Answering “why x firm?” For a small boutique

I’m currently a freshman at a target and I have an interview tomorrow with a very small regional boutique. Does anyone more senior than me know how to answer the question of “why this firm?” when it is clear that I will never work there FT?

 
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Usually it's some mix of:

  • You like that it's a smaller team so you have exposure to the senior bankers (less bureaucracy in the middle) and can take on more responsibilities as presumably deal teams are smaller
  • You like the idea of working with smaller businesses that will require more hands-on engagement by a banker (since many will be run by entrepreneurs or families that won't necessarily have had a ton of experience in M&A situations)
  • If this firm has a specific attachment to a geography you have ties to, then you can play that up as well (desire to be there longer-term)
  • Do some research into this boutique online...do they have a specific niche or area they focus more on?  If you have a legitimate interest there, then play that up as well.
 

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