Common interview questions

Almost every banking interview mixes fit questions (who you are and why banking), market questions (what is happening and what you think), and technical questions (accounting, valuation, deals). Most candidates over-prepare technicals and under-prepare fit, yet fit is where most rejections happen.

Prepare answers as structures, not scripts. A memorised paragraph sounds memorised; a clear structure lets you adapt to however the question is phrased.

This is a ninety-second story with three beats: where you started, the moments that pulled you towards finance, and why this role is the logical next step. Each beat should include a concrete detail. End by connecting to the firm, then stop talking.

Avoid reciting the resume. The interviewer has it. They want to hear how you think about your own choices.

A good answer names what you want to learn (how companies are valued and financed), the environment you want (steep learning curve, real client exposure) and evidence you know what the work involves. Mention people you spoke with and something specific about the group — a recent deal, a sector focus.

'Why this bank' must not be interchangeable. If your answer would work at any bank by swapping the name, it is not an answer.

Questions about teamwork, failure, leadership and conflict are answered with the situation, task, action, result pattern. Keep the situation short and spend most of the time on what you did. Pick stories where you made a judgement call, not ones where everything went smoothly.

Expect to walk through the three statements, explain how depreciation flows through them, describe a DCF, list valuation methods and when each applies, and explain why a company might issue debt rather than equity. Expect 'what deal have you followed recently?' — have one you can discuss in detail, including why the buyer paid what it did.

When stuck, think aloud. Interviewers reward clear reasoning towards an approximate answer far more than silence followed by a guess.