Get assessment ready
We know that assessment processes and interviews can often feel daunting but preparation is your key to success.
Keep reading to explore heaps of useful resources to help you prepare and feel more confident.
Nailing Your Assessments
Watch our industry panel walk you through a typical assessment process and explain what hiring managers are looking for so you can wow them with your knowledge, enthusiasm, and skills.
Every assessment process differs across firms and typically takes the form of multiple stages. These could include:
Telephone interview
In-person interview
Online assessment centres
Each assessment stage will be looking for you to demonstrate skills and knowledge essential to your role as an intern or graduate in investment management. Amongst skills such as team work, analytical thinking, and communication, you will need to demonstrate an understanding of the industry and an interest in the firm you are being assessed by.
Catch up on helpful episodes of the GAIN Meets… Podcast
What will I be asked in an interview?
Remember that there are no trick questions!
This is a chance for you to show that you are intelligent, diligent, a team-player and intellectually curious. Make sure your answers can be backed up with examples of experience you have or research that you have done. Don’t worry if you do not have previous work experience, relate the question to your studies or an extra-curricular activity that you have done.
WATCH: Questions to be prepared for during your investment management interview
Commonly asked interview questions
Prepare and practice your answers to these commonly asked questions to ace your interview.
What has prompted your interest in investment management (if they are not doing a finance related degree), OR when did you become interested in investment management?
If the candidate professes an existing interest in investment management – I will ask them how they further evidence this (ie run a shadow portfolio, specific reading/podcasts they listen to on a regular basis etc)
How do you stay current with industry trends and developments?
Can you tell me about a time when you have been unsuccessful in achieving a goal or objective? Did you learn anything from this and what would you do differently next time?
Tell me about a time when something significant didn’t go to plan.
Tell me about a time when you did not succeed. How did this situation arise and how did you deal with this situation.
What skills have you gained during your time at school / university (and any work experience / extra curricular) that you think are most relevant to this role?
What have you enjoyed most about your time at university/in college?
Why are you interested in working here/at X company?
In preparing for this one, the candidate is researching the firm and could answer “what do you know about us?”Talk to me about the achievement you’re most proud of.
Can you describe the environment in which you work best?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Analyzing data and using technology is key to performing well during an internship, can you tell us about a time when you have demonstrated your technical skills in excel, coding or modelling in a project or assignment.
Tell me about a time when you have received constructive feedback. How have you used this feedback?
We love this short video with body language expert Amy Cuddy on how to project confidence during your interview - well worth practising some of these moves to help embody confidence and positivity during your interview.
The STAR interview technique is a structured approach to answering behavioral interview questions.
Situation: Describe the context or challenge you were facing. Provide enough background to set the stage.
Task: Explain your specific role or responsibility in that situation. Highlight the objective or the problem you needed to address.
Action: Discuss the steps you took to address the task or solve the problem. Focus on your individual contributions, even if it was a team effort.
Result: Share the outcomes of your actions. Emphasise positive results, such as improvements, accomplishments, or lessons learned.
Using STAR helps you structure your response to highlight relevant skills and achievements. It allows interviewers to assess problem-solving abilities, teamwork, leadership, and other competencies. For example, when asked about a time you worked under pressure, you could describe a tight deadline (Situation), your responsibility to meet it (Task), the steps you took to manage time effectively (Action), and the successful on-time delivery (Result).
The STAR technique ensures your responses are clear, focused, and demonstrate your abilities effectively.
Assesment Centres & Numerical Reasoning
Assessment Centres
Assessment centres are a way for an employer to get a group of candidates together online or in-person to be assessed. These may be virtual or in person and can include group exercises, psychometric tests or presentations.
The firm you are being assessed by may tell you what is going to be involved in the assessment centre. Whether or not they do, follow all of our guidance above and you’ll go in feeling confident.
If you are invited to an assessment centre, feel proud of yourself! These are often the final stage of the recruitment process and you do not want to fail at the final hurdle!
Numerical Reasoning Assessments
Numerical reasoning assessments are designed to test not only your mathematical ability but how you work and reason with numerical information. Unlike interviews, you cannot prepare answers to typical questions but there are free online practice tests to utilise.
A typical question will require you to identify the correct pieces of information in the numerical data you have been presented with (interpretation) and then correctly work out these figures to arrive at the correct answer (calculation). The tests are to be taken within a set time frame.
From the feedback our internship firms have provided, numerical reasoning assessments are the number one assessment stage where candidates fail down.
If you do not have a background in mathematics, don’t worry! Stay calm and answer the questions to the best of your ability. By practicing using the free resources available online you will become familiar with the types of questions that you may be asked.
Remember, it is better to work through the questions slowly with accuracy than to rush through the test and guess answers in an attempt to answer every question.
Advice from past interns
“Research about the firm and the whole industry. Find any trends or interesting things in the market that you can talk about.”
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“Be yourself. Don't be afraid to ask any questions that display your curiosity within the industry. Smile :) Be confident."
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“I'd encourage the candidates to know their CV well and be enthusiastic about the job applied for."
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“Be passionate when discussing your previous experiences and achievements."
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“Ensure your interview answers are straight to the point. A long answer does not equate to a well rounded answer."
“Research about the firm and the whole industry. Find any trends or interesting things in the market that you can talk about.” 〰️ “Be yourself. Don't be afraid to ask any questions that display your curiosity within the industry. Smile :) Be confident." 〰️ “I'd encourage the candidates to know their CV well and be enthusiastic about the job applied for." 〰️ “Be passionate when discussing your previous experiences and achievements." 〰️ “Ensure your interview answers are straight to the point. A long answer does not equate to a well rounded answer."
Understand the markets
AmplifyME's Market Maker newsletter is packed with great insights and news from the industry that will help you stay on top of what is going on - perfect for being in the know on interview day!
Understand the different areas of investment management
If you'd like to understand more about the different areas of investment management, we have a range of webinars for you to watch: