Public Financial Management Interview Questions

9 total interview insight submissions
Interview Experience (79%)

The Interview Experience is a score from 1 star (very negative) to 5 stars (very positive) generated based on the Interview Insights at this company.

The number you see in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. If you hover over the various sections of the donut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few interview insights). Simply put, as a company gets more reviews, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire dataset.

3.7
  • Very Negative
  • Negative
  • Neutral
  • Positive
  • Very Positive
Interview Difficulty (76%)

The Interview Difficulty is a score ranging from very difficult (red) to very easy (green) generated based on the Interview Insights at this company.

The number you see in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. The higher the number, the more difficult the interviews on average. If you hover over the various sections of the doughnut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few interview insights). Simply put, as a company gets more insights, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire data set.

2.7
  • Very Easy
  • Easy
  • Average
  • Difficult
  • Very Difficult
% Interns - FT Offers (26%)

The % of Interns Getting a Full Time Offer chart is meant to provide a realistic estimate of the hiring practices of the company based on the reviews at this company.

The number you see in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. If you hover over the various sections of the doughnut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few reviews). Simply put, as a company gets more reviews, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to the simple company average and away from the average of the entire data set.

10%
  • 0%
  • 10%
  • 20%
  • 30%
  • 40%
  • 50%
  • 60%
  • 70%
  • 80%
  • 90%
  • 100%

Interviews at Public Financial Management

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Year
Job Title
Group/Division
Location
Experience
Difficulty
Intern
Year 2017
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Public Finance
Location Philadelphia
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Easy
Student / Prospective Monkey
Year 2017
Job Title Student / Prospective Monkey
Group/Division N/A
Location Philadelphia
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Easy
1st Year Analyst
Year 2015
Job Title 1st Year Analyst
Group/Division Public Finance
Location Phoenix
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Easy
3rd+ Year Analyst
Year 2011
Job Title 3rd+ Year Analyst
Group/Division Public Finance
Location Philadelphia
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2013
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Public Finance
Location Philadelphia
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Easy
1st Year Analyst
Year 2013
Job Title 1st Year Analyst
Group/Division Asset Management
Location Harrisburg
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Average
1st Year Analyst
Year 2012
Job Title 1st Year Analyst
Group/Division
Location Ann Arbor
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2012
Job Title Intern
Group/Division
Location Philadelphia
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Average
Consultant
Year 2011
Job Title Consultant
Group/Division
Location Philadelphia
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Difficult

Interview Questions & Answers - Public Financial Management Examples

Summer Intern Interview - Public Finance

Anonymous interview candidate in Philadelphia
Interviewed: October 2017
Date Submitted: Nov 30, 2017
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
2-3 months
Application
Phone Interview
Group Interview
Interview
Applied through my college's career portal, and had an on-campus interview about two weeks later. Most questions were behavorial, and "Why PFM?" Nothing too out of the blue. I then didn't hear from them for 2 months, was contacted randomly to chat with two of their HR on the phone. Haven't heard back since.
Interview Questions
No questions were really that terribly difficult. I would just recommend knowing how to best answer the "Why PFM?" question and knowing what it is they do. Other than that, I got a lot of behavioral questions like "tell me a time when..." or "how does this experience relate..." etc. Come well-dressed and smiling. I ended up flirting with two of the ladies that interviewed me, lol. Unfortunately, those two were analysts and so the main lady (the MD) probably wasn't very impressed. Main point I would say is talk slow and smile.
Sample Answer

intern Interview

Anonymous interview candidate in Philadelphia
Interviewed: 2017
Date Submitted: Feb 07, 2017
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
Two on one interview at my college career center. It was very conversational and relaxed. No technicals.
Interview Questions
there weren't any unexpected questions. these were mainly the commonly asked "tell me about a time you showed leadership" type thing. No technicals or even current events questions. You really just need to know your resume very well and have a good reason for wanting to go into public finance. Both of my interviewers were my college alumni and the interview was more conversational than others. IT would probably be very helpful to have a good story of what led you to study what you did, go to the school you went to.
Sample Answer

Analyst Interview - Public Finance

Anonymous interview candidate in Phoenix
Interviewed: December 2015
Date Submitted: Jan 22, 2016
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Skills Test
Interview
I first submitted an application online which resulted in a recruiter contacting me for an interview. I took a math assessment test and after a long wait got scheduled for an interview with a couple of senior consultants and a managing director. No technicals were asked, just fit as to why public finance.
Interview Questions
1. Why you wanted to work at a financial adviser over an investment bank. If you weren't exposed to the industry just as a college student this would be difficult. However, knowing the roles of a financial adviser is critical as opposed to the underwriter.

