Investment Banking Application Tips: What I’d Do Differently for Spring Weeks and Analyst Interviews

I’ve done the Spring Weeks and summer internships. But what I’ve also experienced now is interviews and recruitment processes from a different perspective, working alongside senior team members at a large global bank in London.

So, the obvious question is: “what would I do differently if I applied for investment banking internships and analyst roles all over again?”

Common mistakes students make when applying for investment banking roles

I’ll tell you right now, like most students, I spent hours studying investment banking technical questions and concepts (valuation, accounting, market sizing): I studied HARD for those interviews. I remember being sat on my dorm room floor with (genuinely) hundreds of pages of handwritten notes to every possible interview question I could think of.

I found all of the resources there were online and took the best of each.

All of that got me 80% of the way there. But what truly got me over the finish line? One specific conversation with one of my many interviewers...

What often makes the difference in investment banking interviews

I was on the phone with a senior, and we were chatting about something I can’t even remember now. But somehow, we ended up discussing a deal I told him I read about and had piqued my interest. Turns out, he was very familiar with that situation, and we ended up having a lively discussion.

Looking back, I realized it was more than a stroke of luck. That conversation wasn’t really about the deal. It was about turning an interview into a genuine, passionate discussion between two people (regardless of seniority). One where I could show my personality and he could show his. I came away with the sense that the conversation built real rapport and trust.

That moment made me realize how important delivery and connections are. EVERYONE has an answer to “walk me through an LBO”. Being prepared for those technical conversations isn’t an advantage, it’s simply an expectation.

If I were to go back in time, once I nailed those answers, I would be working on the energy I was bringing forward: the skills that defined my first impression within the first 7 seconds of meeting the interviewer.

Because, honestly, that conversation felt like a turning point in how the interview unfolded. Now, what if I had taken the time to connect with all of my interviewers in the same way? I certainly wouldn’t be second guessing whether I performed well after each round. The answer would have been obvious, and the application process would have been a breeze.

I need to re-iterate this again. This is a lesson I learned through my own interviews, and later seeing how interview conversations unfold in practice from a different perspective. Interpersonal skills matter far more than most candidates realize and improving them can meaningfully change how investment banking interviews feel and flow.

And that’s exactly why SelfCapital Network exists! We’ve got you covered with your fundamental, base case interview skills for investment banking (y’know, your technical questions, behavioral scenarios, etc.), but we also have made it our mission to give you the best opportunities to hone your interpersonal skills (go check them out for free).

Start here and build the toolkit we’ve carefully designed to help you approach your interviews with confidence and real clarity.