JP Morgan Chase Interview
What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
-Adaptable: I can be a chameleon in situations. I can quickly change my plans and attitude to better support any situation. It is easy for me to not be flustered by changes and be ready for whatever life throws at me. -Purposeful: I like everything I do to have a purpose. Whether that purpose is for my health, to work on a project, self-care, professional growth, have good relationships...etc., I do almost everything I do with purpose. Not wasting time on things that do not serve me or my community. -Creative: I am creative in the sense of innovation and process improvement thinking. I can find unique solutions and find ways to improve processes. I am also creative in a literal sense with art and design. I love using my creativity in an artistic space and in my community.
How do you complete a financial forecast?
-Define the purpose -Gather past financial statements and historical data -Choose a timeframe -Choose a forecast method (Quantitative forecasting uses historical information and data to identify trends, reliable patterns, and trends. Qualitative forecasting analyzes experts' opinions and sentiments about the company and market as a whole.) -Document and monitor results -Analyze financial data -Repeat
What experience or knowledge do you have regarding Essbase (Oracle)?
Cube Data Oracle Essbase can be accessed on an intuitive web interface, or using Microsoft Office, for all of your analytic and business modeling needs, from multi-dimensional analysis to complex procedural business logic applied to your data. You can easily create and share on-the-fly transient models or deliver enterprise-wide long-established databases. Essbase is mainly used in budgeting and financial services because it is easy to run scenarios using dimensions that allow you to see how any point in the database changes with changes to a single variable. Essbase makes it easier for forecasting results and comparing actual performance to the forecast so that variables can be adjusted on the fly.
What would you do if one member of the team doesn't deliver on time?
I never like to jump to conclusions. I would hate to assume that a team member didn't finish on time simply because they were careless. Instead, I would probably talk to that team member and discuss with them why they couldn't get their tasks done by the deadline. If wanted, I would listen to them and give them advice on how they can better prioritize their time or create a reasonable time management plan. Also, if they needed some help, I would let them know that I could make some time to help them complete their tasks if they are struggling to get everything on their plate done.
How would you handle a problem that you do not know how to complete yourself with your current knowledge? Tell me about a time when you were confused about how to approach a project or task. What steps did you take to get clarity?
I normally would start with getting a good overview of the problem and its context. I would also ask my peers if available about what they know about the problem and the best methods of solving it. In addition, I would use my resources such as company documents, search engines and YouTube to figure out if I can find some good information. I would use what I learned from my research to work on the problem as best as I can. If the problem is so difficult that I cannot find an answer online nor could my peers help me, then I would reach out to my manager for assistance.
How do you would work in an agile environment in a team of 15-20 people?
In an agile environment on a Scrum team, I would either be a Subject Matter Expert or the Product Owner. I would depend on what project we are working on! If I am someone who would have a lot of knowledge on the subject, but I am not the one leading the charge, then I would be a great SME. However, I am the one who wants to lead and organize the initiative, then I would be a great Product Owner. I would be willing to do my part and come up with innovative processes, and I would be able to work cross functionally amongst different departments. I am good at making plans including times, budgets and SMART goals.
Tell me about a recent article you've read and how is it related to the industry. What is something interesting you read/heard about the financial markets?
Morning Brew: Markets: Stocks had their first big rally of 2023 yesterday, with the Dow and S&P 500 both having their best day since November after new economic data convinced investors that inflation may be slowing so the Fed can finally cool it with the rate hikes (more on that in a sec). One stock that didn't join the party: Party City. The retailer's stock tanked after the WSJ reported that it's teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. The big numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report: -The unemployment rate dropped to 3.5%, the lowest it's been in 50 years. -The US added 223,000 nonfarm jobs in December. Though job growth slowed from the previous month, the labor market is still going strong. -In 2022, 4.5 million total jobs were added, compared with 6.7 million in 2021. -But the number that really got people talking was the lower-than-expected month over month wage growth, which slowed to .3% in December and 4.6% annually. Economists have dubbed the jobs data a "Goldilocks" situation—not too hot, and not too cold. Since both the labor shortage and the strident wage growth it drove seem to be abating, the hope is that inflation will continue to decline. At the same time, a strong labor market (fingers crossed) might just allow the economy to avoid a recession caused by the interest rate increases. In the upcoming earnings season, corporations ailing from interest rate hikes are expected to post their first annual profit decline since the Covid recession. Big banks will kick off the fireworks at the end of this week. Will inflation continue its decline? We'll find out on Thursday, when the latest consumer price index report drops. Inflation had been on the comedown toward the end of 2022, but some Fed officials warn it's too soon to declare victory—and that inflation remains far too high above typical levels.
