I recently had my first round interview with two analysts at BlackRock for FT 2018 and they had an interesting approach. It was for the Aladdin Client Services, and was with two analysts, 30 minutes each, back to back. It was supposed to be a video interview, but their Hirevue system was having issues, so we did it over the phone. That worked out in my favor, because of the interviewing strategy they used.
The first analyst started by introducing herself and talked about the role and the product. The fact that the video did not work went to my advantage, because I felt less self-conscious about writing down what she was saying - turns out the second analyst quizzes you on what the first one talks about, I am assuming, to see how well you can retain and summarize information. The analysts asked me the same questions: tell me about yourself/walk thru resume, why finance and technology interests you, why the role, a time you used technology in school, etc. The second analyst also asked me to explain to him a complex concept in a simple way, to see how well I can teach people. Overall it was an enjoyable experience, though I felt like I fumbled and stumbled a bit on some questions.
I have not had many interview experiences (actually this was my first one), but this seemed like a unique approach. Have you guys encountered a similar approach? I want to hear about some other unique interview strategies you have encountered! Also, I have my first proper finance internship coming up in the Fall, but forgot to mention that. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?
