Prepare for Interviews in Business & Finance

Business and finance employers often receive hundreds of applications for a single position. Strong interview performance can be the deciding factor between receiving an offer and being passed over. Preparation helps you communicate your experience, demonstrate technical knowledge, and show employers that you are genuinely interested in their organization. Heading into your job/internship search, you should be prepared to tackle technical interviews and case interviews that will be used to assess your skills.

Case Interviews:

Case interviews are commonly used by consulting firms and are becoming increasingly popular in strategy, finance, operations, and leadership development roles. Candidates are presented with a business problem and asked to analyze the situation and recommend a solution. Dig deeper with the Vault Career Guide to Case Interviews.

Example Cases

  • Should a company enter a new market?
  • Why are profits declining?
  • How can a retailer increase revenue?
  • Should a company acquire a competitor?
  • What factors should a bank consider before launching a new product?

The interviewer is often evaluating:

  • Problem-solving ability
  • Analytical thinking
  • Communication skills
  • Business judgment
  • Quantitative reasoning

Many cases include calculations. You should practice:

  • Percent changes
  • Growth rates
  • Market sizing
  • Break-even analysis
  • Profit calculations
  • Mental math

Topics to review for technical interviews:

Financial Statements

  • Income Statement
  • Balance Sheet
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • How the statements connect
  • Revenue and profit growth
  • Cash flow drivers

    Valuation Concepts

    • Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)
    • Comparable Company Analysis
    • Precedent Transactions
    • Enterprise Value vs. Equity Value

    Corporate Finance

    • Cost of Capital
    • Capital Structure
    • Debt vs. Equity Financing
    • Return on Investment

    Markets and Investments

    • Interest rates
    • Inflation
    • Stock and bond markets
    • ETFs and mutual funds
    • Current business news

    Accounting Concepts

    • Depreciation
    • Accrual accounting
    • Revenue recognition
    • Working capital
    • Financial ratios
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