Product Agile Financial Model
10 Principles: 1. Standard model 2. Split up roles 3. Rapid and regular changes 4. Collaboration 5. Welcoming changes 6. Construction efficiency 7. Self documenting models 8. Frequent communication 9. Transparency 10. Good design Agile is about short, strictly time limited, iterative development cycles called "Sprints". Agile relies on shared standards and modular code. Agile finance is a methodology that embraces the technologies and skills to enable digital finance adoption. An agile finance organization is flexible, resilient, and efficient. Agile teams work quickly and decisively by flowing real-time data to decision-makers.
How do you plan a financial budget?
A financial budget (a type of master budget) in budgeting means predicting the income and expenses of the business on a long-term and short-term basis. Accurate cash flow projections help the business achieve its targets in the right way. Includes a cash budget, balance sheet and capital expenditure A capital expenditure budget relates to expenses related to plant and machinery or any capital asset of the business. This budget determines the expenses that would be incurred if an existing plant is replaced, or any new machinery is bought. Factors like depreciation, cost of the plant, life of the machinery, etc., are taken into account when preparing the capital expenditure budget. The budgeted income statement contains comparative information of actual and budgeted data. The budgeted balance sheet comprises many other budgets. The major component of this budget includes the production budget and its associated budgets. Includes the following steps: -Calculate the expected inflow -Calculate the expected outflow -Set the targets -Divide the expenses into different categories -Keep track of components in the budget -Set up the ledger
How would you describe the business of JPMorgan Chase?
A perennial Fortune 500 company, JPMorgan Chase is one of the leading financial services organizations in the world. Through its many business segments covering investment and commercial banking, retail banking, and asset management, JPMorgan Chase has become the largest bank in the U.S. — and the world's most valuable bank by market capitalization.
What is a forecast?
A prospective financial statement that uses normal circumstances. General and limited use allowed.
Agile Definition
An iterative and responsive software development methodology. Features of Agile development include high levels of communication and collaboration, fast and effective responses to change, adaptive planning, and continuous improvement. Agile teams build applications in small increments rather than delivering the finished product all at once at the end of the development lifecycle. This allows for frequent testing while giving end users, stakeholders, and the business the chance to provide feedback on the work in progress. It's common for business requirements and user needs to evolve during development, and Agile keeps teams flexible and responsive to change. Agile teams are highly collaborative and cross-functional; team members (Team within a Scrum) have defined roles based on their skill sets, and everyone works together to deliver a working application. Benefits: -Flexibility to manage changing priorities -Team centered collaboration -Instant visibility with context -Superior product quality and faster time to market
Tell me about a time when you have showed integrity and trust at work.
At Lower, I have access to not only sensitive customer information, but I also have access to private employee information. Because I work with Licensing and Compliance and I work in NMLS, I have access to employee credit checks and criminal background checks. I have been trusted even to find ways to best help them clear licensing issues because of their backgrounds. I am trusted to not share the private information of employees to my team, to their managers or to their team members unless I have expressed consent. I take all precautions to ensure that when I work with employee's sensitive information that they feel comfortable working with me and that they know they can trust me to keep their information private.
