HireVue interviews: what they are, what they’ll ask you for 2027

If you’re angling for a 2027 banking and financial services internship, you might very well have a HireVue interview coming up.

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What are HireVue interviews exactly? These days, they’re just interviews. Weird, creepy interviews, but still interviews. A pre-recorded message from HR (or an AI-generated HR bot) will play, your microphone and camera will be tested, and you’ll be prompted to answer some questions.

Answer them as though a human had asked them, don’t worry about your ums and your ahs, and hope for the best. It’s very straightforward. AI will not count your nose follicle density. AI will not count your blinks to assess your fear response. AI will transcribe and assess your answer, however. The sort of questions you’re asked are behavioural questions, also known as “fit” questions. These are the kinds of questions that lend themselves to the STAR technique.

If your answers are good, you’ll be given the thumbs up by the machine and your case will now be handled by a human being in an applicant tracking system. Congratulations, breath out, you’re onto the next step.

You will have a limited period of time to answer the questions, depending on who is interviewing you. We have a list of standard response times by firm here. They typically vary from 30 seconds of prep and 90 seconds to answer (for Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley) to a whopping 180 seconds of prep and 90 seconds to answer (for BlackRock).

The questions below come from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to) Glassdoor, WallStreetOasis, and Reddit. They’re mostly, but not exclusively, questions asked of interns, mostly in America and the UK. And they’re all, as far as we can tell, questions that have been asked this recruiting season.

Generic questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Walk me through your resume/CV.
• Why this bank?
• Why investment banking?
• Why this division?
• Which team are you most interested in?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• How do you keep up with the markets? What are you following at the moment?

Goldman Sachs

• If you accidentally sent an email containing confidential information to a client, how would you first respond?
• How would you maintain client confidentiality between a manager and a client?
• Why [this department], specifically, for the long term?
• Why [this city]?
• What's a book, article or paper you recently read?
• How do you identify and assess the key risks in a new project or investment?
• Talk about a recent event that impacted financial markets.
• Tell me about a time you made a process more efficient.
• Describe a time you had to work with a difficult team member.

JPMorgan

• Tell us about a recent piece of news that you read about that affects the business division you are applying to.
• What motivates you?
• Tell me about a time when you were challenged to be persistent to reach an important goal. What obstacles did you face? How did you overcome them?
• Tell me about a time when you produced an innovative strategy for a unique problem. Describe the situation, your actions, and the outcome of the situation.
• Tell me about a time when you did the right thing, even when it was difficult.
• How do you handle information and break it down?
• When was a time you showed humility?
• Talk about a time you solved a business problem and got a result.

Morgan Stanley

• What was the biggest failure in your life?
• Tell me about your leadership experience and what you learned from it.
• Tell me about a time you did the right thing.
• Tell me about a time you worked on a team project that you struggled with.
• Tell me about a time you worked in a group.
• Why [city]?

Citi

• How would you describe investment banking to someone who doesn't know anything about finance?
• How does a bank make money?
• How does an interest rate change impact bank revenue?
• How do recent global or economic news events impact the bank?
• How do you think about personal banking products?
• What is a recent tech trend that Citi should employ?
• When was a time that you put a lot of time and effort into something and it did not work out? What did you learn from it?

Bank of America

• Why you are interested in this programme and/or business?
• Describe two trends happening in your chosen department/field.
• Which one of your key accomplishments best illustrates your personal initiative and willingness to push beyond what is required?
• Name a time you juggled multiple tasks and how you managed your time.
• Tell me one instance where you solved a problem proactively.
• Tell me about a time you struggled.
• Tell me a time when you collaborated with others or demonstrated leadership.
• How do you work in a multicultural and multigenerational team?

Barclays

• What has happened in markets this past year?
• Do you have a portfolio? What's in it?
• Explain one of the projects mentioned on your resume in detail, including your role, the technologies used, the challenges you faced, and how you solved them.
• Tell me about a time you faced a risk.
• Tell us about a time you displayed initiative.

Deutsche Bank

• How are banks doing right now in historical terms?
• What news article interested you the most recently?
• Describe a teamworking situation.
• When did you encounter a conflict?
• What is a skill you have that is not on your CV?
• Would you rather work in teams or independently?
• How would you act if you had the opportunity to participate in a project you had no experience with? Would you take on the project, or stick to projects you already know how to do?

UBS

• Tell me one M&A deal you are following recently. What do you think [of it]?
• Apart from F1, what is a different sport that UBS should sponsor?
• If you could choose to sponsor one sport globally, which sport would you choose, and why?
• How does this role contribute to the whole company?
• Why work in New York specifically?
• What is the most interesting thing you know?
• Describe a time you had to do something new.
• How do you lead a team?

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