F500 FLDP First round interview, what to expect

I was recently invited to a first round interview for a Finance Leadership Development program position with a east-coast rail company. From what i'v seen so far, I expect this interview to be mostly behavioral, non-technical questions. I know the second round, if a make the cut, will require me to go to their HQ and meet and greet all the important people, kiss some babies, and give a prepared presentation based on a given scenario.

Do any of y'all have any experience with FLDP interviews: what kind of questions should I expect, how should I prepare, what company specific info should I know (other than the normal interview research), etc?

Also how many people from each school will generally get invites to second round interviews? I know only five students from my school are being interviewed, so i'm assuming 1-2 will make the cut, but I'm very confident with my ability to beat them all out.

Thanks.

 

Usually, ~30 people make it to second round at the company I work for. They fly in for 1 or 2 days and have a mix of interview sessions and presentations to sit through and hear how great the company is. You'd be asked both behavioral and technical questions (how does a transaction flow through the 3 statements, what would you need to know before you give a project a green light, why is WACC u-shaped, what would you do if ___, why are you here, what are your career goals,...)

I would guess first round is about fit more than anything else. Do they think your goals align with what the program will provide? Are you an asshole? Are you articulate? Do you seem halfway intelligent and capable of these responsibilities? etc.

Good luck.

I'll do what I can to help ya'll. But, the game's out there, and it's play or get played.
 

I've interviewed with three different F100 for FLDP internships. The ONLY technical question was about how the financial statements are connected. All the other questions have been behavioral.

 
Best Response

I wish I got notifications for replies to comments. Sorry I missed your reply!

I definitely like being in an FLDP. The structured rotation process lets me figure out what I want to do and what I like, and it lets me boost my resume. I also like that I've gotten to move around the country.

FLDP's have a lot of advantages (which you can easily find on this site), but not many people mention the disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage in my mind is that I'm still a "temporary employee". I know in the back of my mind that I have another rotation ahead of me, so I don't feel the drive to position myself for promotions because I'm not currently in the running anyway. I'm also treated like I won't be around for very long- I'm not given permanent duties because they don't want to train someone again in a few months.

I'm happy I am in the program and would still choose it again, but I am also looking forward to when I'll be done and when I can really be in the drivers seat rather than knowing I'm just doing short stints at different places.

 

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