The season is here for recruiting the graduates as investment bankers. While maximum front office roles go to the summer analysts where the internship is converted, various investment banks will soon close their full-time programs to applications and embark on the interview process.
Assuming you have done your best in the psychometric tests, and successfully cleared the usual interviews, this is the time to face real people in the world of investment banking.
Do you have any idea about how you will impress these people? Some of the top bankers worked for more than four years in reputed firms in Paris, London, and Dubai. During this entire period, they were also involved in recruiting investment banking associates and analysts, interviewing various applicants along with the senior executives.
They are now known to be the author of investment banking interview preparation pack, which is designed to help the MBA and undergraduate student’s secure associate and analyst positions in M&A. These are some of the tips that would help you to crack an investment banking interview and you might get the lucky ones.
- Be positive and keep that smile on
You might be surprised to know that most of the candidates forget to smile because of the stress they take on their heads. Smile and just answer what you have prepared. Be genuine, enjoy the interview process and stay in the moment. This works as a form of exercise.
- Right attitude plays a major role; technical skills are also essential
Attitude is what is seen as 80% of the total assessment. You need to think about it; beginners take a whole lot of time to work for it. Associates who are in the recruiting team look for the personalities who enjoy the interview, flexible, people willing to do hard work, and who can work continuously for 15-16 hours a day.
Other than what you might have heard, recruiters hate overconfidence with great intelligence, mainly if you are not the right fit.
If we compare things, answering questions that fit correctly is another thing. You can be weak while answering those kinds of questions and still become successful, but make sure to keep the personality in check, be the one who you truly are.
However, along with a positive attitude, keep your technical skills right. The position is everything about the reputation, and a solid financial knowledge is something that will give you immense respect. A combination of both these things will give you the best offer in the industry.
- Have confidence in yourself
You can be confident about what you speak without getting arrogant in between. Say what you have in your mind. The only candidates who become successful are the ones who speak their minds, regardless of what the interviewers think.
Keep in mind that the recruiters are not more talented than you are. They are just the ones with the right knowledge and more experience.
Finally, if you are getting into the field of an analyst, you don’t need to know everything about the job. Once you’ll attend different interviews, you will find out that almost all the questions regarding investment banking are the same.
All of them will come up every time you attend the interview. The major key is the technical questions and brainteaser.
- Describe humility in detail
The first thing is not to be overconfident. Show respect and never give this mark that you know everything, even more than the interviewer. Investment banking is a hierarchical industry, so make sure not to let your ambition or motivation make your recruiter feel uncomfortable.
Secondly, make the answers concise and short as much as you can. Keep the summary short and let the interviewer allow asking in detail whatever they are willing to know. The interview is considered as a short exercise, so show some maturity. And in the end, listen to what the interviewer is saying – do not interrupt them in between.
- Give a brief that you want to learn
Any person who is already in investment banking knows that a junior can only bring little to the table. In other words, they are the blank slates who have been drafted to learn everything about the industry.
So, when asked about your motivation to join the banking industry, keep in mind that in this case, banks will be sensitive particularly to your appetite to learn.
The learning curve can be steep, long hours might be needed and the exposure to senior management comes early.
- Be prepared for the usual questions
If you are considering “how to become an investment banker” – a short story that sums up your entire application in four points: why the company, why the banking industry, why, mainly, you and, why the region. These are some of the things that they would really like to know from you in the fit interview.
While preparing for the interview, someone else can help to ask these questions above so you can be prepared well. Make sure, to be honest with the answers, but add the appropriate reasons why they should hire you.
- Give the recruiters evidence
When the large firms ask ‘why should we hire you,’ they don’t want to know your technical skills. Mainly the two qualities are there that the recruiters would like to see in you – that you interact well with a team and your work ethics are strong. Show this to them during the interview or your chances of getting hired is less.
However, some of the banks don’t have the resources to train new recruits and are interested more in juniors with prior experience in investment banking that can start working on the project immediately. If this is the case, make sure to clear this as well in the interview.
- Keep brain teasers in consideration
At the time of the interview, if you struggle with mental math and brainteasers, it doesn’t matter how good you are in technical skills, you’ll be out. Brainteasers play an essential role in investment banking interviews. Practice can make the person perfect.
Make sure to learn as much as you can before the interview and get familiar with investment banking. Happy interviewing!