UK debt advisory and restructuring

First round interview via Microsoft Teams, 30 minutes. Panel consisted of one member of the Early Careers team and an Assistant Director from the Debt Advisory and Restructuring team.
Format was competency based with commercial understanding questions. Questions included: tell me about yourself, why Rothschild, why DA&R, what makes Rothschild different from competitors, what do analysts do day to day beyond financial modelling, and standard competency questions around leadership and teamwork.
Fairly conversational in tone but the DA&R banker pushed on commercial knowledge and deal awareness. Thames Water came up. Recommend preparing specific deals the team has worked on and being able to speak to the current debt market environment.
Overall a well structured process behavioural test before interview stage, then first round with both HR and a desk banker simultaneously.