What questions should you ask to show your interest in the Investment Banking job?

At core of investment banking is Valuation which in turn arises from strong analytical skills. Hence, before asking any questions if you sharpen your analytical skills and familiarize yourself with valuation methods, your questions would be more meaningful and indicative of your interest in Investment banking job.

To become an Investment Banking Analyst one must know the major areas that he/she can be expected to work on, i.e. Mergers & Acquisitions, Cap Raise, Corporate Restructuring, Underwriting, etc. Now, to show your enthusiasm, the most prominent of these is M&A which involves a whole deal cycle and process along with heavy intuition about Valuations. One can ask questions on these areas such as What is the deal process? What are the main areas to focus on throughout the deal? How and Why Valuations can have serious implications on a deal? Typical roles analysts play in all these and so on. Asking questions not only shows that you have a genuine interest in the work but also showcases that you are eager to learn and upskill for the same.

Now as we discussed above the areas that you can expect to work within the industry, the major thing that is common in every aspect of those is to have an idea about the industry trends. So, asking questions such as current trends, growth drivers, factors that can lead to headwinds and tailwinds, the implication of AI in the sector, etc, that you are interested in will show that you are well versed in the industry, have an analytical mindset and aware of the current market situations.

Another best way to show your interest in the profession is to ask about any recent deals that the personnel/the firm has worked on. You can ask questions such as how the landscape of the deal was, what challenges they might have faced, what trends they are noticing in the market, valuation multiples they used in that particular sector, etc, etc. This shows that you are enthusiastic and serious about your career in this field, you have done your homework, and are ready to learn as much as possible to stand out which surely leaves a mark on the personnel/firm about you.

Always ask for advice, always. This will help you in ways you won't even imagine. This is the best thing about LinkedIn, leaders/senior professionals of leading firms are always happy to help you out in this case. They are experienced personnel who might have been there where you are now so never shy away from asking advice. You can ask how they have carved out their career path, their strategies to break into the industry, their motivations to keep going, what led them to where they are today, what they think currently would be best to study/upskill to crack into IB, tips & tricks regarding any specific area of work such as pitchbook, valuations to make it better, etc, etc. This will show that you are humble, and respect their expertise.

One other thing to stand out is to showcase your projects and ask for feedback on how you did and what can you do better. This shows that you are already upskilling yourself, are serious about the profession, and that you are confident and proactive.