Interview Tips

Having a pretty slow day so decided to write a post about this as there may be some content that is helpful to those who are recruiting.

Your interviewer isn't actively listening to every word you say

Now this obviously changes as you move through the process and get to superdays/later rounds, I am definitely more attentive and focused then. But for networking calls/first rounds, the majority of the time I am doing something else for at least some portion of the phone call. May be reading an email, updating a deck, or some other mindless BS that this job requires troves of, but the important thing is I am not hung up on every word that you are saying, more so focusing on bigger picture/themes of the interview. So, with that in mind, it is important to ensure that you are saying things of substance when you are discussing your background or answering a question. For example, if I ask a student about a previous internship, 3 minutes of rambling and trying to drop as many technical terms as you can about it is not going to be nearly as effective as telling me at a high level what you did, what you learned, and how that applies to this job. On this same point, if you are going to bring something up/have something on your resume, be prepared to talk about it in detail. Have seen many students put something on their resume because it sounds good but are unable to articulate what they actually did.

Make yourself standout/connect with the interviewer 

I have lost count of how many calls I have had with students where it feels like I am speaking to a robot. These calls follow the same pattern, applicants ask basically the same questions, and I am left remembering your name and that the call went fine. As enthralling as it is to hear about your freshman year finance club, that is not going to be what ultimately sets you apart from the other 50 kids and their freshman year finance clubs. There are two types of calls that I really remember after the fact, bad applicants and unique applicants. You obviously do not want to be the first of those two but study your technicals and don't ask insane questions and that is unlikely to happen. Now, being unique takes a bit more finesse, there is a fine line of trying too hard to stand out and coming off as awkward and coming off as a genuine person who I am interested in speaking to. Some things that I have found helpful include:

1. Having a unique hobby that you are genuinely interested in. If an applicant tells me they enjoy cave diving in their free time, that is going to be significantly more interesting to hear about than the other 50 people who enjoy "traveling". Instead of remembering you as Bob from Cornell, you are now Bob from Cornell who cave dives, something that I will remember!

2. Having unique/thought provoking questions for your interviewer. This is something that definitely takes time to think about and prep but is a great opportunity to make yourself standout. People love talking about themselves, but when they have been asked "what their favorite part of working in x group is" 100 times before, the question and answer will likely become stale. This also provides an opportunity for you to steer the interview in a more conversational direction, as long as the questions are appropriate/non-invasive they do not have to be strictly about work. Some of the best interview advice that I ever received was "the longer that you can keep an interview conversational, the better".

3. Do some research about your interviewer and try to come up with a connection. I cannot overstate how much more interested I am in speaking to someone if we have a genuine connection on something. Now, going to the same school as someone helps, but in my experience, hometown, mutual connections, hobbies, or sports teams are typically great routes to pursue. This also ties in to having a good "additional interests" summary on your resume, putting some unique hobbies and a sports team gives me a lot more to ask/talk to you about.

Relax

This always sounds simple, and I know how stressful recruiting can be. But it is important to keep in mind that analysts/associates who you are speaking with are largely just a few years older than you and are not trying to make you screw up. Speak clearly and thoughtfully, make eye contact and have your resume walk/typical questions down pat and you are setting yourself up to succeed. Nerves are not something that you have much control over, but by consciously thinking about these things, you will appear (and probably feel) more confident.

Have a genuine interest

Now, I know that for 99.9% of individuals, investment banking is not what they have wanted to do since they were 10 years old. For many, it is a means to an end, and whether that end be the money, exit opportunities or industry knowledge, there is likely a bigger reason for them joining then "their passion for M&A". However, I have noticed when people are genuinely interested in a specific group/industry, and this often shines through when conducting interviews. If you are fascinated by oil and gas but recruiting for FIG, you're likely not going to show the same enthusiasm when talking about the industries. This is part of a larger point, pursue what you are interested in, chasing a brand name or a more "prestigious" industry group is likely to make you come off as less authentic than the kid interviewing with that group because he loves that industry.