By Victor Paquet and Pierre Six (Mergersight Operations) & Carlo Leopardi, Tommaso Arona and Alina Shaikh (Boston University partners)
Walkthrough
Before entering your interview, research the shared values of the company and base your answers around those values.
Strengths
For example, JP Morgan values 'supporting the growth of our employees,' so a strength that aligns well would be 'works well in teams.' This strength is in harmony with your target company and will be something your interviewer will be looking out for to determine whether you are a right match. When mentioning this strength, immediately follow it with an example and a story that illustrates your ability to work effectively with others.
Ensure that your story also highlights how your strength sets you apart from other candidates, and how it is applicable to an investment banking position. You can refer to the STAR method (MSG Behaviourals section on our website mergersight.com) as a way to incorporate an example in your strengths’ answer.
Weaknesses
When answering questions about your weaknesses, ensure that you do not undermine your ability to be considered a stellar candidate by your interviewer.
Provide weaknesses that have viable solutions, and demonstrate self-awareness by maturely assessing yourself. Proving that you can acknowledge your faults shows your superiors that you are open to criticism and feedback, and are willing to improve.
Additionally, when discussing your weaknesses, avoid making them overly personal to prevent making your interviewer uncomfortable and potentially jeopardizing your interview.
An example of a good weakness to mention is the 'tendency to overload yourself with work.' This portrays you as a person who is willing to take on challenges and is not afraid to step up to the task. Though this might not seem like a weakness, when worded the right way, your interviewer can interpret your answer as a weakness while subconsciously recognizing that it is, in fact, a strength. You can relate this back to working in a team environment to make it applicable to an investment banking position.