How to Decode Banking Firm Culture During the Interview Process

With the banking industry often requiring employees to work long hours, you may be wondering how to manage work/life balance. The interview process can give you the opportunity to decode a firm's culture and better understand how to navigate work/life balance at the firm. Watch this Vault video for tips on what questions to ask and which ones to avoid during the hiring process. 

Transcript 

It’s no secret that professionals in the banking industry often work long hours to keep up with the demands of the job. And since each firm in the industry has a unique approach to supporting these long hours, finding out about each firm’s culture is critical to your future success. However, uncovering these qualities during the hiring process can be tricky. It often involves asking the right questions that don’t raise any red flags while still providing valuable insight. 

Here are some questions to ask and not to ask during the interview process. 

First, it’s important to avoid coming out of the gate with a direct question about hours, bonuses, or work/life balance, especially during your initial interview or screening.  

"Does the firm have any initiatives to support work/life balance when working long hours?

This question or others like it can come off as abrasive to hiring managers, and signal that you might not be a hard worker or willing to go the extra mile. Instead, ask something more general to get a well-rounded picture of the firm. A great question to start out with is this: 

“How would you describe the firm’s workplace culture?”

General questions are best suited for your first interaction with the firm, and once you advance to later interview rounds you can begin asking more nuanced questions like this:

“Is it common for employees to eat dinner together at the office?”

This question helps uncover the firm’s culture in a more covert way. Hopefully, the interviewer will give you insight into how often bankers are in the office for dinner, if that dinner is covered, how late people are typically in the office, if there’s a lot of camaraderie at the firm, and information of that nature.

With these questions, you can walk out of the interview with a better understanding of the firm’s culture and if it’s the right fit for you. 

Check out the Vault Banking 25 for more information on top ranked banking firms.