Goal of the interview?

I have a question for some of those who are in banking and maybe in particular those who conduct interviews - either first round or superdays.

What are the best things to try to get across in the interview? Do I want to showcase my enthusiasm for the job? Do I want to showcase how great my work experience is, and how much responsibility I've been given by others? Do I want to show why I am better for the job than everyone else? Do I want to get across my extreme technical knowledge?

I know interviews are a lot of bragging, but should a point be made not to try to be too arrogant? There are a lot of different ways to frame your answers, and the fact that I tend to be wordy I think is hurting me a bit. I am the kind of person that can bring every answer back to why I'm the best and why I'm interested in banking and why they should pick me.

Do you get annoyed when someone does this? Should I do my best just to answer the questions fully, and try to remain a bit humble while also making sure to fully credit myself for all of my accomplishments?

Sorry if this seems a little broad or vague, but hopefully you all can understand where I'm coming from here. I have a lot of interviews coming up and I just want to make sure that I'm approaching them in the right way.

As an addendum, are there certain questions you want asked when it is our turn to ask the questions? I was criticized in my first superday for asking questions that were too "big picture" by an associate, who said that I should only be concerned about the people and the culture, and not about the firm in general and where it is going and the state of the market. Should I try to stay in culture questions to associates/analysts and with bigger picture stuff for MD's/VPs?

Thanks for any help on this issue.

1 Comments
 
Best Response

Eius odio illum consequatur doloribus aperiam. Nemo consectetur non blanditiis iusto molestiae occaecati repellendus. At sed commodi vel accusamus. Suscipit non rerum hic sunt asperiores recusandae tenetur ut.

Nemo sed quos quibusdam veritatis doloremque nihil nesciunt quia. Eum error sit tempora suscipit tenetur vel cum. Ea unde adipisci dolores dolore. Assumenda mollitia consequatur voluptatem tenetur reiciendis. Rerum similique quasi facere laudantium.

Et animi quidem dolor corrupti. Ad aliquam voluptas nulla et et qui ea. Totam quo sed et quia ipsam sint. Ipsum enim est cumque. Quia odio doloribus magni.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”