MBA Interview preparation - Why MBA from a financial and banking perspective

I have pursued my undergrad in business from one of the most prestigious undergrad institutes in this country and am a very analytical person. For me, learning hardcore statistics and analytics was an important part of growth. I have already gained expertise in financial analysis and have worked as an analyst at XYZ Bank for close to 2 years. During this time span, I have learned a lot from the financial and accounting perspective but I have always admired the way my seniors who have completed their MBA take business decisions, and thus I approached them regarding the same situations and on conversations with him, it became clear that I had an inclination to learn more about business concepts and garner the managerial know-how of the same and see how the business perspective works in the financial and the banking sector.

Pursuing an MBA from a leading premier B-School would only serve to further hone and enhance my skills and eventually help me land a managerial position in the banking industry which is where I see myself in the future and where my skillsets and previous work experience would be put to more use.

Bonus Tips

Whilst framing your answer here, be sure to focus on your work experience and drive the conversation towards the hard and soft skills you have garnered from the workplace and subtly put forth some areas of weakness that you would want to plug by pursuing the MBA degree and also try to highlight the USP of the institution in that domain.

For instance, the institute might specialize in creating investment bankers and might have a strong finance course curriculum. Be sure to mention that in your pitch to the interviewers as well as that shows you have done your homework pertaining to the institute and shows why you want to join that institute in particular.

Also, look into Linkedin and see the no of alumni who are in this space for the last few years and try to initiate conversations with them to see how best you can hone your answer.

When preparing for a job interview as a financial analyst, think about what questions an employer would ask about your career ambitions, industry knowledge, and degree of experience.

You may portray yourself to a hiring manager professionally and knowledgeably by taking the time to prepare your responses before the interview. We go overbroad financial analyst questions, questions about previous experiences, and in-depth questions in this article.

What motivates you to pursue a career as a financial analyst?

This is a question that an interviewer might ask to learn more about you and your professional aspirations. Your response should include a detailed description of why you wish to work as a financial analyst.

What do you think your biggest strength is that could help you advance in your financial analyst career?

An employer may be trying to figure out how your existing professional skills could be useful as a financial analyst by asking this question. Your response should highlight a personal strength that is relevant to this job. To increase the power of your remark, you may provide an example.

What steps do you take to ensure that your sales reports are accurate?

An interviewer asks this question to see if you have a system in place for conducting financial assessments. To demonstrate your expertise and efficiency in this role, your response should offer a full overview of the actions you follow to complete this task.

Do you currently possess any industry certifications or licenses? If that’s the case, why did you pursue them?

An interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your qualifications for this position. If you have any certificates or licensure, this is an excellent opportunity to discuss how they have helped you develop your talents.

What financial approaches do you have experience with when it comes to analyzing?

An interviewer asks this question to see how knowledgeable you are about industry jargon. You should include more than one approach in your response, as well as a brief discussion of how you use multiple methodologies in an analysis.

Have you ever come across a company’s financial inconsistencies? What steps did you take to deal with this issue?

An employer asks this question to see how you would handle a prospective difficulty or ethical challenge. Show your commitment to ethical business practises and enforcement in your response.