How to Answer the Why Investment Banking Question

Why do you actually want to be an investment banker?

If you ever hope to enter the field, you'll need to have a great answer to this question - because it's something that every single interviewer will ask you.

But if you read most guides and articles out there, you'll get very poor ideas for what you might say in response to this question:

-You want to be a lifelong learner.

-You've done well in finance classes.

-You like a fast-paced environment.

And if you want to sound exactly the same as everyone else, feel free to use these types of responses.

But if you want to succeed in interviews, you'll have to be more memorable and give answers that make the other person actually like you.

You should use either the "Big Picture" or "Slice of Life" method to accomplish this.

If you're a career changer, you don't have a finance background, or you can't think of anything specific that made you interested in finance, use the "Big Picture" method.

The outline is: Background in One Industry + Experience in Finance = Success in Achieving Long-Term Goals.

Maybe you're a healthcare policy analyst and you want to combine your industry knowledge with investment banking so you can advise companies one day; or maybe you're an engineer who wants to go into venture capital, combining technical knowledge with finance.

Don't know what you want to do in the long-term? Not a problem - just make up goals and be consistent with what you say.

The other method - the "Slice of Life" - is better if you've been a finance major, or you have some full-time experience in the field.

With this method, you mention a specific person, story, or event in the beginning, and explain how your interest developed from that.

-You saw your parents day-trading when you were younger, so you then decided to start trading your own account, following the market, and doing a few investment internships.

-You met top female executives at banks in a summer camp, which made you look into the field more seriously.

You can combine these methods as well - but keep your story short if you want the interviewer to listen.

Aim for a 20-30 second elevator pitch and you'll be ahead of 90% of prospective bankers.