Interview Questions

Tell me about yourself

Common first question. Answer: talk about your work background, skills, and interests and relate them to how well they fit the job. I am a junior at Bentley University but currently I am studying abroad at Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia. I am an economics-finance major and have a minor in Computer Information Systems. On campus I am a campus ambassador where I give tours to prospective students and their families and I also work in the undergraduate career services department where I am a Think Tank Colleauge. In this position I'm responsible for constant innovation throughout the department. Last summer I worked at Granite Telecommunications in their finance department as a cost and savings analyst where I partnered with the sales team to create personalized quotes for potential commercial customers. I like to think of myself as a very positive person, a dedicated worker, and a team player. I love having hands on experience, communicating with others, and learning in general.

Cite an instance when somebody didn't understand some detail in a presentation you made. How did you sense the lack of understanding? What did you do?

A time where someone didn't understand in something in a presentation I made was in my Marketing class where I was working in a team of 5 on a group project on the marketing and operations of Netflix. In our project we had to look at the company and show how their marketing and operations are integrated. (Operations: provide different subscription packages based on need Marketing: determining the needs of consumers, Operations: reduces production costs Marketing: can show customers the product is available at an affordable price, Operations: makes sure that content is efficient available when needed Marketing: makes sure that customers are getting what they desire from their Netflix subscription). Our professor asked us a question at the end of our presentation on how the marketing & operations worked together on a specific example we talked about and we explained it to her and she said she didn't understand. When we explained it to her in a different way she still said she didn't see it. So, we answered and tried to persuade our point as much as we could and ended our presentation. After our presentation we emailed our professor to see if we could meet again to discuss the point we were trying to make in our presentation. She agreed, and we met with her to try and give her a better understanding of what we meant.

Why do you think you'd be a good fit for the position?

As a Bentley student with a major in finance I have a strong financial background since I've been taking finance and accounting courses since my freshman year of college. I have great communication skills which I've gained from my job as a campus ambassador where my job is to talk to prospective students and their parents. From past experience at Granite Telecommunications I've enhanced my quantitative and analytical skills. Also, having a minor in Computer Information Systems has taught me how to stay updated for technology and innovation which is important to a firm like brown brothers harriman, which has been around for a while and is constantly trying to stay ahead of the game and innovative.

Sell me your favorite app

Ask questions about what the interviewer and see what their needs are.

Have you ever asked a colleague or manager for immediate feedback on your performance? What made you ask for it and how did you follow up on the feedback?

At granite telecommunications at my last internship i would ask for feedback a lot especially when I was first starting out with pricing and creating quotes for customers. Before submitting any of my work to the quoting team I would bring my work to a colleague and see if they found any mistakes and then I would ask them how they go through the process and explain what i did to come up with my quote. As a new intern they would give me advice and feedback on how the quoting process went and the best way to complete the process most accuratley and quickly. This was really nice because I was able to get feedback from someone who started off in my position and was in the same place as I was.

What are three words that describe you?

Curious, Positive, Dedicated

Why BBH?

BBH is a firm that I've always admired, knowing how many business students eventually end up working there. Brown Brothers is so well established this year being a centennial year or 200th birthday. It's really impressive how BBH has been able to stay relevant an such a key player in the financial industry. I love how BBH puts so much focus on the customer and is so determined to build a relationship with their customers which I think is so important and is probably the reason why BBH has such a great reputation. After talking to some ladies that were interns at BBH previously I was able to get some insight on what their program was like. What i learned from them was in the internship you're able to see a few different departments and work in each one which I thought was really interesting. I think this would be good for me because I'm still so curious about the different fields of finance and which field i would fit best in. From what I've learned about the internship program, it is really strucutred with a formal orientation and training so it's not like I'm just being thrown into it. Also we have the opportunity to participate in social and volunteer events as well.

Why Finance/Investments ?

Because in finance, performance matters. It's all about hard work, attention to detail, intellectual curiosity, strong communication, creativity, innovative thinking, teamwork and the ability to execute on ideas are what's valued in the finance industry. Also: it's exciting! When you work in the finance industry you have a direct impact on the economy because the industry is necessary to global growth and impacts every other industry. It's constantly innovating and evolving to meet the needs of a changing world. Also, it's satisfying to create wealth or help companies grow and expand.

What do we do?

Brown Brothers Harriman is privately owned financial services firm. That was founded in 1818 so this is your 200th birthday. BBH has three focused businesses: 1. Investor Services (trillions) 2. Private banking ($33B), investment management ($54B). In investor services specifically there are departments in Fintech, Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, Service Delivery:, Client Service: Fund Accounting; Corporate Actions; Trade Management; Global Cash Services. BBH provides services to corporate institutions and High-net-worth individual clients.