Agile Benefits and Characteristics
Benefits: -Improved speedy to market, adaptability, revenues, customer satisfaction, and higher quality products. -Improved employee engagement, transparency, and communication, along with reduction of silos. -Improved team autonomy, productivity, clear goals, and a culture of experimentation and innovation.
What value would you add to the team?
Besides analytical, written and presentation skills, I am very organized and have a high attention to detail. Bosses, colleagues and friends tell me that I am always organized and on top of my tasks inside and outside of work. I pay attention to every detail and think through all possibilities as needed. I am normally the person on team who ensures that we are staying on track and that all aspects of the project are being accounted for. Moreover, I have my green belt in Lean Six Sigma, which means I am always looking for ways to improve a process and/or better measure and analyze current processes. Along with that, I am a quick learner who is thrilled to think of ways to innovate methods, automate processes and come up with out of the box ideas. I believe I would be able to bring the unique ability to think creatively about data and find new ways of visualizing information to better support the team and leadership. Finally, on teams I have always served a leadership role. I have gained trust from managers and have always worked well with my peers. Because of that, I was frequently given the responsibility to step up and be a role-model for other team members. I would get to lead projects and be a mentor for others. I would be able to transfer my skills of being able to work well with other people including management and transfer them to the team.
How do you conduct capacity planning?
Capacity planning determines how much resources and production capacity an organization needs. This process happens over and over again. It starts with a forecast and then reviews what happened in the past. Capacity planning is crucial because it helps an organization be efficient and scalable. This means that the organization can meet its current and future needs. That involves: -Assessing how much capacity an organization currently has. -Predicting how much capacity will be needed in the future. -Could you make sure the necessary resources are available when needed? The steps involved in capacity planning are: -Assessing current production capacity -Determining future requirements -Planning for anticipated growth -Meeting current and future demand -Reviewing and adjusting plans as needed -Celebrating success! Different Capacity Planning Strategies: -Lead Strategy> Lead capacity planning is when you increase your capacity ahead of anticipated future demand to meet that demand as soon as possible. -Lag Strategy> The lag strategy is when you delay expanding capacity until after experiencing demand. -Match Strategy> The match strategy is adding capacity only after the ongoing capacity matches the current demand. This is the best for budgeting because you will only be buying capacity when needed. -Adjustment Strategy> The adjustment strategy is gradual changes to either capacity or demand based on past performance.
Alteryx
Data analytic software, can create workflows to best compile, sort and clean up data. Can save lots of time through automation rather than manual Excel updates.
What are the three financial statements?
Describes the company's overall financial health -Income statement: The income statement focuses on the revenue, expenses, gains, and losses of a company during a particular period. -Balance sheet: A statement of the assets, liabilities, and capital of a business at a particular point in time, detailing the balance of income and expenditure over the preceding period. -Cash flow statement: Provides a detailed analysis of how the cash inflows and outflows happened because of its operations and any external investment and financing in the given accounting period.
What are some of your strengths?
Detail Orientated - I am able to closely evaluate my work and other projects to find errors and areas of improvement. I am always thinking about how one aspect of a project can impact other areas of the company and beyond. I know how critical it can be, especially with data analytics, to have the correct information analyzed without mistakes. At Lower, I would sift through old data and ensure that our metrics were as accurate as possible. There was never a project too tedious. Adaptable - I am a very calm person in most situations. I have been told my many bosses and friends that I am the most adaptable, stress-free but confident, hard worker they have seen. Being like a chameleon and not letting circumstances stress me out, have been very helpful characteristics of mine to have! I am always confident that I will get my work done when it needs to be completed without stress. When I interned at OSU, the Chief of Staff for Student Life was my boss, and she would always compliment me on my calm demeanor when our projects would go haywire. I know that life cannot be controlled, but I know that my attitude can be. Innovative - I do not like being stagnant. I like to have methods be changed, improved, thought differently. It is what makes jobs so creative. We have so many types of methods to getting to similar solutions and I enjoy exploring those methods! I love taking the time to learn about a new way of reporting, new excel tricks and more. I am constantly trying to find ways to learn. I have challenged at work how we think about processes. When I knew a process could be quicker, I would come up with a plan and demo it to my team members and bosses. It's one of my favorite parts of working. Cross Communication - I enjoy being an independent thinker who can be tightly aligned with a group. I have always enjoyed getting people together to collaborate on ideas. There are so many people and departments with unique perspectives and various thoughts, that I enjoy working on projects with everyone to make a goal come to life! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy working autonomously but I feel great accomplishment when I can get various thoughts from others into one tightly aligned initiative.
