How To Prepare
Please come well prepared for your first meeting with us. Be ready to discuss and bring life to your resume/CV. Use the time wisely; most interviews last 30 minutes, so you should be able to summarize your strengths and your accomplishments in a concise manner in that time frame.
We want you to succeed, so we have provided plenty of information on these pages to help you prepare. You should not expect trick questions. We don’t expect you to be an expert on our industry, but we do expect you to have demonstrated the Core Competencies we seek and to have a solid understanding of why you want to pursue a career in investment banking.
Interview Preparation Checklist
Practice talking through your resume/CV.- We want to see evidence that you possess the core qualities we seek. Be ready to demonstrate or present examples of ways in which they apply to you. Be prepared to speak about anything mentioned on your resume/CV — it’s all fair game for the interview.
- Expect problem-solving questions.
- The questions we typically ask will reflect our best understanding of your knowledge level. If you are applying for an analyst role, questions will be challenging but less technical. For example, if you are studying history or philosophy, we may ask what you regard as the most interesting story in that day’s The Wall Street Journal or Financial Times.
If you have studied finance or economics in college or you are pursuing an M.B.A., you can expect more technical questions. For example, be sure that you understand how to value a company and how financial statements are interrelated.
We are aware that many of our M.B.A. hires have not previously worked in the investment banking industry, and will assess your technical knowledge as appropriate to your background. - Maintain a professional presence.
- Treat the interview as a professional process, regardless of how open your interviewer may appear to be. Remember, we are evaluating your ability to develop as a professional in the industry. But don’t be too formal. The aim of the interview is meant to get to know you better, not intimidate you. As you prepare, think about how to react if you don’t know how to approach a question the interviewer may pose.
- Be clear and concise in your answers.
- This shows you can listen well and respond appropriately. Include enough information in your answers to convince the interviewer you can do the job. Your interviewer may ask different questions from the ones you expect. If you stick to a “script,” your listening skills and flexibility may be questioned.
- If you don’t understand a question, say so.
- It is entirely appropriate to ask an interviewer to rephrase a question if you are not sure of its meaning.
- If you don’t know the answer, say so.
- It is always better to admit to not knowing an answer than to guess at one. Regardless of whether or not you know the answer, the interviewer is most interested in understanding your thought process in addressing the problem. Don’t let a wrong answer fluster you.
- Have questions prepared.
- Interviews are a two-way dialogue, so come prepared with questions for your interviewer. Ask questions that show you have a genuine interest in Lehman Brothers.
- Speak honestly about development needs.
- No one is perfect. We want to understand how you view past challenges and what you learned from them. A word of warning: stock answers like “I’m too much of a perfectionist” are not helpful. We’ve heard them before.
- Study our industry.
- Learn about Lehman Brothers and the investment banking industry before your interview. Get into the habit of reading newspapers’ business sections and thinking through the financial implications of current events. Familiarize yourself with our Firm’s businesses, performance, and noteworthy events and deals through our Web site and various news sources.
- The Economist.
- The Wall Street Journal.
- Financial Times.
- The New York Times.
- Business Week.
- Institutional Investor.
- Forbes.
- Barron’s.
- The Times (London).
- The Guardian (London).
- Be on time.
- First impressions are lasting. If you think you may be late or cannot make your interview, call your recruiter immediately.
- Dress appropriately.
- Lehman Brothers follows a business formal dress code. In any job interview, your best bet is business formal.
- Bring an extra copy of your resume/CV.
- You might also consider bringing a notepad, pen and a calculator. Although you may not need them, it is always better to come prepared for anything.
- Practice, practice, practice.
- Rehearse the interview with friends. Take advantage of mock interviews organized by your career center. Practice, because even the strongest candidate can fail to make a good impression when overcome with nerves.