I was recently asked, "if you were an animal, which animal would you be?" I responded with, "a goat, because I'll be the greatest summer analyst of all time." The interviewer did not appear amused. Did well on technicals though.
Am I screwed?
Update: I got the offer, but accepted a different one
| +190 | Americas M&A League Table Q2 Updated | 76 | 1h |
| +142 | New Article: Dramatic Slide as UBS #22 (US) & New Leadership Desperately Needed | 36 | 11h |
| +118 | Restructuring: Anti-climactic Experience | 31 | 13h |
| +91 | IB Net Worth / Savings Check | 42 | 1h |
| +78 | A COMPLETE GUIDE TO SUMMER INTERNSHIP RECRUITING | 12 | 2d |
| +65 | Woman who emptied Knicks trashcan on street then stole it was DEI exec, worked at JPMorgan Chase | 12 | 16h |
| +51 | Boutique firm wants access to my LinkedIn? | 40 | 2d |
| +38 | Investment Banking is Hard | 17 | 1d |
| +34 | 2026 VAULT PRESTIGE RANKINGS | 24 | 3h |
| +31 | PWP vs BofA | 24 | 9h |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Actually pretty hilarious.
If they didn't laugh, you probably don't want to be there.
I would have said dragon, though.
Dragon deez nuts over your face
probably cause Greatest Summer Analyst of All Time would be GSAAT not GOAT. ding
pls fix
Haha I always used to ask this at the end of superdays for fun. I never really gave a shit about the answer and usually maintained a stoic composure to mess with whoever was giving the answer. I even had one of the best analysts we had answer with "rat" due to their ability to succeed and thrive in any environment, no matter how vile. While I told him over drinks later that I hated his answer so much, it was never really a tipping point in my intention to recommend an offer. So I guess if your joke didn't land in your mind, don't worry too much lol
Giant Panda
"Rat" is better than some answer like "lion" or "alpha wolf"
Totally. It's a perfect screen to shield against stupid and try-hard answers like that.
What is your panda rationale haha. On the fence with that one
Wtf that rat answer is amazing
I get the point but rats are still horrible creatures and it's still hard to look past that.
Suddenly I feel different about rats
fuck you bitch, rat is a good answer
A long time ago back in the aftermath of the GFC (disregard the title in my profile, I'm old) I had someone ask me a variation of this question.
It was "If [our bank] were an animal, which animal would we be?"
Stupid questions deserve stupid answers, but this interviewer was deliberately being an asshole to me throughout the entire interview (well beyond a stress interview to see how I did under pressure) and I could tell I wouldn't be getting an offer, so I said the first thing that came to mind which was:
"A cockroach, because your bank should be dead, but just won't die." (they had received $25 billion in bailout money)
I still remember the awkward silence and look of astonishment on that clown's face.
P.S. If you are on this site, you know who you are. Fuck you.
BSD answer. I hope guy is on this site
Absolute legend. That’s BofA?
The blue whale. Ya it’s the longest.
A lion because it represents the British Empire (top bucket) or an eagle because it represents the Roman Empire (top bucket) or a dragon because it represents Great Qing (also top bucket).
Where would the French Empire stack?
UBS/DB associate, middle/lower bucket.
How old was the interviewer? Probably a bad idea for VP+. If an analyst didn't find it funny though, they're just lame.
Idk about this, not saying you're wrong but GOAT stopped being funny/cool in 2018. Now it's just overused by mainstream brands, boomers, and other people who are socially behind the times. I'm just not a huge fan of beating a dead horse into oblivion. The use of the word GOAT years after it reached it's peak just signals a lack of originality and frankly comedic laziness. Frankly this answer would've made me cringe a little but I agree with your point and I still probably would've laughed with the guy for not taking such a stupid question too seriously.
Your answer was fine. Dumb questions deserve dumb answers.
If you did well in all other aspects of the interview, then you shouldn't waste your time worrying over this.
A banker that dings you over this answer will be one that compels you to write out a "Quit as a first year analyst" post on WSO next year.
I really wish more people at the analyst level understood that surviving long-term in IB even at a "lesser" bank is 1000x more financially lucrative than doing a 2 year stint at an elite shop and burning out. The money you make as a senior banker will make your analyst comp seem inconsequential. Thus, it would be prudent to find a group that you fit in well with, and people you can tolerate being around for 80-100 hours/week.
Remember, life is long. Retirement age for my generation is 70 yo.
For your generation, it will probably be 75 yo.
LOL by then we’ll know inflation is transient
Fuck that. Who wants to be working 80-100 hrs a week until they’re 70?
“I’m a perma bull!”
“If you were an animal, what animal would you be?”
”Human. What else are you interviewing for this role?”
