Losing Superday Offers Because I Sound “Scripted”. Please Help Me, Feeling Hopeless
Hi folks,
Honestly just need to vent and also ask for advice because I got some pretty surprising news. Over the last two weeks I had four Superdays for SA roles. One of them was my dream firm that I’ve been working toward for years.
I just got feedback and apparently I was very close. I was told I was strong technically, knew the firm really well, asked good questions, and was the #1 candidate after the zoom. Still didn’t get the offer.
The feedback that keeps coming up across firms is that my answers sound too recited / too stock, and that there’s nothing particularly interesting or differentiating about me. And tbh that is hitting me harder than any technical feedback ever could.
What’s messing with my head is that I do prepare a lot. I do write out scripts for my behavioral answers (why IB, tell me about yourself, etc.). And I do always say them basically the same way every time. But tbh I thought that was just being prepared. I genuinely believed if I got rejected it would be because I missed a technical or didn’t know something. I never imagined behaviorals were my problem till after I got feedback.
What’s aso lmessing w my head is that I do think my background is pretty interesting. I started building websites when I was 13 and did that for over seven years. Before that I ran a YouTube channel with 120k subscribers. It was just vine compilations but still a cool path for a kid. Then in my second year of university I did a case comp, got a pretty big epiphany moment and pivoted hard into finance.
To me personally that path feels pretty genuine. I usually frame it around learning how to build things, working with clients, building relationships, and then discovering finance later on. I always thought that story was solid. But I guess it comes across as rehearsed.
What makes this even more confusing is that I don’t have this issue in coffee chats or first rounds. When I go for coffee with analysts or associates, I build rapport easily and the convos generally flow. Those coffees usually end on a really good note. So clearly I can be normal and personable. But once I hit Superday, I turn into a robotic geezer and just give generic, polished answers. And apparently that’s costing me offers despite the fact I thought my answers were pretty good.
Now I’m sitting here wondering how I’m supposed to fix this. How do you stop sounding scripted without becoming disorganized? How do you show personality in a Superday without hurting yourself? How do you actually become memorable when everyone is technically strong?
And honestly… how do you deal with losing your dream firm because one director didn’t vibe with your behaviorals?
It really hurts knowing I was that close.
Any advice from people who’ve been through this (or interviewers) would mean a lot.
also recruiting for SA27 here and i had the same exact problem with a few SD where i sounded like a robot. i knew the problem after and immediately fixed eveyrhting, deleted all my scripts and simply jsut wrote down bullet points on what to touch on instead of remembering a script. this allowed me to sound natural and BOOM, got an offer as soon as i fixed it lol
congrats man. I missed out on all of them so I think it's past that point for me now. Not sure what to do. Found out what to fix too late and now I'm sitting here without a job.
MM shops still running and a few BB are still going. Other than that, off-season is possible. It’s over when u give up and not over when u dont
It's ok to have a script but never sound scripted. You either need to work on delivery so you sound natural and conversation or your responses just aren't interesting enough. Search online how to have more engaging and interesting interview responses and incorporate the advice into your behavioral responses
When you apply for front-office roles, coming across as a natural conversationalist is basically evaluating your long term potential to be client facing. Sounds like you had an engineering background? So I imagine you’re technically bright, but we’re not in the business of being “right” most of the time. Most of the time you’re shmoozing clients over dinner, speaking about shifts in the market like a toned down version of Cramer from Mad Money, and presenting the work ultimately done by your juniors. All of that to say is, it’s a skill to take a “script” and turn it into your own, snazzy “performance”.
Ironically, this is why humanities majors, and in the rare case theatre kids tend to do very well if they can handle the technical aspect. The great thing is, it’s just math - and not very complex math at that, so assuming you’re not a fucking idiot — it’s much easier to teach the technical side than the “vibes” side.
My advice: Watch more business television, Fox business, mad money, Bloomberg etc. and follow the industry you’re targeting. Mimic how equity analysts & CEOs deliver their answers. It’s usually compelling, because at the end of the day it’s television, and moving the market depends on the quality of one’s performance. Anyway, you’re very smart - work on your charisma, it’s a real skill!
