Investment Banking Interview

Hi,

I would not overthink the response to this question. Heres a couple of tips and pointers based on a chat I had with a friend who was former GS M&A:

1. Give a reasonable and honest answer
   • In addition, you could also elaborate concisely on why you read the news, what publications & why those
2. Always have a specific event to talk about in the back pocket
3. Don't try too hard to sound ‘smart’ 
   • Speak reasonably about what you know and also being aware of the context you are in 
     • i.e. asking the interviewer about a question regarding a big topic in the news may be great but maybe less great if its less relevant for the context of IB 

Keep it simple - in reality for IB, you don't need to know as much about markets vs S&T or Asset Management because the work is just less impacted by daily market movements.

All the best!

Be honest

And, by the way, the honest answer should be daily (as in, you should get into the habit of reading daily)

Hi there,

think of what the question is actually probing for, which is to gauge whether you're plugged into markets and general political, economic and societal topics / events. This is usually a solid proxy for business judgment & common sense.

So when answering the question, you want to show exactly that, without excessively exaggerating of course. If you don't have a regular habit of reading / watching news already, might be a good time to start ;). 

1. Indicate you consume news regularly (provided you do)
2. Double-click on what type of news and what you find interesting

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

Hi there, 

Honestly :) 

And if you don't happen to be reading the news often, I suggest you start doing so, so that the answer is still honest. 

What the question is trying to figure out is not the exact cadence of you reading the news, but rather how do you make an effort to keep up with recent events. 

So you can also say that you use social media, or email subscriptions or digestes to stay informed. 

Best,
Cristian