Questions to ask at the end of a finance interview

Do your questions at the end actually matter?

They rarely win an interview, but they can lose one. A generic question tells the interviewer you did not think about who they are, and a bad one (pay, hours, "how did I do") leaves a bad last impression right before they write their notes. A good question does the opposite: it shows curiosity and gives you a final minute of real conversation.

The last thing said is what the interviewer is thinking about while filling out the feedback form. Use it to sound like someone they would enjoy working with.

What makes a good question?

A good question passes three tests. Only this person can answer it. The answer is useful to you. And it is easy and pleasant to answer in two minutes. Questions about the interviewer's own experience pass all three, which is why they work best.

• It is about them, not the firm in general.
• It could not be answered from the careers page.
• It refers to something real: what they said earlier, their group, a deal you read about.
• It is open ended enough for a short story, not a yes or no.
• It does not ask them to judge you or reveal anything confidential.

What should you ask, by who is interviewing you?

Who is across the table changes what is worth asking. An analyst can tell you what the job is like this month; a managing director can tell you how the business is changing. Prepare two questions for each level and pick in the moment.

• To an analyst: "What did you not expect about the job in your first six months?"
• To an analyst: "What separates the summer analysts who got offers in your class from the ones who did not?"
• To an associate: "What do you look for when you hand a first year their first piece of a live deal?"
• To an associate: "How has the way you spend your day changed since you were an analyst?"
• To a vice president or director: "Which part of your sector is producing the most deals right now, and why?"
• To a managing director: "What has changed most about how clients choose an advisor since you started?"
• To anyone: "You mentioned [something they said earlier]. Can you say more about how that worked?"
• To anyone: "What is a deal you worked on that taught you the most, and what did it teach you?"

How do you tailor questions to the firm?

Tie one question to what you know about the firm's model or recent work, but ask about the person's experience of it rather than asking them to explain the firm to you. The table below shows the live status of these firms' programs, read from their own career sites, which is also worth knowing before you walk in.

At a full service bank such as Goldman Sachs or J.P. Morgan, you could ask how often their deals involve the bank's financing or markets teams. At an advisory focused firm such as Evercore, Centerview, or Moelis, you could ask how staffing works on a small deal team and what that meant for them as a first year. Do not state anything about the firm's internal process as fact; ask, and let them tell you.

• Goldman SachsOpen1 open now
• EvercoreOpen3 open now
• J.P. MorganWatching
• Centerview PartnersExpectedExpected early January
• Moelis & CompanyOpen3 open now

Which questions should you never ask?

Some questions are fine in a coffee chat months before the interview but wrong in the interview itself, because they make you sound worried about the wrong things or put the interviewer in an awkward position.

• Pay, bonus, or hours.
• "How did I do?" or "Do you have any concerns about my candidacy?" It forces them to judge you to your face.
• Anything answered on the firm's careers page, such as what groups exist.
• Exit opportunities or how quickly people leave for private equity.
• Questions about a negative news story about the firm.
• When decisions will be made. If you need timing, ask the recruiter afterward, not the interviewer.

What if you have no time left or no questions?

If the interviewer says you have a minute, ask one short question and listen. If time has run out, thank them and say you would have asked about one specific thing; it shows you had a question without taking their time.

Never say you have no questions. If your prepared ones were answered during the interview, say so and ask a follow up on something they said: "You answered most of what I wanted to know when you talked about the healthcare deal. What was the hardest part of that one for you?"

Questions students ask

How many questions should I ask?

One or two, about two minutes in total. Have four ready so you can skip any that were answered during the interview.

Can I reuse coffee chat questions?

Some. Questions about the person's own path work in both settings. Questions about how to recruit or what the firm looks for belong in coffee chats, not interviews.

Should I write questions down and bring them?

In a video interview a short note out of sight is fine. In person, memorize them. Reading from a page looks unprepared.

Is it fine to ask about the interviewer's background from LinkedIn?

Yes, if you are natural about it, such as asking how their move from one group to another came about. Do not recite their profile back to them.

What if a superday has five interviewers?

Prepare different questions for different levels and do not ask two people the identical question. Asking about something each one said is the easiest way to keep them distinct.