Give me a time where you did something wrong? How did you handle it?

During one group project for my 215 class I took on a lot of the extra work that had to be done outside of our project meetings. We each had individual sections we had to work on and there was an extra section so I volunteered to complete it. I didn't realize how time consuming each section would be and eventually realized that I wasn't going to be able to complete the project without sacrificing another one of my studies for another class. So, I reached out to my team members and let them know my situation and we all ended up splitting the one specific section and meeting the following day to put all of our research together. From this I realized how important it is to ask your teammates for help. If I hadn't asked for help in this situation I would've had to sacrifice another assignment in order to complete the work.

Favorite Bloomberg Functions? Tell me about your certification?

ESNP- displays economic statistics of 60 countries FXTF- shows a library of all the worlds currencies IFMO- world inflation monitor

What's something that's shaped you into the person you are today?

Even though I recently started my study abroad experience, i can already see how it is changing me as an individual. Living in a different country far away from my friends and direct family was a really big step for me especially because I haven't done a ton of traveling on my own. After being here for over a month I am already becoming so much more independent and really learning how to figure things out on my own (ex. how to get around with no car, how to budget my money). My parents allowed me to study abroad only if I saved up money for it over the summer and was able to fund myself here. So, I worked really hard all summer and created a budget and am sticking to that budget which is something I've never really had to do before because I've never spend such large amounts of money in a short period of time.

Tell me about the Dillard's vs. Nordstrom project that you did

For the Dillards vs. Nordstrom project in my finance class I had to work in a team of 3 students to analyze the financial stability of each company and decide which company was more financially stable. To figure this out we had to utilize financial ratios that had to do with profitability, liquidity, etc. The conclusion that we came to was the Nordstrom was more financially stable for a few reasons. 1. it had a larger market cap. than Dillards so it's a bit more stable in terms of investment so they're conservative investments. 2. Nordstrom had more cash on hand and less inventory allowing it to pay back short term debt quicker if needed. 3. Nordstrom is also able to sell their inventory quicker meaning they can settle their expenses quicker and are able to get items off of the shelf faster. 4. Dillards revenue was stagnant where Nordstrom's was growing and they were retaining earnings to invest into their business.

What is a future, forward, option?

Future - In finance, a futures contract is a standardized forward contract, a legal agreement to buy or sell something at a predetermined price at a specified time in the future, between parties not known to each other. Forward - In finance, a forward contract or simply a forward is a non-standardized contract between two parties to buy or to sell an asset at a specified future time at a price agreed upon today, making it a type of derivative instrument Option - In finance, an option is a contract which gives the buyer (the owner or holder of the option) the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset or instrument at a specified strike price prior to or on a specified date, depending on the form of the option

What is an accomplishment you are most proud of?

I am really proud of the fact that I was just recently elected to an executive board position in my sorority. There are over 100 people in my sorority and about half are eligible to run and there are only 6 positions so it is usually very competitive. In my position I'm responsible for the education and programming of my sorority. When new members are inducted I am the one who teaches them about our sorority's values, principles, and history. I also am responsible for making sure that everyone's grades and GPA are being maintained at the standard and have to provide a study plan for them if their grades are declining. I'm also responsible for controlling the programming of the chapter so organizing events, sending event forms to nationals, and a lot of operational things. With this opportunity I get to go to our national conference with the other members of the executive board and represent my school. Being in a sorority at school has provided me with such a great community of strong women and I'm so proud that I get to serve as an executive board member and represent all of the sorority members at a national convention.

What's your biggest weakness?

I think one of my weaknesses is attempting to please everyone. I have always loved the challenge of getting people to like me. Sometimes at work and at group meetings and in moments where I have to be stern with a group member or partner it was difficult for me to really speak my mind because I was nervous that it would have an effect on my relationship with that person. For example, in group meetings if someone had an idea that I really just didn't think was going to work I wouldn't say "I don't think that's going to work" I would say "Okay we can try to workout that solution as a possible option and see how it goes". Upside to this is people feel really comfortable around me because I don't give harsh criticism. Another weakness of mine is taking on too much work. In group projects at school I have found myself taking on extra work in situations where there was leftover work for someone to handle. I think I do this because I really believe in my work and think I can do the best job at something. Sometimes this can be very stressful when I have so much on my plate but have definitely helped with my multi-tasking skills.

Why me?

I think that I'm a really strong candidate for this position because of my strong interpersonal skills, and my ability to work in teams. Not only am I results driven and focused but I also like making relationships with people and learning not only about finance but how to network with other people. overall, I'm a pretty easy going person and I like getting along with everyone and am really eager to learn. Not only can I bring a finance background like I'm sure most applicants can but I also have a minor in computer information systems so I'm great with Microsoft Office. Overall, I'm really motivated and eager to learn and would make sure to come to work everyday on time with a positive attitude, ready to assist the current employees, and learn about investor services.

