By Victor Paquet (Mergersight Operations) and Carlo Leopardi & Tommaso Arona (Boston University partners)
Walkthrough
What the recruiter or Hirevue platform is really asking you: “why did your past experience and aptitudes acquired during your personal journey logically lead you to apply in IB?”
Start broad - your initial interest
To that extent, a good plan to follow is starting with your broader experiences like a position in a society that helped you develop your interest and quickly outline your role. Perhaps your position as the president of the finance society gave you the opportunity to meet and discuss with a wide range of employees in the industry? Or perhaps your involvement with your University’s M&A group taught you the nuanced nature of mergers and acquisitions and you are eager to learn more.
Finish specific - what confirmed that interest
Following this, you should mention a different experience that confirmed this interest and ultimately led you to learn more about the world of Investment Banking. Overall, this question should be answered within a minute, balancing quality with conciseness.
Remember: this is a qualitative question. Hence, you have to be as honest and authentic as you can be. Mention the aptitudes and values that you've learned along your journey which would become helpful in a career as an analyst.