Odd question...

So I have my first Skype interview in 2 weeks for a summer analyst position at a Middle Market Investment Bank in Madrid. Since it is my first Skype interview, I am overanalyzing and overthinking everything.

In my home office, where I will be interviewed, my bookshelf sits behind me and some of its books are visible when video calling. I have books on finance, economics, and politics from a wide range of authors. Everything from FA Hayek to Hillary Clinton. (Henry Kissinger, Piketty, Krugman, Stiglitz, Robert Reich, Alan Greenspan, etc.) So I was thinking of manufacturing my Background to fit the interview; this will entail arranging specific books so they appear in the shot and perhaps even taping a poster from a Stiglitz conference I attended on the wall in the background. A signed picture of Eugene Fama is also an option.

Am I just overthinking things too much due to this being my first video interview or should I go ahead and arrange some books in the shot, and if so, which ones? Considering it is IB in Europe, should I assume the interviewers will be relatively right wing given their line of work (Hayek, Romney, Greenspan, Ron Paul) or will they be more in tone with the stereotypical European-esque left (Piketty, Clinton, Reich, Stiglitz, Krugman)? Thank you for your advice!

2 Comments
 

You are overthinking this for sure, the books behind you won't matter as long as there isn't something ridiculous that stands out. Staging your background is not necessary, ideally you would just have some sort of blank behind you to avoid distractons, but a bookshelf won't be distracting as long as it is simple. They aren't going to be squinting and trying to look at what books are behind you to read your personality/politics off of that.

Just focus on the interview... connect with the interviewer, sell yourself well, solid technicals, be prepped for spanish (i'm assuming you speak spanish and they are expecting you to use the language?).

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