How do you set goals?

I usually set goals by establishing before I start something. So, for example if I'm working on a project and even a group project I like to think about what my goals are before i begin so sometimes it will be to get an A, sometimes it will be to really understand and be able to apply the material to a real world situation. Setting goals for myself is a little different because sometimes they change! Short term my goal is to get an internship this summer where I can grow personally and professionally and have hands on experience. Long term my goal is to graduate college and have a full time job doing something I love, maybe get my masters degree, and travel the world a bit. Super long term I would like to own my own business! I like to remind myself of these goals everyday and will write them down on sticky notes or create sticky notes on my computer so I'm reminded of these goals and I remember to work towards them every day.

How do you stay up to date on business news and how do you follow the market?

I usually stay up to date on business news by reading a morning newsletter that's sent out every morning by a company called "The Morning Brew". It's a witty newsletter that covers topics from the Fed to Real Estate to Cryptocurrency. One really cool thing about this newsletter is that at the end of the week there's always a quiz to see how much information from the daily newsletters and actually absorbed and remembered. Other than that, Bloomberg is my homepage.

What is your biggest strength?

I would say my biggest strength is my dedication. I'm the type of person where if I take up a project and accept a job offer, I'm going to put my all into that project and into that job offer. There's just a sense of satisfaction that I get when I know I've given something my best work and I think that's why dedication would be one of my biggest strengths. Another thing I consider to be my biggest strength is my interpersonal skills. Being a campus ambassador where it's my job to talk to students and parents has really improved my communication skills and made me a much more confident and powerful speaker. Positivity!

Why did you choose your major?

I'd always been interested in investments and the markets and at Bentley the economics courses give an in-depth understanding of how markets, in general, function at the macro and micro levels, and the finance courses teach financial statement analysis, and how financial markets function and operate. I'm really enjoying it so far because my finance courses allow me to work a lot with numbers and the economics courses are more of a social science where you can observe consumer behavior.

What's your leadership style?

I'm usually the type of person to take initiative. However, if there's someone else in the group that is really adamant about taking initiative in a group project I'm fine with stepping back and being an active group member. But, I always like to give my input and contribute.

Think about a team of which you were a part of where there was little collaboration. How did you identify and help to resolve the problem.

In a finance project that I completed in one of my courses, the project had many different sections and parts to it. Because it would take so long to do each part together my team and I decided we would split up our work and do each part independently which led to zero collaboration. When we all got together and put our parts together we realized how in it's entirely the paper/project didn't flow well at all, there were contrasting ideas and the writing styles were all different. Because of this we realized we had to collaborate on all of the parts in order for our paper to make sense and just be a good paper in general. Luckily, each team member already did their own personal research which gave us a base, and we were able to work together on each part after that. It did take longer but made our project so much better. What I learned from this is how important it is that everyone's in the loop especially on a group project so it doesn't sound just like a junk drawer of ideas.

Describe a time you worked in a group and had difficulties. What role did you have in resolving the problem?

In one of my team projects at school our team had difficulties being productive and working together because of the cultural differences that existed in our group. One of our students was an exchange student from Russia and from the start it was apparent that there were differences that needed to be addressed. Basically, he would get up and leave during meetings without saying where he was going or before our work was done, he would raise his voice at meetings and sometimes just not show up. We obviously realized something needed to be done but didn't want to offend him in any way so we went to our teacher. Luckily, our class was on organizational behavior in business organizations so our teacher was basically a pro on dealing with situations at work and school. She suggested that we sit down with him before a meeting and explain the situation. Then ask him what he was expecting from us as a team so we could have a better understanding from his point of view. Then we could tell him what we are expecting from him as a team member. After that, we all had a much better understanding of what we expected from each other.

Tell me about a time where you went above and beyond.

Mentor Marketplace Project

Tell me something about yourself that's not on your resume

My whole life I've been a gymnast and a cheerleader. Physically it was the hardest I've ever pushed myself and I loved setting goals and accomplishing them every time I went to practice. Challenged me to be a better person and truly showed me how special it is to be part of a team. It has taught me to be positive, confident, fearless.

What's a sacrifice you've had to make?

Sacrificing school for health (concussion)

If you could have lunch with someone dead or alive who would it be?

Sheryl Sandberg. She's such a determined person and has faced so much adversity being a women especially in a high up position.

What are your goals?

Short term - get an internship this summer in a field I'm interested in and have some hands on experience because that's how I learn best. I think having an internship would help me grow personally and professionally. Medium term - learn arabic! Long term - I would like to graduate college and have a full time job, possibly get a masters degree, and have some time to explore the world.