More about financial forecasting
Financial forecasting refers to financial projections performed to facilitate any decision-making relevant for determining future business performance. The financial forecasting process includes the analysis of past business performance, current business trends, and other relevant factors. Hypothetically speaking, failure to conduct regular financial forecasting leaves you flying blind. Regular forecasting has extensive benefits for some of your business' fundamental operations, including: -Annual budget planning -Establishing realistic business goals -Identifying problem areas -Reduction of financial risk -Attract investors 4 Types of Forecasting: -Sales forecasting: Sales forecasting entails predicting the amounts of products/services you expect to sell within a projected fiscal period. There are two sales forecasting methodologies: top-down forecasting and bottom-up forecasting. -Cash Flow Forecasting: Cash flow forecasting entails estimating the flow of cash in and out of the company over a set fiscal period. It's based on factors such as income and expenses. It has many uses and benefits, including identifying immediate funding needs and budgeting. However, it is worth noting that cash flow financial forecasting is more accurate over a short term. -Budget Forecasting: As a financial guide for your business' future, a budget creates certain expectations about your company's performance. Budget forecasting aims to determine the ideal outcome of the budget, assuming that everything proceeds as planned. It relies on the budget's data, which relies on financial forecasting data. -Income Forecasting: Income forecasting entails analyzing the company's past revenue performance and current growth rate to estimate future income. It is integral to doing cash flow and balance sheet forecasting. Additionally, the company's investors, suppliers, and other concerned third parties use this data to make crucial decisions. For example, suppliers use it when determining how much to credit the company in supplies.
Financial Market
Financial markets refer broadly to any marketplace where the trading of securities occurs, including the stock market, bond market, forex market, and derivatives market, among others. Financial markets are vital to the smooth operation of capitalist economies. Financial markets rely heavily on informational transparency to ensure that the markets set prices that are efficient and appropriate. The market prices of securities may not be indicative of their intrinsic value because of macroeconomic forces like taxes. Despite covering many different asset classes and having various structures and regulations, all financial markets work essentially by bringing together buyers and sellers in some asset or contract and allowing them to trade with one another. This is often done through an auction or price-discovery mechanism. Without financial markets, capital could not be allocated efficiently, and economic activity such as commerce and trade, investments, and growth opportunities would be greatly diminished.
What questions do you have for me?
How often do you use other data visualization tools like Essbase? What forecasting tools do you use? Do you use Oracle? Do you expect your team members to learn other coding languages like Python or React? What is the team's hierarchy? What is the structure of the team? How would you describe your team? What are some characteristics you've seen in successful hires? How do you measure success? What metrics are used? How frequently are their check-ins? How does the team define success? How do you provide constructive feedback? What would my initial training look like? What continuing education would be provided for me? What would be expected of me within the first month and then the next six months? What does the team social culture look like? What is your management style? How would I go about getting help or feedback? What's the most important hurdle you think I would face in the next 90days if given this role? Are people able to work hybrid/remote? Do people have the opportunity to travel/volunteer? Is there flexibility within schedules as long as the work is getting done?
