traditional platitudes, IMHO. Everyone says stuff like "I'm passionate about this job" and "I'm hard-working". Even if you are all those things, it would be impossible to differentiate you from all the other people saying the same thing. Try to come up with something specific and somewhat unique that qualifies you. Obviously, there should be a limit to your creativity and if you can't come up with anything that sounds convincing, you should fall back on the "hard-working" and "passionate" bits.

My Z$2c...

 

I agree with Martinghoul, but one little caveat: don't try too hard to be different. If your honest answer is that you'd work really hard and you're passionate, go ahead and tell him, even though it may sound platitudinous

 

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