Investment Bank Interview Questions & Answering Framework Strategy

 

We’ve had A LOT of students ask us for advice on a wide array of interview questions so we decided to provide you with strategies on answering some of them. Don’t be fooled by how these questions may seem ‘simple’, they’re actually asking more than you may realize. Take a look below for questions we have from big name institutions and our answer guides:

Questions from JPMorgan (Video Interview)

❓Tell me about a time when you detected a potential issue and developed a solution before it turned into a real problem. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome.

💡This is about your problem-solving skills, proactiveness, and detail-oriented mindset

💡Use the S.T.A.R. model for storytelling- the Situation, the Task you needed to accomplish, the Approach you opted (and why?) plus the Result it yielded

💡Share what you learned from this outcome (e.g., this experience highlighted that even if I am assigned an unfamiliar task, I can learn quickly on the job and have a self-directed approach to deliver the project).

❓Discuss a recent headline in the financial markets that caught your attention and why?

💡This tests how clued into the market you are, both reading news + applying your critical thinking to analyse the news impact on your target firm/ investment implications, etc.

💡Read up analyst views and editorials to form your view. Describe the macro event / new development, explain what threats/ opportunities it presents, and how it may influence the firm's business/ products

❓What attracts you to this company, and specifically this division?

💡This is asking if you have REALLY done your research, and why you’re choosing THIS company over other ones

💡When you talk about the company, include FACTS about them (numbers, awards, etc.) and do the same for the division

💡Be as SPECIFIC as possible, as this will reassure your recruiter that you truly want to work for them, that you understand what you’re getting yourself into, and that you cared enough to do such a significant amount of research

Questions from HSBC (Superday)

❓What do you expect to learn here after 1 year?

💡This question also wants to know if you’ve done your research on the company and position on offer

💡Again, be as SPECIFIC as possible, e.g. you expect to learn technical skills, gain more product knowledge, etc.

❓How should you act if you want to be a role model in the team?

💡First, you need to define what it means to actually be a good role model

💡Then, give an example of when you were one to demonstrate you have been a good role model before, and talk about what you learned from that experience

💡If you feel you don’t have a strong enough example of your own, you can also give an example of someone you worked with who was a good role model

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