Intern

Teams Video Interview 30 minutes. I was contacted directly on a Monday by an Associate within the team I had applied to. He asked whether I would be available for an interview that day or the following day, and we arranged it for the next day.

The interview lasted approximately 35 minutes and was primarily focused on fit, my previous experience and commercial awareness. The first 5–10 minutes involved going through my CV in quite a bit of detail, particularly my most recent experience, and discussing my interests and what motivated me to pursue GCM.

There were no technical questions, brainteasers or maths questions. Instead, a significant part of the interview focused on commercial awareness. I was asked about three key macroeconomic stories currently happening and what was going on in the markets, particularly how these developments were affecting the bond market. The interviewer also followed up on several points I mentioned, asking me to elaborate on certain topics and explain my reasoning. It felt quite conversational, but he was clearly paying attention to the detail of my answers.

There were also behavioural questions around working with difficult individuals and dealing with challenges in the workplace. I was asked to give examples of a time I had encountered difficulties with colleagues, how I had approached the situation and how I had handled challenges within a team. The interviewer followed up by specifically asking for an example involving a team situation, so it is worth having a few examples prepared that demonstrate teamwork, communication and conflict resolution.

The final part of the interview was dedicated to my questions.

Overall, I found the interview fairly relaxed and conversational, although the interviewer did probe quite deeply into things I mentioned, so it is important to be able to back up everything on your CV and explain your interests properly. I would recommend preparing your motivations for DCM, being up to date with three major macroeconomic developments and understanding how they feed through into interest rates, credit markets and bond issuance. I would also prepare a few strong behavioural examples, particularly around teamwork and handling difficult situations.

My overall impression was that the interview was much more focused on fit, genuine interest in the markets and commercial awareness than on testing technical knowledge. The interviewer was engaged and gave me the opportunity to ask questions throughout the process.