What do you say to a question like this...?

"What do you think of the government bailouts? Do you support them?"

And lets say this was asked in an interview by a company like MS, JPM, or GS (or any other company that received a bailout)?

5 Comments
 

I believe a question such as that one is being asked to gauge your level of knowledge of "recent events." You're probably okay as long as you have a compelling answer, regardless of which side you argue for.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 
Best Response

Here is a decent response, I'm assuming that this is GS so bear with me "This is a complicated question as one has to way the effects of moral hazard versus the possibility of collapse. I suspect that Goldman would have come out in a similar position had they not take TARP funds. It seems that there was confidence in the marketplace in Mr. Blankfein's management abilities as Warren Buffet committed several billion dollars to the firm. With the benefit of hindsight, I would say not, but in those chaotic days it was a perfectly rational choice to backstop firms, although I would have done it differently, by allocating money to the broker dealer arms."

 

You should answer what you think. Your values should fit with the values of the people you are working with or you will be very unhappy there and want to leave anyway. People respect candor more than trying to answer what you think they want to hear. Stand apart from all the lackeys and you will probably land more jobs than the brown-nosers.

Peace Out
 

Ut autem voluptates aliquam ut laudantium velit. Eum nisi delectus ullam incidunt nemo. Ea provident commodi quos quas est ut voluptas. Tenetur tempore et iste recusandae ea commodi.

Illo qui provident beatae ut mollitia sunt. Reprehenderit harum ut labore. Facilis assumenda earum repudiandae aut a.

Quis et et consequatur ea dolore ipsam facere. Modi minus dolorem culpa nihil magnam. Voluptatem id quos non error necessitatibus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”