Tell me about yourself
I am an alumna from The Ohio State University and a current Data Analysts for a fin tech mortgage lender based in Columbus, OH. At the Ohio State University, I majored in Business Operations Management and earned my Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement. As a student, I conducted large-scale analytics and implemented process improvement projects within my roles as an executive board member of the Ohio Union Activities Board, Student Supervisor for Rec Sports, and as an Intern for the Office of Student Life. In addition, I interned for Southwest Airlines (pre-Southwest meltdown) where I was able to spearhead innovative projects in a large corporate environment. Presently, I have been working at Lower.com, a mortgage lender, as a Sr. Licensing Data Analyst for over two years. I work closely with the Compliance and Sales teams to ensure that key insights are communicated to leadership as well as optimize Lower's sales coverage, forecast department needs, and routinely complete financial analysis. In addition to dashboard creation and evaluation of metrics, I also work on best practices to ensure my department and the company overall has improved methods of conducting work. In my role, I have learned a lot in the financial space regarding data analytics and grown my professional skillset; however, the company's growth has been a bit stagnate and there is not much room for vertical or horizontal movement. Therefore, I am looking to find a more challenging role where I can see more career growth and opportunities of exploration. I hope to be able to take the skills I have developed and apply them to JP Morgan Chase.
Why should we hire you? What makes you a good fit for this position?
I believe that this role would be a great fit for me. I have strong analytical, written and presentation skills. Since, part of the role is to be a liaison between leadership and data, I believe I would be successful in this position. I have greatly enjoyed my opportunities to build dashboards in Tableau and present key metrics and recommendations to leadership. I have grown strong relationships with leaders in the company and frequently work with them regarding my business insights. Additionally, I know the role requires analytical skills and being able to comprehend lots of information effectively. I understand through my current role how imperative it is to have someone who can be very organized and have a high attention to detail. Bosses, colleagues and friends tell me that I am always organized and on top of my tasks inside and outside of work. I pay attention to every detail and think through all possibilities as needed. I know that it is crucial that someone like me can organize and highlight key factors and showcase them to others. Finally, I am very interested in developing efficient best practices. I am a quick learner who is thrilled to think of ways to innovate methods, automate processes and come up with out of the box ideas. I believe I would be able to bring the unique ability to think creatively about data and find new ways of visualizing information to better support the team and leadership. Adaptable, Not Stressed about Work, Reliable, Confident in Skills and Project Management
What data analytics project did you do before? Please explain.
I created a project that aimed to track the turn time for getting branch locations and specifically MLOs licensed in states. I used the DMAIC method for this project. To start, I created a project plan and defined what aspects of the licensing process I was trying to track and improve. Then, I gathered all past and current data I could find on the steps of licensing and how long it took between each step. Moreover, I measured the current TT for each step and each state license type as well as the process as a whole. After analyzing the information, I found that there were steps that could be controlled and other steps that were out of the company hands. For the steps I could control, I knew there were ways of improving the TT. I brainstormed some ideas and implemented what I thought would work best. I tracked what I implemented for a few months until I could adequately tell if I was making a positive impact, which I found I was! I was able to decrease the TT by ~75%. By decreasing the TT, I was able to cut out wasted time and quickly get LOs licensed so that they could make sales more quickly as needed.
Do you enjoy using Tableau? Why do you like Tableau? What features do you know how to use? Do you know how to create a donut chart in Tableau? Have you used parameters in Tableau?
I like using Tableau for data visualization. It is the most user-friendly software regardless of skill levels. It also has great customization. You can choose the best look for you and your team and easily transfer those preferences. Tableau can also easily handle many rows of data without becoming slow or crashing. It is also a great tool for data collaboration! I love that Tableau also allows you to have real time analytics. Data analytics is best with the most updated information. The "Ask Data" feature is also great for learning more about the data without knowing programming languages. It is a very intuitive tool.
Tell me about how you would make a decision with different sources of information.
I would probably map out the different outcomes each decision could have based on the different sources of information and utilize a decision tree. I would also like to weigh the sources. There would be a higher weight on more reliable sources and on sources that more directly impact the situation. Then I could determine what decision to choose based off weighing each source accordingly. I would probably also propose some of the sources and potential outcomes of decisions to my team to see what input they might have regarding the situation. They may have key insights that I do not have or did not see.
What team would you want to work on?