I never heard of an summer analyst being evaluated for their ability to be client facing other than generally looking professional.
I have heard people ding candidates for feeling too scripted. You just have to try to connect with the interviewer a little more and be more relaxed. Maybe crack a light joke or 2 in the initial small talk phase.
It’s not a red flag ding, it’s a how do we decide between these last few candidates ding. If you don’t have an obvious favorite between a few final candidates, then you start to look for reasons to ding one vs the other. That’s what this is.
Looking professional and being client presentable are basically two sides of the same coin.
We hire summer analysts and hope they become full time analysts. Our full-time analysts often interact directly with the clients at our shop, never independently, but it is a skill we expect to be developed early - could be different in the most massive BBs where you just need warm bodies to churn out materials and nothing else. In the beginning, it’s smart for the analyst to think of their MDs/Partners as their “clients”.
It’s never to early to be mindful about developing that skill set. And our highest ranked analysts are always technically sharp but have demonstrated their ability to present their thoughts well. You’ve provided tactical, near-term advice and I’ve provided big picture, long-term advice - neither of which contradict each other.
Recruiting SA 27 as well. I've made it to a few SD's as well, but have no offer yet (Missed a tech on one and got screwed over by HR despite being ranked crazy high in another, lmao), you aren't alone brah, I get it. It'll buff out, have hope.
Write out your script for a full 2-3 minute response to all of the basic behaviorals. Then, reduce that script to your most important bullet points in a way that flows, Memorize those instead.
I've found that by memorizing a few bullet points, I can let the conversation flow and still be able to get back on topic if I get lost or nervous.
A good example is your resume. When you're walking someone through your resume, you wouldn't list off every bullet point to a T. Instead, you'd just list off a couple of the title lines from top to bottom in a way that makes sense. School → club → internship A → internship B, → your love for "furry fanfictions" as listed on your special interest line (to show them that you're still human, of course).
If you start rambling for too long about internship A, or start stuttering when talking about your club involvement, you can just steer your answer to the next bullet and move on.
Honestly though, I don't think that it's only your answers. A friend of mine who I mocked with had very boring and basic answers to the basic behaviorals the week before his superday. I noticed that he was talking too quickly, and that his tonality was super flat. Over a few days of reminding him to take it at half speed whenever he thought that he was rushing and to change up his tonality when he could, his answers improved and I came to realize that his answers weren't actually that boring, it was just the way in which he was giving his answers. He ended up with the offer, and told me that simply staying cognizant of how you are speaking in the interview was the most important thing he did.
Try to mock with other people and record your answers. You have to remember that your interviewers aren't grading you in the same way your teacher does, there is no real A+ or C- grade that they use to give you an offer. These guys are hiring someone they'll have to teach and sit next to for hours. They don't want to work with someone at 1 am who sounds super boring and monotone. Even if they did want to work with that guy, they probably wouldn't remember that they had even interviewed him when they go to rank candidates anyways.
You need to come in with energy. Your face should be hurting by the end of your interviews from how much you are smiling.
Additionally, the questions at the end can really leave an impression. My best feedback on interviews came from the ones where I prepped very specific questions to ask at the end. Those question are the last thing they will remember, so don't let that opportunity slip away
The majority of my friends who have gotten offers ended up with their super days being very conversational. Two of my friends SD'd at the same firm with practically the same resume and technical knowledge. One ended up talking about duck hunting for the entirety of his 40 minute interview after bringing up a special interest, and the other guy got the basic questions.
I'll let you guess who got the offer.
Good luck!
Doloribus error qui voluptatem assumenda sint. Ab dolor eos voluptas esse vel et eos. Hic non totam ex distinctio modi veritatis inventore. Perspiciatis minus recusandae sit corporis.
Corrupti labore culpa inventore. Nemo autem ex quo incidunt sed commodi.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...