Summer Analyst

I applied online through the Barclays careers portal early in the cycle. After submitting my application, I received a confirmation email almost immediately, but there wasn’t any direct communication from a recruiter at that stage. The process felt fairly standardized and somewhat impersonal early on.

A few days later, I was invited to complete an SHL online assessment. This was the first real filter in the process and honestly one of the most stressful parts. The test was heavily timed and included numerical reasoning, logical reasoning, and situational judgment questions. The numerical section involved interpreting tables and charts quickly, and I found that time management mattered more than the actual difficulty of the questions. It felt less like a finance test and more like a speed and accuracy screen. I could see how strong candidates might get cut here just based on pacing.

After passing the assessment, I was invited to complete a HireVue interview. This was a one-way video interview where I had around 30 seconds to prepare each answer and about one to two minutes to respond. The questions were mostly behavioral, such as why I was interested in investment banking and why Barclays, along with some questions about teamwork and handling pressure. There was also a question where I had to discuss a recent deal or market trend. The format felt a bit unnatural since I was speaking to a camera instead of a person, but it clearly tested how well I could communicate in a structured and concise way.

A few weeks later, I received an invitation to attend a Superday in New York. The logistics were well organized. Barclays provided clear instructions ahead of time, and the day itself was structured into a series of back-to-back interviews.

During the Superday, I had multiple interviews, each around 30 minutes, with a mix of analysts, associates, and at least one senior banker. The interviews were a combination of behavioral and technical questions. The behavioral portion focused heavily on my story, why investment banking, and why Barclays specifically. They also asked detailed follow-ups on my past experiences, which made it clear they were looking for consistency and depth rather than rehearsed answers.

The technical questions covered standard investment banking topics. I was asked about valuation methodologies, differences between enterprise value and equity value, and basic accounting linkages. There were also some conceptual M&A questions, like how an acquisition could be accretive or dilutive. The technical difficulty wasn’t extreme, but they expected clean, structured answers. It felt less about trying to trip me up and more about confirming I had a solid foundation.

Across interviews, I noticed that Barclays bankers were generally professional and relatively friendly, but more reserved compared to some other firms. The conversations were focused and efficient rather than overly conversational. The culture came across as more balanced and less intense in tone than some other banks, but still very performance-driven.

One thing that stood out was that each interviewer seemed to evaluate independently. Some interviews were more technical, while others were almost entirely behavioral. This made it important to stay consistent across conversations and not rely on one strong interview to carry the process.

After the Superday, I received a decision within a relatively short timeframe. The process overall felt structured, efficient, and somewhat standardized, with heavy filtering early on and more personalized evaluation at the final stage.