If I were to rank the three teams, in order of least to most preferred, at the bottom would be the Controller group, then FP&A in the middle and at the top Business Management. I have experience with forecasting, creating budgets and building and maintaining dashboards. I greatly enjoy that work and believe that I could use my skills to provide business insights. In addition, my educational background is in Operations Management. Because I studied operations, I did a lot of work pertaining to project management and aligning department strategies. Some of my strengths include cross-department communication, project management and high levels of organization. I believe that I can utilize my skillset and experience with new process implementation and dashboard management to be a great member of the business management team.
What are you looking for in your next role?
In my next role, I am looking for a position that can challenge me and grow my professional skillset. I want to improve my analytical skills as well as my strategic mindset. I am always looking to improve myself and I want a role where I can learn and grow. Specifically, I want to continue to utilize my skills creating dashboards in Tableau and analyzing data in Excel. Those are skills that I am good at and want to continue to use to benefit a team. I would also like to learn new programs and find ways that those programs can better assist me in projects. Also, I want to work on a team where everyone is a high achieving worker, and each person is highly respected. I want the team to be open minded to innovative ways of thinking and new perspectives. As someone with an operational, process improvement mindset, I am always looking for ways to make a process more efficient. In addition, I love working across departments and leading projects with data. I am a hyper-organized person who likes to lead teams and collaborate on projects. Moreover, I would like a role on a team where management is available to the team and managers feel connected to what is happening day-to-day. I want to be led by someone who understands their team. I do not like to be micromanaged, but I do want to know that my manager cares about my projects and wants to support me as needed.
What is a budget?
Is a written plan of what you expect your income and expenses to be over a certain period of time
How many planes take off from (insert local airport - CMH) during a certain day? (Try to see if you can figure out a smart way to answer these types of questions.)
Let's say that the CMH airport has flights between the hours of 6am and midnight. That is about 18hrs of operation of flights taking off. I would also believe that there are about 10 different carriers (SWA, United, Delta, AA, Spirit, Breeze, Air Canada, Alaska, Frontier). Because each plane is taking off and landing approximately at different times for safety. I would say there is a 30min TT/buffer (especially since Columbus is not one of the busiest airports) for each plane to either land or take off. 18hrs times 60 mins = 10,600mins. 10,600mins divided by 30mins is 530. Since half of that time is for landings, I would then divide 530 in half, which equals 176. Finally, because there is not always a flight landing or taking off every half hour of the day, I would remove about 50 flights. 126 planes take off each day from CMH.
What are your long term goals/What is your 5-year goals?
Long-term career goals: 1. Data visualization and analyst wizard! I want to be the go-to person when it comes to quickly visualizing insults and coding programs for data analysis. I am still in awe of older coworkers who can whip up a report without touching their mouse in seconds. I am getting close to that point, but I think I still have a couple years til I can get a title of a data visualization and analyst wizard. I have been learning more about coding and taking free courses to learn more advanced visualization techniques and bootcamps in order to understand how coding can best help data organization and automation. 2. Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma! I have my green belt which has been critical in how I see problem solving. I understand best practices and how to simply and effectively reach goals. I hope to get my Black Belt certification within the next three years preferably through a 13-month long program that many top universities such as OSU has. 3. Leadership positions! I enjoy managing and training teams. I have had hands on experience being a supervisor at Ohio State and at Lower.com. I enjoyed the responsibility of being a manager and empowering team members. I find that my soft skills that I have developed are well suited towards mentoring and developing other people, so I would enjoy seeing myself working towards more leadership opportunities in the future too.
What is the mission and what are the principles of JPMorgan Chase?
