I just got my first interview at a middle-market bank.. It's my first ever interview. I feel like I have the modeling and other technicals down, but I have no clue what to answer to "tell me about yourself" and "why investment banking" without lying or giving a boring, typical answer. Do you have any advice? By the way, I already read other posts and pages on websites on this topic; still unsure. Also, what should I expect from the first on-campus round? And should I take on a very serious and concise tone or be more laid back and appeal more to the fit aspect of the interview? Again, I know this has been covered many times, but I'd still appreciate your input
Thanks for any advice.
Pancakes,
I truly have not had any IB/ST interviews, however I feel that I can help you out a bit on this. First, research the firm you are interviewing for. Try to find information about them, how many hours they work, what their culture is like, backgrounds of the people that work there etc. You can use this information to make assumptions about the people that look there. Use that as a starting point and let the interview guide you from there on how to act/approach things.
As for your questions, "Tell me about yourself" is your two minute commercial. I am sure you heard this before but let me remind you to focus on where you come from and what accomplishments you have made in your life etc. I have heard its generally good to stick within the two to three minute answer for that question.
For "why investment banking" focus on explaining to them how much you will learn in your stint and that it outweighs anything else you could do. Something like "I know I will learn about the industry during my stint as an analyst than I could have ever learned elsewhere" Of course change and mold that to help. Talk about the pro's of IB and why you are interested in it.
Tell me about yourself - walk them through your resume... Dont give them a life story, but start with either highschool (IF you arent a Junior or Senior, if you held any leadership positions, was a member of the finance club etc) or college and talk about relevant activities that pertain to whatever job you are are applying for. Emphasize your relevant courses and something you liked about them, and how you could apply that to your job.
Why investment banking - this is completely up to you, we cannot help answer this question for you. Some people do it because they love it. They love the rush, reading the WSJ, staying up on financial news and being involved in the firm and market place. Others do it purely for the money - Ivy league grads from MIT or other prestigious schools who pull 3.9GPAs and are good at pretty much anything they do.
If I were you I would try to speak to as many people from the industry as possible. Contact alumni, go to career events and networking opportunities to get an insight from the people actually working there. Regarding questions posted above, try to find good examples to your answers. Often firms look into skills such as problem solving, leadership, influence, team-work. Finally, you should be prepared for some brain teasers and technical valuation questions.
lol I'm afraid if I tell them that I enjoy finance in general and staying on top of the markets and whatnot, they'll ask me "so why not S&T?" and I'll be screwed (how can you make 12 hours/day of Excel/ppt sound fun?). Not only that; if I throw in that I see it as a learning experience, they might think I either don't know the ropes enough or that I just see the internship as a stepping stone to some other area in finance or to some other bank.. anyway I guess I'll just have to go for the typical response for this question
Thanks for your replies.
Facilis ut impedit atque sint et est corrupti. Quibusdam facilis ex odio atque optio labore. Iure qui quia sint et dignissimos omnis.
Ut voluptatum sed temporibus ea quos. Commodi reprehenderit est consequatur possimus odit error. Autem esse dolor eum sunt repudiandae suscipit. Voluptatem voluptatem non maxime cumque aut. Natus aut repellat adipisci dignissimos nisi. Repudiandae quis id non nesciunt quibusdam sed. Quia libero porro voluptatem molestiae ad quia nobis.
Nemo non deserunt distinctio quasi est nobis. Velit id et et dolor deleniti sed ex. Perferendis quos blanditiis dolor minus. Sit non nobis hic est rerum corporis commodi.
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...