What is unique about case interviews at financial services institutions?
The major difference lies in the fact that financial services interviews also require a solid understanding of the industry. One interviewer might ask you to size the market for retail mortgages in a country, while another will give you a full profitability case on a payments company. In addition, they often test candidates on technical knowledge, such as regulations, relevant technology trends, key financial metrics and more. To be best positioned, candidates should form a helicopter view of how the financial system works, understand the various business models in the industry, possess knowledge of major trends and drivers, and develop a solid grasp of the financial statements of a financial institution (which differ from other industries). [INSERT SLIDE]How should you prepare?
As a baseline all candidates should be able to execute case interviews as per the CaseCoach.com curriculum. On top of this there are additional areas of preparation a candidate should employ for financial services industry roles:- Learn about the role that different types of financial institutions and instruments play in fulfilling the key objective of the financial system, which is to intermediate capital.
- Understand the operating model of the type of financial institution you are interviewing for. For example, the operating model of a lender (which will be different to a transaction bank or an investment bank) can be broken down into three key areas – underwriting, distribution and collections & recoveries.
- Know the financial statements structure and the metrics that financial institutions use to measure their performance. Money is both the raw material into and the product of a financial institution, which leads to a unique way to measure performance. It is important to have a solid grasp of key ratios such as Net Interest Margin, Tier 1 Equity of a financial institution
- · Be aware of the major economic, regulatory and technological drivers affecting the industry