Mission: Be the best financial services company in the world. Principles: -Exceptional Client Services -Operational Excellence -Commitment to Integrity, Fairness and Responsibility -A Great Team and Winning Culture
Business Process Management (BPPM) Lifecyle
Organizations use Business Process Management (BPM) to establish, manage, and optimize business processes. It entails assessing each process independently while also considering its role throughout the enterprise. The BPM lifecycle standardizes the process of implementing and managing business processes inside an organization as a series of cyclical stages. It consists of five phases including design, model, execute, monitor, and optimize. Design: The first step in the lifecycle is "design," in which we begin by analyzing and completely understanding how the process is now carried out. This may be performed by interviewing all parties, studying any documents, comprehending the business rules, and, if feasible, observing it in action. Model: The second step in the lifecycle is "model". The purpose of process modeling is to provide a visual depiction of the process's phases. To increase the process framework's efficiency, you must first understand how things are now (as-is) and how you want them to be in the future (to-be) with changes. Execute: The third step of the BPM lifecycle is labeled "execute," and it is when the new model is put to the test in order to carry out the new process and see it in action. Monitor: The fourth step of the BPM lifecycle is "monitor," and it is at this stage that business processes are carried out and data is acquired to examine how your critical activities are moving over time. Optimize: The fifth and last step of the lifecycle is "optimize." Based on the insights gained during the monitoring phase, you will strive to improve the process and remove bottlenecks in this phase to make your process more efficient.
How would you define success?
Peace of mind that you have worked hard and accomplished your goal. Performing better each time and facing challenges swiftly
What is a business narrative?
Said simply, business narrative is storytelling in business. It is used to market and sell. It is used to explain how and why companies, products and services succeed or fail. It is used to inspire teams to work together.
Scrum Definition
Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. Scrum breaks down big projects into small tasks that can be completed in short development cycles. Scrum Master (coach): This dual role establishes responsibility for following the Agile framework by providing guidance, educating the team, and removing productivity blockers. Product Owner (liaison): This role defines the project and its criteria, ensures that objectives are sufficiently understood by the team, and manages and prioritizes the product backlog. Subject Matter Experts (knowledge): SMEs have the knowledge the team needs for a successful product delivery. Examples include a Systems Admin as an "Infra SME" or a UX expert as the "UX SME." Business Owner (sponsor): The business owner is the Scrum team's sponsor. They act as a primary stakeholder and rely on the product owner to assign all work. They also represent the sponsorship of the product and guide the product owner on what the business needs. Development Team (creator): This is the group of people who are building the software. Development teams tend to be small, typically with less than seven team members. Developers help the Scrum team align application delivery with business and customer expectations.
Tell us something about yourself?
Something about me that cannot be taught is self-motivation. I have a high sense of motivation. I want to challenge myself and be successful via my own standards because I want to grow as a person. I enjoy paychecks, benefits, workplace communities, organizations...etc., but what I really care about is my internal growth. I am self-motivated to be my best self, which includes excelling in my career. I love that Chase's value is Operational Excellence. It seems to me like another way of saying to strive to always improve and grow. In addition, I am a fast learner. I have always been good at picking up new skills and programs in school and at work. As long as I have the foundational knowledge on a topic, I can transfer and expand upon my knowledge easily. Lastly, I work well independently and on a team. I love collaborating with others, it is the highlight of my workdays sometimes. However, I also know how to be self-sufficient and work autonomously. I am good at communicating with managers and peers and knowing what I need and when, which has been beneficial when working on solo and group projects.
Closing
Thank you for meeting with me today. I appreciate you taking your time to listen to me. I am very excited about hearing from you soon. I really do believe that JPMorgan Chase would be a great fit for me. I would be very honored to be able to work there. Thank you again and nice to meet you!
Why JPMorgan Chase?
