Behavioral Interview Questions Interview question

1. Walk me through your resume?

2. Why investment banking?

3. Why this firm?

4. What does an investment banker do?

5. Who have you spoken with at the firm and what groups were they in?

6. What are your weaknesses (4)?

7. Why would you be a good banker?

8. Explain what you know about the role of an associate and why you can do the job.

9. Are you good at accounting?

10. What was your biggest mistake?

11. Describe and ethical dilemma and how you handled it.

12. If we made you an offer, would you take it?

13. What were your grades?

14. Which professor knows you best? What would he/she say about you?

15. Tell me about a time when you had a problem working in a group.

16. In business, you often have to bend the rules to get things done. Tell me about a time where you had to bend the rules.

17. If you played a game and lost 9 out of 10 times you played, how would you feel? That's what happens in this business.

18. What's the thing you are most proud of that's not on your resume?

19. How would your colleagues at undergrad describe you?

20. Are you prepared to work X hours a week? Have you ever exhibited such dedication in the part?

21. How would your study group describe your strengths / weaknesses?

22. What do you enjoy outside of school?

23. Give me an example of a time you worked as a part of a team.

24. What have you recently read / or read in the WSJ?

25. What motivates you?

26. When have you failed?

27. Second Year Courses?

28. Favorite course / least favorite?

29. How have these experiences prepared you to be an investment banker with my firm?

30. Describe a frustrating group project you worked on in which the group had difficulty accomplishing its objectives. Describe your role in the group. What actions did you take to bring the group to a successful conclusion?

31. Tell me about the most difficult person with whom you have worked. What made this person so difficult? What steps did you take to turn this situation into a positive conclusion?

32. Give me an example of a time when you successfully juggled a number of tasks under tight deadlines. How did you plan and complete your work?

33. Tell me about a busy time in your career when you were managing your time/projects/deadlines. Tell me how you set that deadline and planned to meet it. How did you react if you fell behind schedule?

34. Is there anything else that you would like to add or that I should know before we begin to make decisions about 2^nd rounds?

35. What led you to choose your field or major study?

36. What jobs have you enjoyed the most? The least? Why?

37. What qualifications do you have that make you feel that you will be successful in your field?

38. What have you done which shows initiative and willingness to work?

39. Demonstrate a time you’ve showed initiative?

40. Do you have an analytical mind? Show me.

41. What are your long range and short range goals? Why?

42. Where do see yourself five years from now? Ten years from now?

43. What are your priorities in life? Money, career, family, friendship, etc?

44. How do you define success?

45. How do you plan to achieve your career goals?

46. What qualifications do you have that make you think that you will be successful in this business?

47. Why should I hire you?

48. What skills/qualities separate you from the other candidates we’re talking to?

49. What’s the most important decision you’ve made, other than deciding coming to b-school?

50. Do you think that your grades are an indication of your academic achievement?

51. Tell me about a time when you were under a lot of pressure and how did you handle it?

52. What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever done?

53. Tell me about a time when you were innovative?

54. What are you expecting out of a summer internship?

55. What is my name?

56. Tell me a joke.

57. I like you – why do you think that is?

58. Why would you be a valuable contributor to our organization? Convince me to hire you instead of another candidate.

59. What do you like/not like about your study group?

60. Describe a problem you have encountered at work and how you overcame it?

61. What was your greatest frustration in your last job?

62. Tell me about a role model.

63. Describe an example where you convinced someone who initially disagreed with you to follow your recommendation. How did you convince them?

64. Give an example of how you have used data to make decisions.

65. Tell me about a time that you failed and how you responded.

66. Tell me about a time at work that you were required to make a significant change.

67. Tell me about a change in your job that you proposed and how you went about implementing it?

68. If you had a country song named after you, what would it be?

69. How do you think you'll be able to handle being managed by people younger than you?

70. Why do Investment Bankers get paid so much?

71. What do you expect to be doing on a day-to-day basis in this job? Or What does a summer associate do?

72. What are some of your weakness entering IBD?

73. Let’s say I fire you during the summer internship. Give me three reasons why this would occur and what you can do to prevent them?

