Graduate selection step 4: Second round interviews
By this stage, around 300 of the original 8,000+ applicants remain.
The second interview session is typically a series of interviews conducted by more senior people from the business area to which you've applied. But brace yourself for several interviews in this round. At Morgan Stanley, for example, the fixed income division has been known to interview some candidates as many as eight times.
To some extent, second round interviews will cover the same ground as the first. You will again be expected to explain why you want to work for that particular bank, in that particular role.
The main thing distinguishing second-round interviews from their first-round predecessors is a greater emphasis on technical aptitude. Second round interviews are usually conducted with senior members of the staff from the business, as opposed to juniors or members of the graduate recruiting team.
The bankers interviewing you will want to ensure you have the wherewithal to function intelligently under pressure, and that you're sufficiently interested in their line of business to have at least a basic understanding of how it works.
"We will look for evidence of problem solving skills, judgement, business awareness and hunger for investment banking," says SallyAnn Birchall, head of graduate recruitment at Deutsche Bank. She adds: "We want to know that you have done research and will ask your opinion about current events in the field you're interested in. We don't want you to regurgitate the Financial News - it's about having your own view and making a rationale case for it."
You may also be asked problem solving questions (such as, 'How many golf balls can you fit in the Underground?'), for which there is no definite answer. In this case, interviewers want you to reason aloud so they can see how your brain functions. "It's not just about coming up with the right answer," says Allison Bridle, head of graduate recruitment at BNP Paribas. "We also want to see how you get there: we're looking for analytical minds and need evidence of that."
