There has been negative press about Barclays (about cutting fixed income & IB in Asia etc), but obviously you can't say that in an interview. How would you approach this question? Thanks for the help!
Why Do You Want to Work At Barclays?
In any interview or informational phone call - you will likely be asked an equivalent of this question - so it is critical that you have a thought out and practiced answer. To help your answer stand out, you should do extensive research on the firm's website to determine what they consider to be their core values and competitive advantages. In addition to this background research - you should try and speak with members of the firm in the division you're interested in so that you can get a better understanding of the culture of the firm. All of these things should be considered into your answer.
Example Why Barclays? Answer
I first became interested in Barclays when attending an informational session at XYZ school. There I spoke with several alumni from the Barclays Investment Banking group. After connecting with members of the firm at that event, I was connected to speak to more alumni from the firm who spoke extensively about the global nature of the bank and their experience working in lean deal teams. Then recently, I had the chance to come visit the banking floor and speak with a number of bankers throughout the day all of which showed a genuine interest in me and shared a great deal of advice about the profession and interview process. After that experience, I knew that I wanted to work with Barclays due to the very collegial nature of the firm.
User @Redacted", a private equity associate, shared that you should speak about the “people”:
Talking about how well you've gotten along with the people you've spoken with is an important aspect of this answer. Something along the lines of, "I've had the opportunity to connect with x bankers at Barclays and I've honestly really enjoyed my interactions with them. I'm fully aware of the time commitment involved with this industry and so working in an environment where I genuinely enjoy the people is very important to me."Use this to showcase the fact that you've done your due diligence and spoken with people. If they ask who, be prepared with a few specific people, especially if they're from the same group as the interviewer. Showing that you connect with the people is a very good way to show why you'd want to spend your countless working hours at that bank.
What Makes Barclays Unique?
You should also have ideas about why Barclays is differentiated aside from the cultural and people elements that you will be mentioning.
A few ideas to mention:
- Barclays is a balance sheet bank able to help their clients undergo any type of transaction
- Barclays has US and European exposure making it more of a globally focused bank
- Barclays has M&A in house within its coverage groups - allows bankers to get exposure to technical skills and industry knowledge
Preparing for Investment Banking Interviews?
The WSO investment banking interview course is designed by countless professionals with real world experience, tailored to people aspiring to break into the industry. This guide will help you learn how to answer these questions and many, many more.
There's negative press about lots of banks all the time....for what to say in an application/interview - c'mon man, you gotta do some research.
I did my research but only came up for things that everyone else would also say
...won't using answers from WSO also only end up with you saying things other people will also say?
As above, this is by far the most important question in an interview and if you actually want to work at Barclays you should be able to (actually, need) to come up with a good answer for why.
Have you networked with anyone there? Do they do a lot of certain types of deals you're interested in? Do you just love the logo or want to work for an English bank because you think it'll be more civilised? Chatting to people who work there to see what they think is a great start - also a WSO search about different group and what they're like could help.
Because at least it's not UBS?
jeez...if you can't actually think of a reason why you want to barclay's, why the heck are you applying for it. this is the most important question for interviewers to ask, and it should be an easy question to answer if you actually want to work at barclay's.
Dude,
Being a fit for a firm's culture is a big deal and this trumps all DCF questions you will get. Do you admire one of Barclay's industry/product groups, do you like the groups deal flow, can you learn a lot from senior management on the team, do you like banging chicks with British accents, etc.
phil mickelson, premier league, and marty shafiroff
same question is being asked in London
Talking about how well you've gotten along with the people you've spoken with is an important aspect of this answer. Something along the lines of, "I've had the opportunity to connect with x bankers at Barclays and I've honestly really enjoyed my interactions with them. I'm fully aware of the time commitment involved with this industry and so working in an environment where I genuinely enjoy the people is very important to me."
Use this to showcase the fact that you've done your due diligence and spoken with people. If they ask who, be prepared with a few specific people, especially if they're from the same group as the interviewer. As has been mentioned, the work itself is very similar across banks on the street with some exceptions. Showing that you connect with the people is a very good way to show communicate why you'd want to spend your countless working hours at that bank.
You'll obviously also want to mention the fact that they do well in xyz industry (sounds like you have a good example already with the way they structure their M&A deals).
Hi people, this is OP writing after getting an offer from Barclays. I took people's advice to heart and just spoke candidly about why Barclays. Here is what I wrote to someone who asked me that same question recently (I hope it helps):
"Why Barclays: although it may sound like BS, but people really was the answer for me. "People" was the reason why I was put through the accelerated process and ultimately decided to take the offer despite other interviews lined up. I'd really talk about what you felt about the company. My answer was that I have interacted with countless investment bankers in the past year and that Barclays people were the most helpful. They took interest in my success, coached me along the way, and always reached out to me first (to the point where I felt like I wasn't reaching out enough / wasn't scared of being thought of as annoying). If you had some similar interaction, talk about those and top it off with Barclays' global footprint and strong advisory business. This will make a lot of sense especially for the senior Lehman people (they had a great advisory business and now the balance sheet and the global support helps them). On that note, those senior people truly think Lehman had a great culture and do believe that they retained a lot of it through people. So really, people is not too shabby of an answer.
This will inadvertently lead to the question, "then why not BAML or JPM (where they both have the balance sheet)?" I gave a shitty answer imo, but my interviewer told me that because Lehman didn't have the balance sheet, they had to think creatively to score deals, and now that they have the balance sheet, that's more firepower. Plus, a lot of Lehman people and culture are intact in the Americas, so they retained a lot of the good things and just added the balance sheet to it."
why barclays? (Originally Posted: 02/22/2013)
interview tomorrow first round over phone sa. i dont have an answer for this since they aren't in a real good space. for s&t. any insights would be great.
if you can't figure this out, you don't deserve the position
"Why the hell not"?
Sit back in your chair and make direct eye contact while smiling.
lol haha legit, over the phone though. i did some research and got it. whats good with the asian racist?
How did you get a first round so late?
moneymay, last min networking got some strings pulled
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