74. What is an investment bank?

75. What is the difference between Commercial Banks vs. Investment Banks vs.

76. Merchant Banks?

77. What is different about an internal finance position vs. working as an investment banker?

78. What is disintermediation?

79. What is Corporate Finance?

80. What type of activities did you purse in college?

81. What is your favorite website?

82. What is the most striking thing you read in the WSJ?

83. What publications do you read?

84. What motivates you?

85. Can you give me an example of an experience of failure?

86. You don’t seem like a very driven person, how will you be able to handle a job in i-banking?

87. Tell me about an accomplishment that you are proud of?

88. Can you tell me a time where you have managed many things at one time?

89. What kind of salary do you expect after five years?

90. Explain a crisis situation that you encountered and how you dealt with it?

91. If you could pick two people to take with you in a drive across country, who would you pick?

92. What led you to choose your field or major study?

93. What jobs have you enjoyed the most? The least? Why?

94. What is the last book you read?

95. What is on the cover of Businessweek?

96. What is on the cover of Forbes?

97. How do you spend your spare time? What are your hobbies? Why do you enjoy them?

98. What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever done?

99. You are set to go to your best friends wedding when the client calls and says that he wants to meet you tomorrow. What do you do?

100. Can you sell me that pen?

Behavioral Questions Related to Specific Bank: (Modify answers based on the bank)

1. What are 3 ways to value a company?

2. What groups are you interested in? Why?

3. What other firms are you talking to?

4. Rank the firms that you are interviewing with?

5. Compare us to X firm?

6. What would you change about our bank?

7. What criteria are you using to evaluate the company for which you hope to work?

8. What do you know about our company? (CEO, Stock Price / Ticker Symbol, Recent Deals, Strategy–International/Equity Powers/Client Base, Strengths/Weaknesses, Competition)?

Finance Interview Questions Interview question

§ What do you know about our company? (CEO, Stock Price / Ticker Symbol, Recent Deals, Strategy–International/Equity Powers/Client Base, Strengths/Weaknesses, Competition?

§ Why do you want to work in this industry?

§ Why do you want to work for our company?

§ Why did you decide to go to b-school? Why a good time in your career?

§ Why did you choose Kenan-Flagler? What other schools did you consider and why?

§ What led you to choose your field or major study?

§ What jobs have you enjoyed the most? The least? Why?

§ What qualifications do you have that make you feel that you will be successful in your field?

§ What have you done which shows initiative and willingness to work?

§ Demonstrate a time you’ve showed initiative?

§ Do you have an analytical mind? Show me.

§ How do you spend your spare time? What are your hobbies? Why do you enjoy them?

§ What are your long range and short range goals? Why?

§ Where do see yourself five years from now? Ten years from now?

§ What are your priorities in life? Money, career, family, friendship, etc?

§ How do you define success?

§ How do you plan to achieve your career goals?

§ What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

§ How would your peers describe you? Subordinates? Bosses? Friends?

§ How would you describe yourself?

§ Why should I hire you?

§ What qualifications do you have that make you think that you will be successful in this business?

§ Why should I hire you?

§ What skills/qualities separate you from the other candidates we’re talking to?

§ Name an accomplishment you’re most proud of? Why?

§ What’s the most important decision you’ve made, other than deciding coming to b-school?

§ Tell me about a failure in your life? What did you learn?

§ What subject at b-school do you like best? Least? Why?

§ Do you think that your grades are an indication of your academic achievement? Undergrad / at KFBS?

§ Tell me about a time when you were under a lot of pressure and how did you handle it?

§ What criteria are you using to evaluate the company for which you hope to work?

§ Who else are you talking to?

§ What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever done?

§ Tell me about a time when you were innovative?

§ What are you expecting out of a summer internship?

§ What is my name?

§ What do you expect to be doing on a day-to-day basis in this job?

§ Tell me a joke?

§ I like you – why do you think that is?

§ What do you want to know about our firm?

COMMON INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

INVESTMENT BANKING

§ Why do you want to work/live in NYC?

§ What excites you most about investment banking? Why do you want to work in this business?

§ In what area of the bank are you most interested? Product/Industry?

§ Why did you choose Kenan-Flagler if you wanted to be on Wall Street?

§ Discuss three distinct methods commonly used to value a company?

§ It’s 10pm and you have a pitch to prepare for morning – what would you do to prepare a valuation for the client company?

§ I see you worked for Company X. What valuation methods would you use to value Company X and why? Which companies would you use as comparables and why? What multiples would you use to compare and why?

§ Reconcile Free Cash Flow from Net Income.

§ Can you walk me through how you would determine a company’s Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)?

§ If a target company has a higher P/E than the acquirer in an all-stock deal, will the acquisition be accretive or dilutive?

