Strengths / Weaknesses Questions Flashcards
In your internship this past summer, what feedback did you receive?
I received positive feedback for being a team player and going the extra mile. One instance involved improving our digital file management system. Our internal software was inefficient, making it difficult to find and share documents. I took the initiative to move everything to Google Drive, spending countless hours compressing and transferring files and setting up access for the team. My efforts significantly increased efficiency, and the team was impressed with the results. One piece of constructive feedback was to communicate more with my supervisor about my actions, which I addressed by walking him through the entire process. Overall, the new system benefited the whole department.
What were a few areas that your team said you should try to improve upon?
One area I received constructive feedback on was my communication skills. When I implemented a new filing system, I was handling sensitive documents and, in an effort to surprise and impress the team, I neglected to communicate my actions. My supervisor appreciated the positive outcome but wished I had kept him more informed due to the sensitivity of the documents. After receiving this feedback, I walked him through the entire process and gained a better understanding of the communication expectations. Moving forward, I made sure to provide regular updates on my work.
Did you get an offer to return to where you worked last summer?
During the internship, I was confident about receiving a return offer based on the positive feedback and praise I received from the team. However, due to the company experiencing financial issues, they were unable to extend offers to interns this year. I was informed that under normal circumstances, I would have received an offer, but unfortunately, that’s not how it worked out this time around.
Let’s imagine that your best friend is describing you in 3 words – which words would he/she use and why?
I would say driven, resilient, and motivating. Driven, because I always encourage my friends to shoot higher; set bigger goals, or have bigger dreams. Resilient, because I never let anything hold me back. Whenever something seems too difficult or something doesn’t go my way, I always look at it from the perspective that it could be worse. Finally, I say motivating because I’m the type of person that always pushes my friends. Whenever they run into a roadblock or experience a failure, I help pick them back up.
Imagine that I’m speaking to someone with whom you have not gotten along in the past – what would he/she say about you?
They would probably say that I can be a bit uncommunicative. it’s something I can agree I had difficulty with in the past. Especially this one instance where I was working on a project where I was responsible for collecting and showcasing data that would support a company pitch. I had a team member who was responsible for writing the portion of the report that explained my findings. When I found an extra case study that would strengthen our pitch, I included it in the PowerPoint because I wanted to go above and beyond. I did this without notifying the team member who understandably expressed frustration as this added to her workload. I offered to write the portion of the report for her but she denied it. Still, it taught me that even in cases where you think a decision can benefit your overall work, if it’s something that affects your team members, you need to run it by them, whether it’s positive or not.
Why would we decide not to give you an offer today?
One reason you might decide not to give me an offer is that I chose to pursue investment banking relatively late in my college career. This might raise concerns about my commitment to the program. However, I assure you that I have thoroughly dedicated myself to catching up. Over one summer, I taught myself the basics of investment banking, LBOs, and valuation processes. I reached out to alumni, conducted industry and company research, and learned the core concepts. I’ve never been more certain about a career path, and I am ready to bring this work ethic to your team and learn as much as possible.
Tell me why we should hire you in 3 sentences.
You should hire me because my strong foundation in finance, developed through the rigorous curriculum at Baruch College and my involvement in the Private Equity Club, has given me an enhanced understanding of the deal-making process and investment banking. My experience working at the Zalaquett Group while completing the Year Up program provided me with the technical skills and resilience needed to handle a large workload. Additionally, my experience trading and coding indicators and algorithms has given me a unique perspective on the markets and finance that could benefit your team.
What was your greatest failure?
My greatest failure was underestimating the difficulty of learning R for a capstone project. Given my prior programming experience, I assumed it would be easy, but I soon realized I was wrong as the deadline quickly approached. Despite working hard—watching YouTube tutorials, collaborating with classmates, and attending office hours—I couldn’t achieve the results I wanted and ultimately withdrew from the class knowing I could have done better. When I retook the class, I made sure to waste no time. I worked just as hard as I had before, determined not to underestimate the project and even ended up submitting it early, passing the class with an A.
