How to Answer the “Why Our Bank?” Question in Investment Banking Interviews, Assessment Centers, and More

You’ve just finished investment banking application #57 for this year’s recruiting season.

It’s 3:14 AM, your eyes are glazing over, and you really wish this last bank would just ask for your resume/CV and cover letter and stop there…

But they don’t.

They have a list of questions for you to answer, somehow believing that they are “special” or “different.”

You look down at this list and want to slap yourself repeatedly as you see the first question:

“Why our bank?”

After having already attempted to answer this one in 17 previous interviews with 12 different banks, you really wish you could just skip over it or that there were some universally “good” answer.

But as with other silly questions, there really isn’t one…

Though there are some foolish answers that you definitely want to avoid.

And then there are incredibly dumb answers, which you really, really want to avoid.

Let’s break it down and see how you can best answer this nonsensical question:

Why This is a Dumb Question… But Why It Still Matters Anyway

Sales & Trading Interview Domination, Part 2: Markets, Brainteasers, and Mental Math

This is a guest post from a reader who broke into Sales & Trading (S&T) coming from a non-target school. In Part 5 of this series, you’ll learn all about sales & trading interviews and how to answer the technical and markets-based questions, pitch stocks and investment ideas, and yes, even calculate the square root of 58 in your head.

“The markets are tanking!”

“I just got whacked on RIMM…”

“Europe is going down…”

“Greece is being auctioned off in pieces.”

“China is about to have hard landing…”

“The US unemployment rate is stuck at 8.3%!”

Ah, yes, the fun part of a sales & trading interview.

You better walk in with your best investment ideas, coherent thoughts on current events, and an impressive ability to do square roots in your head.

Or you’ll walk out without an offer.

The good news is that just like with the “fit” side, it’s possible to prepare for the markets, math, and brainteaser questions you’ll get.

The bad news is that it can be more time-consuming, and there’s no way to predict every single question in advance.

Here’s how you can get started preparing for markets, math, and brainteaser questions:

Sales & Trading Interviews, Part 1: How to Dominate the “Fit” Questions

This is a guest post from a reader who broke into Sales & Trading (S&T) coming from a non-target school. In Part 4 of this series, you’ll learn all about sales & trading interviews and how to tell your story and answer “fit” questions.

“Are you available for a phone interview on Tuesday next week?”

It was a Wednesday night, and I was staring at the email I had just received from a bulge bracket bank.

“Yes” was the only logical response… followed by a lot of freaking out.

Since I was from a complete non-target school, this would be one of my few chances to interview at a top bank – and I was up against people with a lot more resources and experienced mentors at their disposal.

Oh, and then there was the fact that I only had one week to prepare.

My interviews didn’t go so well at first, as I learned the ropes of how to present myself and the questions to expect.

Eventually I turned it around and landed a sales & trading offer at a top bank – here’s how I did it, and how you can do the same.

Your Preparation Process