There are a few reasons JPMorgan Chase intrigued me. EXCITMENT & ENGAGEMENT Firstly, the commitment to training and growth stuck out to me. I saw that Chase as invested in many opportunities for continuous growth, which I appreciate. I never want to have a role become stale. I like knowing that Chase wants to push you towards upgrading your abilities and encourages you to build the career you want. It not just about how you can do a role well for a couple of years. Chase is all about how you can do well in your roles and succeed at your career in 5, 10 and 20 years. Striving to be the #1 financial service company in the world. The commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion are values that align with my beliefs. Not only does Chase talk the talk, but I have seen you all walk the walk when it comes to the commitment to sustainability and inclusion. I loved reading through Chase's ESG (Environmental and Social Governance) report and seeing JPMorgan's commitment to sustainability and DE&I. Financing and facilitating more than $2.5 trillion over 10 years to help address climate change and contribute to sustainable development and having a $30 billion Racial Equity Commitment. I really appreciate not only seeing the awards for being an inclusive company, but the fact that you can see the diversity initiatives implemented regarding Racial Equity, LGBTQ+ issues and Women in the workplace. Moreover, I enjoy the mission of JPMorgan Chase to be one of the best financial service companies in the world. It shows that Chase has a drive to continue to be better and grow. Also, it can be hard to find a job where you feel like you are making a positive impact on people. Almost everyone needs banking, credit, financial planning and so on, but not everyone understands it- its understandably confusing! I love knowing that Chase is one of the #1 financial services in the US and is committed to making their services available to as many people as possible. Chase is helping to simplify their services for customers and give people peace of mind about their finances.
What is financial variance analysis?
Variance analysis is an important management accounting technique to measure a product's cost and profitability. Managers use variance analysis to make decisions about the labor and materials costs incurred to create a product or deliver a service. The technique also helps managers with sales and production forecasting. If actual costs are lower than budgeted, a company has a favorable variance. If actual costs are higher than budgeted, or if the rate or price paid is higher than budgeted, the variance is unfavorable. A variance is defined as the difference between standard (budgeted) cost and actual costs. Deviations from budgeted costs may reveal areas where management can reduce spending. Performing variance analysis requires several steps: -Creating a budget -Reviewing actual costs -Commuting variances
What are some of your weaknesses?
Very Thoughtful - I like to think through EVERYTHING. I like knowing how one decision could impact other departments and decisions and processes. However, when I started at a fin-tech start-up, you did not always have the grace to take days and weeks or months to think through every possible decision. You had to fairly quickly pick a route and roll with the punches. I have since gotten much better about making thoughtful decisions in a timely manner. I understand that important decisions can be made quickly with the right set of leadership minds and data based answers! Process Improvement - I am a big proponent of process improvement. I enjoy looking at methods and thinking through how they can get better, which does not seem like a weakness at all....BUT I have to learn to take my time and truly review a process before trying to change it. It is important to have a fresh perspective, but it is also important to understand why a company or team might have the current practices they have. I have been learning the significance of taking my time to review processes and the whys behind those processes before jumping into trying to change them
What will be the first thing you will do given a data set?
When I am first given a data set, I need to take my time to understand the information. I want to know where the data came from, is the data reliable, is the data static or consistently updated, what're the dimensions of the table(s), what types of data are in each column, what are the distributions, are there outliers, is there missing information, and what are the relationships between the data in each table and the tables. I would also like to clean up any data that needs to be deleted, updated or add additional data points. Then I would break down the data into segments of information that are more easily disgustable. Once broken down, I could better answer some of my previous questions. I would also be able to update any information. I could also have a better understanding of how this information could help me solve my current business questions. I would also like to visualize the information. It is not usually very helpful to view numbers as points on a table. However, it is very helpful to see trends through visualization, so I would also like to put the data into Excel or Tableau to better visualize the information at hand.
How do you plan for workforce optimization?
Workforce optimization (WFO) is a set of strategies that help you automate essential processes, maintain data visibility, comply with legal ordinances, and solve business problems related to your staff. WFO involves analyzing data related to every department within your business — from HR to IT and beyond — and then streamlining those departments to improve the way your company runs. As an integrated system, workforce optimization allows you to balance a number of critical variables within your business, including: -Customer satisfaction -Workforce scheduling -Operational costs -Service levels -Performance metrics When these factors align, your business will run smoother, your team will be more efficient and effective, and you'll be able to scale your operation (up or down) to manage the demands of your customers.
