Question for interviewers what makes you decide on a candidate over others? How do you stand out?
So I’m a senior at a target. I have great experience on my resume which has led me to many interviews. I’ve made it to final rounds nearly every time but am struggling to convert. I’ve reflected and I think that I’m not interviewing correctly if I’ve been to so many finals but haven’t converted. Im looking for help on how to convert. What makes you want to choose one candidate over another? What is the main thing you look for when it’s a final round interview that makes you think “this is the guy or girl I’m taking”?
not an interviewer but in a club that works directly with recruiting teams
how are you's? you better make some very good small talk to set the tone for the rest of the interview. that is THE airport test in the first 2-3 minutes.
tell me about yourself? this has to be perfect and straight from the heart. who are you, where do you go? where do you come from? what's special about you that you want your interviewers to know about, and what set you on your college/investment banking (short and concise)? do some soul searching about why you're really here. then mention a couple of your strongest experiences in an organized timeline, and then your interests
why IB? this isn't an optional question where you can just say generic things, despite what WSO/M&I says. start with a personal story about how you became interested in finance, whether it be helping businesses grow or finding the intrinsic value of stocks, then found out about how investment banking would be a great fit for you. then, what have you done to further your knowledge of investment banking, and what will you do to learn more about investment banking in the next year?
why this firm? you better have had networking calls and be able to relate with what they said to what you're specifically looking for in a firm. the answer goes: this firm used to be surface-level to you, you wanted to learn more about it, now you found out what really defines it by networking calls.
technicals? mock interview a lot, and fill in the holes later, so that you understand the questions fundamentally
also just having an MD referral works too
When you’re doing the tell me about yourself, should you really speak from the heart and make it real? I feel like what I’ve been doing was just recapping my resume and showing what led to my interest in ib. It may not be authentic enough and too boring. What are examples of really speaking from the heart?
I had no idea I wanted to go to college until my senior year, I grew up in a different world than business and the big city, I literally didn't know what finance was but I ended up going to college for it because the literal idea of it, the impact I could have, sounded interesting and my friend told me to do it. I chose my college (non-target) because of a purpose higher than just me.
As for your strong experiences, speak on how they impacted you. They can see your material impact on your resume, but they also want to know why you did them and how they actually helped you become a better person -> public speaking, professionalism, etc.
All this was more or less in my TMAY or follow ups. It's my story, told authentically, and that's what makes it stand out
That makes so much sense. Could I pm you an example of a story that really led me to finance? I think I am starting to get a better understanding of how I am not really being my authentic self but more so just recapping my resume which is boring tbh.
shore
Here’s an example: “I became interested in making a shit ton of money.”
I was roped into doing a bunch of super days last year and if you’re consistently making final rounds I think that means you’re a strong candidate and it could randomness not leading to a concrete offer.
When I am assigned the technical interview I stay away from the usual 400 questions and try to ask questions in such a way where the candidate has to understand the concept and can’t just memorize the answer.
For behaviorals, I want to see a kid who can stay calm, talk eloquently, make good eye contact and has a humble demeanor. I also like to see they at least know something about the bank or the group they are interviewing for.
I hope that’s the case. I have been close every time. Final rounds consistently just passed over all the time. Super frustrating because it feels harder to figure out why versus figuring out why you can’t make final rounds. Lot more subjective.
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