Failing Elite Corporate Interviews? We know why. Read This.

Failing Elite Corporate Interviews? We know why. Read This.

This article is written by Hassan Akram, the Managing Director of City Careers Coach. He is an ex-investment banking recruiter who has interviewed 1,000+ investment banking professionals from elite bulge bracket banks, such as Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Want to secure a top corporate career with our world-leading career development programmes? Please book here: https://pensight.com/x/citycareerscoach/new-meeting/d035e45b-d4f7-4c16-a16b-046bf4b90dc6

Interviews are hard. We know. As a firm of finance recruiters, we’ve interviewed Harvard and Oxbridge graduates. We’ve interviewed candidates earning more than £500,000. We’ve even interviewed senior candidates at top corporate firms. Even extremely accomplished candidates like these fail interviews. How do we know? We’ve interviewed them! This article will provide three key reasons why candidates fail their interviews at elite and prestigious firms.

LACK OF STRUCTURE

One of the core reasons candidates fail interviews is due to a lack of structure in responses. Structure is — in our opinion — the single most important trait needed to excel. It shows logic. It shows a considered approach. And it also allows your answer to be followed by the interviewer. (This is important as some interviewers have short attention spans and drift off!) These are all attributes which will be marked positively by your assessor. Structure in an interview answer often also brings conciseness and clarity to answers. The old saying ‘of less is more’ is definitely true here. By listing your interest in a firm due to three distinct reasons which are qualified, analytical and reasoned you will definitely be on the right track to excel.

Recruiting example: We were working with an exceptionally smart corporate lawyer. They had graduated from Oxford University and worked at an elite international corporate law firm. She secured an interview with an asset manager.

Whilst the written communication on her CV to secure an interview was excellent, her verbal communication when there wasn’t. She didn’t expand her ideas. She didn’t provide depth to her answers. She didn’t provide breadth to her responses. The client’s feedback was that she ‘rambled and her thought process was disorganised’. She failed her interview.

As recruiters, there is nothing more frustrating than a high-quality candidate failing an interview by responding in a rambly and unfocussed way!

WEAK VOCAL TONALITY

Another key reason why candidates fail interviews is due to weak vocal tonality. As I’m sure you’re aware, vocal tonality is one of the most influential tools of communication. Strong and positive vocal tonality demonstrates interest and engagement. It is the bedrock of a strong interview answer. Many academic and scientific studies have shown that vocal tonality trumps content in verbal communication. As such, a key way to differentiate yourself in the interview is to speak in a positive and enthusiastic tone.

This is especially critical when answering motivational questions on i) why the firm and ii) why the industry. We have seen countless individuals fail interviews due to the hiring manager/interviewer perceiving a lack of interest from the candidate due to their flat/disinterested tone. These rejections have often come (in some occasions) despite the candidate’s answers having really strong content and analysis. Sounding upbeat, driven, and energetic is a sure-fire way to demonstrate your passion and interest in the role and career.

Recruiting example: We were working with a graduate from Harvard university who wanted to secure a role in the extremely prestigious and elite career of venture capital, where often 500+ candidates apply per role.

However, during the interview, this candidate sounded robotic. It was as if she had pre-rehearsed the answers line by line. As such, she sounded monotonous and lacking energy. It was unclear if she was actually interested in the job she was applying for…

She failed the interview. The firm ended up hiring someone from a lower-ranked university and firm, but who came across more energetic and enthusiastic.

BODY LANGUAGE

Body language is one of the most critical markers of interview performance. Our finance recruiters have conducted over 10,000+ interviews and have never seen a candidate pass one without showing strong body language skills. One of the most important forms of body language that we highlight to our clients is smiling. Why? Quite simply, it is the most powerful non-verbal behaviours. Many studies have shown that smiling is one of the few behaviours that are universally interpreted in the same way — positively. Honest and genuine smiles are powerful for many reasons in an interview.

Firstly, a smile — in most cases (!) — shows enjoyment and happiness to the interviewer. It also subconsciously suggests that you are enjoying the intellectual challenge of the interview and the process of assessment. The very best interviewers are enjoyable conversations by both the candidate and interviewer. Secondly, interviewers are also assessing for ‘cultural fit’ as well as analytical ability. (This is recruitment speak means for how well someone will be able to gel into a firm.) Giving the impression that you are positive, engaging and enthusiastic through a genuine smile is a great (probably the best way) to show that you’d be a great person to work with!

Recruiting example: We were working with a client from an elite UK university who was interviewing at a top American investment bank for a summer internship.

By his own admission, his interview wasn’t the best as he stumbled over a few technical questions. But he managed to secure the internship offer! His post-interview feedback was that whilst he struggled in certain elements, his positive attitude (through his smiling) enabled him to excel. It suggested that he would take on any feedback and become a very strong analyst.

He passed the interview and secured an offer.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Be as structured as possible in your interview response

2. Ensure your vocal tone shows enthusiasm

3. Ensure body language shows focus and enthusiasm

ABOUT US: City Careers Coach is an international network of freelance finance recruiters. We are from investment banking, corporate law and private equity backgrounds. We provide premium, unique and personalised career development programmes to help university students enter elite corporate high-paying careers. We have an exceptionally strong track record: 100% of our clients pass CV stage, 90% of our clients secure at least one internship or graduate role, and our average client starting salary is £150,000.

We are your unfair advantage in securing an elite corporate career. Ready to also secure one? Click me to book an intro call!