Client Solutions Analyst

I had interned at the firm with a different group so already had some contacts at the firm that I reached out to prior to the interview. The firm also came to campus for an info session. I had interviewed with this group the prior semester for a summer analyst position (as well as the group that I ended up interning with over the summer) but did not make it past the first round after having an odd interview in which I wasn't really asked any questions that were particularly relevant to the position (the questions were almost purely behavioral and I was asked about a couple of random things on my resume thad had nothing to do with the job, I was no asked why I was interested in the firm or that specific group).

Therefore, when I interviewed for this group again for the full-time analyst position, I was concerned that I would get a similar interview/same interviewer. I ended up having the same interviewer as the last time but this time around, I did a better job of steering the interview in the direction I wanted to and was able to get across my points about why I wanted to be at that firm and why that group. However, I still feel the questions I was asked were not specific enough to the position and that I wasn't really given the opportunity to provide answers that would allow me to stand out as a candidate. If the interviewer asked similar questions of all interviewees she saw that day, then I have no idea how she could have compared and evaluated us because those questions simply didn't set me up to be able to really show someone my capabilities or my passion.

From my past recruiting and internship experiences with the firm, they do emphasize the culture. It is a definitely a different vibe than would get in banking. The people are incredibly friendly and helpful--even MDs who don't know you will say "Hi" if they walk by your desk or see you in the elevator and ask how your internship has been going far. I got the sense that everyone was very genuine and the structure wasn't nearly as hierarchical as you might see at other firms. Based on the interviews I've had and experiences that my intern friends told me that had, interviews tend to be more fit-based and not very heavy on the technical questions (even for some of the very technical groups like portfolio management or Financial Markets Advisory, they care way more about fit).