Behavioral Investment Banking Interview Questions

Free sample from the Deskcraft question bank

Most rejections aren't technical. “Why banking?”, your CV story, and how you discuss a deal decide the offer once the technicals clear the bar. These coaching answers explain what interviewers are actually listening for.

1. Tell me about yourself in 90 seconds.

Model answer

A tight arc: origin (degree/school, one line), 2-3 experiences each framed as what I did → what I learned → how it pointed here, and a landing on why this seat now. Selective, chronological, quantified at least once, and tailored to the firm type. It should sound like a thesis for hiring you, not a biography.

2. Walk me through your CV.

Model answer

A top answer is a 90-second narrative, not a list: a quick origin (degree, school), 2–3 experiences each framed as "what I did → what I learned → why it pushed me toward this seat", and a close that lands on why this role, now. It is chronological, selective, and ends pointing at the interviewer's firm type.

3. Why investment banking, and why our firm specifically?

Model answer

Banking: transactions as the fastest way to learn how companies are valued, financed and sold; intensity and ownership early; evidence from things already done (internships, clubs, courses). Firm: concrete hooks — deals the firm did, group strengths, people spoken to (names if true), culture/platform fit. The firm part must be impossible to copy-paste to a competitor.

4. Why investment banking?

Model answer

A credible answer is specific and personal: exposure to live transactions and how companies are valued and financed; steep learning curve working with senior people on consequential decisions; the analytical + interpersonal mix. It is backed by evidence — internships, deal coursework, investing club — proving the interest predates the interview, and connects to the specific firm type. It avoids money, prestige, and generic "fast-paced environment" filler.