Private Bank Banker Analyst

I originally applied on the JPMorgan website on May 19th 2014 for the JPMorgan Private Bank HNW Bank Analyst position in New York. I followed up immediately with a recruiter via email on the Asset Management Staffing team in Chicago and was contacted the next day to set up a phone interview with her. The phone conversation was set up for May 22th, but was rescheduled to May 23rd due to a conflict on her end. After the phone screen interview, she sent me a pre-hire form to fill out and asked me to send an unofficial transcript. Once those were sent back to her, she confirmed that the team in NY was reviewing the candidates and that she would get back to me shortly. On June 5th I followed up to see where the process was, and she responded with the same response as before, "the team was still reviewing candidates and that she would let me know." On June 11th I received a notification that I had not been selected for the NY office. From this point I emailed her and asked her to let me know if anything else opens up within the Private Bank. I was open to any location.

Right when I thought I had lost a great opportunity she gave me a call a few weeks later and said there was a spot open with the Private Banking HNW group in San Francisco and that she would send my resume through to the team. Things worked out and I had my first scheduled group phone interview with a VP and 1st-year Associate on July 2nd. The call went well and lasted about 30-35 min. A week had passed and I was then contacted by phone by the Staffing Coordinator on July 9th. She told me both the VP and Associate enjoyed the conversation and that they wanted me to speak the rest of the team. (This is where I think I lost out). The Staffing Coordinator stated that because I live a 10 hours away from SF, I should do the next set of interviews on the phone, rather than fly in. Regretfully, I accepted and did not fly up to the office. Regardless, I had my first interview with a 3rd-year Associate on July 15th, my second interview with the Analyst I was going to replace on the 16th (she wanted to move down to LA and work as an investor analyst, not a banking analyst), and third interview with another VP on the 17th (rescheduled from the 16th due to his workload). All three went as planned and I was feeling confident. On July 18th, the original recruiter I spoke with emailed me and asked me to formally apply for the job through the JPMorgan website linked. I did. On July 21st, I followed up to see where the process was and on July 23rd she confirmed that I had not been chosen to proceed, but promised to let me know if another city opens up a spot. I am currently waiting to hear from her regarding three other cities. I also decided to follow up with the 3rd-year Associate, just to get some feedback on how I can improve for next time. He he was very reassuring. He stated that he thought I would be a great person to be around and work with on the team and that he had no major criticisms of my interview, but to keep trying and not give up.

In terms of the organization and planning for the interviews, I feel JPMorgan was very responsive and gave me a good amount of notice before each phone interview to prepare, etc.. They had to reschedule two interviews, but that really had no effect on the process as a whole.

The culture seemed fantastic, I asked every single one of the interviews what they thought about the office / their coworkers and all of them loved the place. Relaxed environment compared to NY, yet they still get their shit done. Stressed teamwork. The associate I clicked with most said the analyst and associates go to Tahoe during the winter to ski/snowboard - great plus.

For advice, a few things:
1. Always, always ask to go to the office (obviously if you are in a different city) even if they don't offer to fly you out. I think that was my biggest mistake. Meeting in person allows you to make impression and build a better rapport with the interviewer. If you are passionate about the opportunity, your tone of voice and your body language will convey that desire. A phone interview is limits you to only the voice.
2. Follow up and be persistent. I could've easily quit after losing out on the NY opportunity and I have definitely not lost yet because I will continue to follow up with the friendly recruiter.
3. Stay relaxed and be yourself. Don't memorize answers, I figured that out mid-way through the interviews.
4. Build a rapport with the interviewers and always ask what they do away from work. Usually at the end of an interview they ask if we have any questions and that's the perfect time to ask questions about the work, etc. but also to gauge who you will be working with. Ending the interview on a high note with a discussion about a topic both you and the interview like might give you a little edge because they will remember that guy who likes snowboarding, doing a triathlon, etc.
5. Questions never got too technical. The "technical" questions were pretty much tell me about the markets, whats your view on the markets. The rest were the standard fit questions.

Lastly, for Private Banking, you don't need to be a model expert or number cruncher. It comes down to if they like you and if you demonstrated the confidence/experience to present and be articulate in front of clients. I hope this review helps others that are trying to break into PB, since there is not that much information online.