What to Expect with Superday Interviews for Finance Positions
Superday interviews are the last step towards securing your offer for a summer analyst or analyst positions in the finance industry. The firm’s main objective for Superday interviews is to determine which candidates to provide offers to.
Superday Interview Format
The Superday is typically a series of back-to-back interviews with multiple professionals that work at the company. These interviews create high-pressure environments and are designed to judge candidates’ ability to cope with the demands of the job.
Superday interviews typically last from 2 to 4 hours and consist of speaking with professionals of varying seniority. Most individual interviews last 30-45 minutes with small breaks in between. Pre-COVID Superday interviews were often in person. However, an increasing number of firms now use applications such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams to conduct Superdays.
Candidates will interview with professionals that have a range of personalities and interview formats. Throughout the course of a Superday, you will be asked a mix of behavioral, technical, and situational questions.
Superday offers firms a full look at candidates from multiple perspectives. They will be assessing if your past experiences have prepared you to bring valuable work experience to the table and provided you with a sufficient knowledge of finance that can be strengthened through on-the-job tasks. They are also assessing if you are a good-natured person who accepts responsibility, handles high demands well, and if you are someone they would enjoy working all through the night with.
Behavioral and Fit Questions
During Superdays firms are attempting to determine if you’ll be a good fit for their unique culture and team. After introductions and pleasantries, interviews typically start out the same way that they did in the first round. The interviewer may say, “Tell me about yourself” or “Walk me through your resume.” You answers should be succinct, true, and insightful.
During this section of the interview, you want to show the interviewer your:
Excitement about the finance industry
Interest in the firm and position
Personal qualities that will make you a valuable member of the team
Knowledge about the role for which you’re interviewing
Values and qualities that would make you an excellent fit
Sometimes, the interviewer will skip these questions and go straight into the technical questions.
Technical Questions
All interviews in a Superday could contain some technical questions or there might be a single interview that is solely dedicated to technical questions. Either way, be prepared for technical questions that are more in-depth and dig deeper into your technical knowledge than a first-round interview.
Interviewers might ask you to:
Walk them through valuation methods
Navigate the three statements
Recite formulas
Explain your assumptions, logic, and approach to certain financial models
Explain concepts such as free cash flow or enterprise value
Speak about major events within the industry
The best way to learn and confidently speak about these concepts is hands-on learning. The Adventis FMC Program can teach you many of the important technical concepts you’ll need to know during Superday interviews. You can also conduct valuations on stocks for clubs or participate in case competition to retain relevant information.
Asking Questions and Following Up
Toward the end of each interview, you’ll likely get the chance to ask questions of your own. You should strive to have good questions that display an understanding of the industry and legitimate interest in the firm you are interviewing with.
Provided you will have multiple interviews in a Superday, it’s important you are prepared with a longer list of questions. You don’t want to ask the same question to all the professionals you interview with. You should also strive to tailor the question to the person you are interviewing with and the conversation you had during the interview.
For example, if the interviewer mostly focused on technical questions, you might want to ask questions about their views on technical subjects. However, if the interview was mostly about cultural fit, you could ask about the interviewer and their interests.
Since Superdays are the final round, you should expect to hear back from the recruiting team anywhere from several hours to several weeks after the interviews are concluded. You should make the recruiting team aware of any outstanding offers from other firms so they can prioritize your results. It’s also recommended to send thank you notes to your interviewers immediately following your final interview.
Best Practices and Advice
You should expect to put in significant preparation for Superday interviews. Since the stakes for Superday interviews are high, a good impression in all interviews is critical. Not only does this come from the effective delivery of your answers, but also from being able to hold a natural conversation and demonstrating active listening skills throughout all interviews.
If the Superday is remote, make sure you find a quiet place to conduct the interviews that is free of distractions and background noise. Be sure to dress professionally. Don’t read from a script, as most interviewers will be able to tell. Instead, speak naturally. Remember, each interviewer is just a person who wants to learn more about you.