§ If the Fed raises interest rates, what happens typically to bond prices? Bond Yields? Stock market? Why?

§ What are the benefits of pooling versus purchase method in an acquisition?

SALES & TRADING

§ Why do you want to work/live in NYC?

§ What excites you most about sales & trading? Why do you want to work in this business?

§ Why did you choose Kenan-Flagler if you wanted to be on Wall Street?

§ What are the roles of a sales/trader? How do they create value?

§ What qualities should a successful sales/trader possess?

§ What do you think caused the Asian crisis? Do you think the affected countries are now on the right track for recovery?

§ What are your overall thoughts on the Economy- Why? What does that mean for the stock/bond markets?

§ What is the current trading multiple of the S&P and do you see that expanding or contracting?

§ What about the shape of the yield curve? (obviously a more fixed income oriented question)

§ If you had $1MM, what asset classes would you look to invest in and why?

§ Lots of logic questions- for example, two trains are 100 miles apart and traveling toward each other at 40MPH and 60MPH respectively, when will they collide?

INDUSTRY FINANCE

· Why do you want to work in the finance area?

· Why do you want to work in this industry? This company?

· What do you think should be our largest expense item on our income statement / biggest asset or liability on our balance sheet?

· What is the difference between NPV and IRR and why would you use one over the other?

· Could you briefly describe how you would prepare a cash flow statement if you are given an income statement and a balance sheet.

· Could you briefly describe how you would evaluate a new machine/ plant/ aircraft that we are considering acquiring?

· What do you hope to accomplish over the summer, or what kind of a project would you like over the summer?

· What do you think is the role of finance in an organization or in our company?

· If profits / revenues have declined in the most recent quarter over the previous quarter and the corresponding quarter a year ago, how would explain or analyze the variance?

INTERVIEW GUIDANCE

DON’T FORGET THE BIG PICTURE…

Before you get bogged down in the minutiae of answering specific questions, think about the following broad, general issues:

§ Why do want to work in the financial services industry?

§ Why do you want to work in a particular area of a financial services firm (i.e., Investment Bank, Sales & Trading, Private Client Services)?

§ Why do you want to work for the firms that you’re interviewing?

If you give these issues serious thought and arrive at real answers then the answers to detailed questions will come more easily. If you decide that financial services is not the industry for you then you have saved yourself a lot of time, money and disappointment.

UNDERSTAND THE OBJECTIVE OF THE INTERVIEW

Make sure you know what you want to accomplish from the interview – Treat the interview as a 30 minute sales pitch. Don’t approach it as coming to the right answers – anticipate why the question is being asked. Be clear and concise in your response and focus your answer on communicating the points you want to sell.

SILENCE

When you’ve finished a response to a question, though it may seem difficult, simply smile and remain silent yourself. Answer a question to the best of your ability and then relax. Interviewers often use this silence to see if you can handle stress and still maintain poise.

GUIDANCE ON ASKING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Questions you have for the interviewer are your main vehicle for showing your enthusiasm. Before your interview, outline the things you hope to learn about the organization and your role within it. Be sure you will not come up blank when asked (as you doubt will be) "Do you have any questions?" Salary and benefit questions, however, should not be discussed until you have an offer.

Have questions for the interviewer. However, don't ask questions that could be answered by company literature or through basic research. Ask questions to gain information that you are sincerely seeking. By being an active listener during the interview, you may come up with questions you hadn't thought about prior to the interview: questions about the work environment; what motivates the interviewer in working for company X; what the track records of previous hires have been, etc., etc.

INTERVIEWING TIPS

"In the fields of observation, chance favors only the mind that is prepared." Although this quote, which is attributed to Louis Pasteur, relates to study in the sciences, it aptly describes the successful interviewee. Chance plays only a small role in the success of an interviewee who is well prepared.

1. Be prepared for all interviews. Know about the company and yourself.

2. Remember basic courtesy. Be on time or appropriately early for any appointment, refrain from bad habits and be courteous to the interviewer, even if he is not.

3. Show enthusiasm and energy. This is CRITICAL to a successful interview!

4. Remain poised and confident. If every other rule slips your mind, be sure to remember this one.

5. Be honest. Do not try to second-guess interviewers and tell them what you think they may want to hear.

6. Answer the Questions. The key to answering the questions asked is listening to them. Be positive with all answers.

7. Have examples for the skills you claim.

8. Don't forget your sense of humor – smile and have fun.

9. End the interview naturally