Part 3 of our Non-Core Investment Banking Recruiting Series
The infamous Investment Banking Super Day is the final round in the recruiting process. If you have made it to this stage you should feel very confident in your abilities. Not only have your credentials and resume been vetted but they have personally spoken with you and consider you an “ideal candidate” for the job.
This is no time, however, to think you have the job locked down. The Super Day interview process is notorious for weeding out candidates. Not only will you have to answer behavioral questions from round one, you will also be pushed to the limit technically. A Superday interview usually entails meeting with 5-6 people within the bank for 30 minutes to 1 hour for one-on-one or two-on-one interviews. These interviews usually last all day so it is very important to keep your composure. Typically investment banking analyst and associates can work on the upwards of 100+ hours a week and be put in fast paced “fire-drill” situations. A Superday interview is a great way to test a candidate’s ability to keep their composure and step up during stressful circumstances.
Interviewers are typically picked randomly from different groups and they will be asked by HR to rank each individual he / she meets with along with comment on the interviewee’s abilities both technically and behaviorally. After the Superday all interviewers will meet together and vote on who they think will be the best candidates for the job.
From my personal experience, there are two types of interviewers. The first type of interviewer asks only behavioral questions and tries to measure how well you fit within the group. From my own personal experiences I find the more senior the interviewer the more behavioral the interview. The younger VPs and Associates are usually the ones to push the harder technical questions.
The other type of interviewer is only focused on your technical abilities. You should be ready for each type before heading in to your Superday interview. If you haven’t done so already check out the SOW Technical Interview Guide. Here we have published an extensive list of investment banking interview questions that will be essential for you to land your offer at your Super Day Interview.
One last helpful tip is to draft up a list of 8-10 questions you would like to ask during your final round. Whether it is “What is your favorite deal?” or “What are the current drivers in the M&A market”, you should be able to hold a conversation with the interviewer once they asked all their questions. The better the questions you ask usually the better the conversation, and the better the conversation, the better chances of getting an offer.
The key is to show the interviewer that you want it more than anyone else. To give you an example, a colleague in my analyst class drove across the state to attend another universities career fair since his school did not offer one. This shows your desire and hunger to be in finance and shows you will do whatever it takes to get the job.
Non-Core Recruiting Process Series:
Non-Core Series #1: Landing the Interview
Non-Core Series #2: Phone Interview
Non-Core Series #3: (Currently Reading)