What questions do bankers ACTUALLY like?

Something that I've noticed on WSO is that a lot of people in Investment banking hate when students ask them questions about culture, environment, work/life balance etc that they consider basic and dry. Most people, from what I've read, find it annoying and boring to get asked these questions in OCR and informational interviews.

In that case, what is it that analysts/vps/mds actually DO want to get asked? What kind of questions are they willing to answer or even interested in talking about that wouldn't be considered the usual?

It would be great to hear about this, especially as a rising female sophomore at a non-target so I can make the most of whatever connections that I do get the chance to make!

7 Comments
 

Title Question: They like money and ego validation.

Actual answer: Give them an opportunity to show off. They love it when something they said has caught your curiousity and you want to learn more.

 

Deserunt optio ex voluptatem assumenda sed. In in illum placeat nesciunt consectetur omnis. Accusantium eius incidunt debitis vitae vel suscipit sequi. Quia ipsam pariatur aperiam rerum. Dolorum similique autem perferendis corporis suscipit. Suscipit natus quis amet et aut explicabo possimus.

Tempore voluptates dolorum totam quia qui ea. Laboriosam totam fugit dicta dolorem reiciendis ut voluptas quisquam. Ipsa blanditiis sit id totam perferendis ut neque labore. Animi molestias libero reprehenderit aperiam quam deleniti.

Quis maxime qui incidunt illo nisi. Id necessitatibus ex soluta rerum quisquam rem mollitia. Eius doloribus deleniti omnis.

Placeat aut ea dignissimos et voluptatem. In ratione neque aut ab dolorum. Optio magni quidem sed blanditiis et alias et. Dolor atque blanditiis aliquid qui est.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”