What are some classes you've taken and what you've learned?

So far I've taken 3 accounting and finance courses and I'm currently taking International Finance. I've also taken micro and macro. In these classes there's a strong focus on financial statement analysis, valuation, the time value of money, risk and return, and financial planning and forecasting. Right now in International Finance I'm learning about foreign exchange risk and how to combat those risks by using hedging strategies.

What's your greatest failure? or a time you didn't succeed?

Stats final.

What are economic indicators?

That can be used to determine the Economy or whether a country is developed or developing; examples include GDP, unemployment, interest rates

How do rising interest rates effect the economy?

Those with loans of any sort will be hit hardest. Home equity lines of credit, auto loans, or any loan with variable rates of interest. Fixed-rate mortgages are also going to become more expensive, which could have a chilling effect on the real estate market. Savers benefit. Higher interest rates typically depress home values by making monthly mortgage payments more expensive. If wages don't rise as rate hikes mount, contracted spending could eventually lead to a broader economic slowdown. When interest rates rise conservative investors pull money out of the market and put it into interest bearing CDs

What was the last project you led and what was it's outcome?

Tiffany & Co. Case - In the short-term, Tiffany needs to protect themselves from the transactional risks associated with the repurchasing agreements. In the long run, Tiffany should focus on translation exposure when exchanging their yen to US cash flows. Considering the downsides and upsides of each hedging instrument we think Tiffany's best option is to hedge their exposed funds in Japan by using a forward call option. Since Tiffany is now operating its own stores in Japan we would advise Tiffany to hold the revenue (in yen) that it makes from each store location and use the yen to pay Mitsukoshi for the inventory Tiffany is buying back from them, in order to remove the transactional risk. Tiffany should protect the remaining yen by using a forward put option on the yen in exchange for US dollars for the future transactions. From 1987 to 1993 Tiffany's international presence has nearly tripled [Exhibit D]. To manage the risk of fluctuation we would advise Tiffany to create a departmental team that closely monitors not only the yen to dollar exchange rate but all exchange markets where Tiffany stores operate and bear exposure. This departmental team will continue to be necessary due to management's plans to open 4 or 5 new stores per year. The foreign exchange market can be used to realize profit through arbitrage but can negatively affect cash flows if left alone. Due to this, LC Consulting deems it necessary for Tiffany to protect themselves by hedging their exposed funds

How do you prioritize your time?

Usually I'll make a list of when everything's due and complete my work in order of when things are due. However, if I have a group project and know my team's relying on me I will prioritize those group projects over my individual work that I can do at a later date. For my on campus job I know I obviously have to show up so on days where I give tours so I will prioritize that.

Can you recall a time when deadlines for a manager, a tam project, and a client all occurred simultaneously? How did you handle these competing deadlines and how did you figure out your priorities?

Usually at school midterms and finals week is very high stress because of how many due dates we have to make with papers, exams, and projects. Sophomore year midterm week was probably the most hectic of all. I was taking two courses that were both heavily focused on group work and because of that most students don't take those courses in the same semester but the way my schedule worked out I had to take them at the same time. With two group projects, a paper, and two exams all due within the same week I was pressed for time to complete it all. How I handled this was making a list of all of the assignments I had to complete or tests I had to study for and made a list. I organized them by deadlines but also organized them by importance. The group projects were at the top of my list because not only was my grade at stake but my team members grades were at stake as well. Making a list and prioritizing really helped me get all of my work done!

Have you ever worked on a project where you had to change direction suddenly due to internal or external circumstances? What made you realize that change was required and how did you go about making the shift?

Yes, in my organizational behavior class my team and I had to change directions for a specific step in our project on Samsung. For our project, we had to interview an employee or executive that worked at Samsung and in our original outline, we were planning on going into a Samsung store or calling a Samsung store to speak with an employee. We ended up having to change directions a few times because every way in which we tried to get into contact with Samsung employees didn't work. We realized Samsung didn't really have any independent stores there were mostly just stores located inside of bigger stores. We also realized that employees on service lines weren't really allowed to talk about their experience with customers. So we had to really brainstorm how we were going to get in touch with employees. So, we finally thought of messaging employees on LinkedIn. and to better our chances of a response, we looked for Bentley alumni who worked at Samsung. We ended up having to buy a premium LinkedIn membership on a team members account to message the alum but we ended up messaging a bunch and 2 responded and we interviewed them for our project!

What are the basic financial statements?

income statement: revenue - expenses = net income statement of retained earnings: beg. retained earnings + net income - dividends = ending r.e. balance sheet: assets = liabilities + shareholders equity statement of cash flows: shows the flow of cash from operating (net income, A/R, inventory) investing (purchasing LT assets), financing activities (proceeds from debt, payments from debt)