2. Why you chose to go to the school you did. I went to a non target so at first I thought they were trying to criticize me, but afterwards I learned that most PFM employees did not come from target schools like a lot of banks do, which would have been nice to know in hindsight.
Sample Answer

Analyst Interview - Public Finance

Anonymous employee in Philadelphia
Interviewed: December 2011
Date Submitted: Sep 26, 2015
Outcome
Accepted Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
2-3 months
Application
1 on 1 Interview
Skills Test
Interview
Pretty standard interview process with only fit questions. Similar to questions in other interviews such as tell me about yourself and tell me about a prior teamwork experience. One on campus interview and then three rounds of interviews in Philadelphia. Everyone was nice and wanted to genuinely learn more about you. Relatively small company so they expect a fair amount from their analysts.
Interview Questions
No difficult questions. Standard fit questions that are typical in every investment banking interview.
Sample Answer

Intern Interview - Public Finance

Anonymous interview candidate in Philadelphia
Interviewed: 2013
Date Submitted: Sep 24, 2014
Outcome
Declined Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
Interview
Interview process conducted through on campus recruiting. Selected a number of candidates for on campus first rounds. Only one round of interviews.
Interview Questions
Why are you interested in public finance, and what specifically do you think that public finance is?
Sample Answer

analyst Interview - Asset Management

Anonymous employee in Harrisburg
Interviewed: November 2013
Date Submitted: Aug 12, 2014
Outcome
Accepted Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
1 on 1 Interview
Group Interview
Interview
I interviewed with one managing director for 30 minutes on campus as a first round interview. The second and final interviews took place in the Harrisburg office (they'll pay for your transportation out there) and consisted of 2 interview with 2 managing directors each, and each interview lasted about 45 minutes - hour. the next day I received phone call with an offer and paperwork in the mail. They gave me 2 weeks to consider the offer.
Interview Questions
A lot of questions about experience working with groups, overcoming challenges, and typical interview questions along the lines of "describe a time…"
The last interview was mostly behavioral type questions about how I have reacted and would react to situations. I was also asked about my values and characteristics and which I thought were the most important.
Sample Answer

Analyst Interview -

Anonymous employee in Ann Arbor
Interviewed: May 2012
Date Submitted: Mar 12, 2013
Outcome
Accepted Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
Group Interview
Skills Test
Interview
Applied on Univ. website and got a phone call to take an online math test. Online test consisted of stuff through high school algebra 2. Got called in for an interview about two weeks later that was 1 on 2.
Interview Questions
Describe a time when you had to 'pick up the ball' and go with it?
Sample Answer

Intern Interview -

Anonymous interview candidate in Philadelphia
Interviewed: 2012
Date Submitted: Feb 13, 2013
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
IQ / Intelligence Test
Interview
Started with a phone interview. Lasted about 30 minutes. Simply walked through resume from start to finish. Everyone was extremely nice.
Interview Questions
Mostly typical interview questions. Definitely need a strong reason for "why public finance?" and obviously "why PFM?"
Sample Answer

Consultant (Financial Advisory) Interview -

Anonymous employee in Philadelphia
Interviewed: 2011
Date Submitted: Aug 24, 2012
Outcome
Accepted Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Other
Interview
Superday at the Phil. headquarters. Multiple interviews with groups of MDs from offices across the country. Mostly character/experience-based interview process, no brainteasers/overt quantitative questions
Interview Questions
Tell us about an experience where you had to display leadership in the face of adversity, and other questions of that sort.
Tell us about a time when you failed at something and what you did as a result, and other questions of that sort.
Sample Answer