Hahahhaha that’s good
Funnily enough this is the exact answer I gave in a software dev interview - the guy prefaced the question with "this may be out of the blue, but don't worry". Stupid question, blunt answer.
Perfect answer to demonstrate you have zero sense of humour or social skills. Would sir prefer a quant role?
Sir it’s called deadpan comedy
it's funny bc you just demonstrated the same thing about yourself lmao
If you have said greatest of all time, I would've found it funny and chill. But since you said specifically greatest SUMMER ANALYST of all time, it kinda came across as: 1. Not too funny as you are not being subtle with the joke 2. Make you sound like hardo.
Having said that, I don't think it's a ding.
Honestly that’s a pretty Witty joke, if they didn’t laugh it’s on them not because there was something wrong with your joke
By 'did not appear amused' did the interviewer scowl or give some passive-aggressive response (e.g, 'well, that certainly is interesting')?
Either way, if they ding you solely based on this response, then--frankly--that's on them. I got a chuckle out of it and it shows you can actually add some levity to a stuffy conversation.
I am a mix between an elephant and a koala. Because I have the relephant koalifications
You are not alone. I was once asked "how many basketball balls could you fit in this room?"
I looked around and said: "mmm, at least 3" (I mean, I was technically not wrong)
There was a confusing silence (he didn't get the joke) and then I actually answered the question. The interviewer didn't laugh at the joke, he smiled not to make it more awkward. I honestly thought it was funny (I still do), maybe I didn't deliver the joke that good.
Curious how others here would have reacted to my answer?
This is not some fucking brainteaser.
FUCK everyone who asks questions like that.
Kangaroo - lots of energy, nurturing to juniors, willing to throw punches when necessary
Not just an animal, but a beast. Specifically, your mother’s Latino lover.
I get the joke, I don't think it's funny. It's just corny and low effort. This is a common interview question and it seems you prepared for it in advance. If I heard it, I'd probably be pissed off cuz I hear this BS year after year when I'm interviewing, and it's used mainly by the low brow candidates. I speak from experience.
You know who calls everything the GOAT? My 12 year old nephew. Whenever I hear somebody say GOAT, it's so cringe. The word GOAT is overused and is something I'd see in instagram comments or overhear at the barber shop.
If you really wanted a funny joke, there are probably way better animal jokes out there.
That is not that bad, since it was answering a less important question. I remember making a passive-aggressive joke on an important question and getting the job.
I saw it on the internet and I think it is hilarious. An interviewer asked me what my biggest weakness was, and I told him that it was that I feel the urge to always say the truth. He took the bait and said that that wasn't a weakness, and I replied that I didn't give a damn about what he thought.
It was amazing to see his facial expressions changing: from incredibility to anger to realization to laughter.
Thinking about it, I was extremely lucky that the interviewer was that sharp.
That's hilarious, not sure who pissed in your interviewer's cheerios.
Earum cumque esse voluptatum rem. Reiciendis illum quis ipsam assumenda voluptate et esse error. Cumque suscipit voluptatem dolor eaque quas. Aut quidem magnam recusandae dicta consequatur corporis. Facere mollitia voluptatem asperiores illo aut in.
Laudantium sint quia quasi dolore et ut. Sequi iusto non facilis consequatur. Error vero laborum rerum ipsum adipisci magnam. Dicta et id libero quasi velit assumenda. Doloribus consectetur quasi vero consequatur. Ducimus voluptatem incidunt nostrum iusto distinctio voluptas.
Repellat cupiditate modi qui nihil rerum. Fugit aut aliquid ex soluta facere laudantium et. Laudantium nihil deleniti magni. Culpa cumque ipsam reiciendis velit est enim.
Ut exercitationem nihil occaecati dolores ullam ea. Tenetur in odio rerum quia non qui reiciendis. Sed a et odio sit sed autem voluptatem ut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Et dolore ipsum ea nesciunt a nihil sit ipsam. Quo deserunt nihil dolore impedit quam est ducimus. Ab et modi accusamus vero voluptates sint dolor.
Amet enim officiis nesciunt illum est voluptatem quis. Corporis quod facere qui non consequatur cupiditate qui.
Ut qui sapiente et aut. Aut quaerat non ut eos ut ea. Rerum itaque veritatis quia at ut accusamus.
Id quo dolorem voluptatum rerum. Odio vel ea unde quidem. Et in aut deleniti voluptas.
Minima ratione placeat ut asperiores. Amet in amet occaecati sit mollitia fugit et. Cupiditate deserunt perspiciatis et eos est. Eum debitis architecto ullam. Voluptas quos voluptates et voluptas cum. Voluptas accusamus ipsa sapiente.
Est amet aliquid quia et est incidunt consequatur commodi. Animi voluptas quia reiciendis nam et sed eligendi. Asperiores maxime inventore optio quas tenetur.