3 Most Awkward Superday Behaviorals (And How To Answer Each)

The second 30min of my first Superday was what they call a “Stress Test”.

They purposefully make you extremely uncomfortable & watch how you react -

All to test if you can handle the intense, high-pressure environment of banking.

The senior banker that interviewed me didn’t look look up from his phone the entire 30min.

He constantly interrupted me & asked questions that were borderline aggressive.

I thought he hated me - but turns out it was all an act.

He was the first one to call with the offer & said I impressed him with how I handled the situation.

There were three questions he asked that’re common in these stress test interviews.

Here’s a full breakdown of my approach to answering each.

[1. Are You Interviewing With Other Firms? Which Ones?]

It’s a GOOD SIGN if they ask you this at the end of an interview.

They don’t bother asking it to candidates they didn’t like.

But you need to choose your words very carefully when answering.

The perfect answer has two components.

(A) SHOWING YOU’RE “IN-DEMAND”

You need to hint at the fact that they aren’t your only option.

If it’s still super early and you’ve only done first rounds / networking calls -

Keep that first sentence vague with something like

“Yes, I’m currently in the earlier stages with a few others, but no pressing deadlines as of now…”

If you’ve made it past the first round for any - take this chance to humbly flex.

It can expedite your offer & put pressure on them to make a decision quick.

My offers all came in the same week.

I was able to leverage the first one to accelerate the processes of all the others.

But never list specific names of the other firms without being asked.

Take the same vague approach and say something like

“Yes, I had my first Superday Monday & have a second round for a different bank early next week. Both of those are at other elite boutiques here in NY….” 

If they do press for names, you can tell them. Odds are they won’t get aggressive.

(B) CONVINCING THEM YOU’D ACCEPT AN OFFER IF GIVEN

Banks auto-ding you for low probability of acceptance if you mention more than 2-3 other firms.

They take pride in their acceptance rates & won’t offer you if they think you’d accept elsewhere.

That’s why again it’s crucial to keep the first half vague -

But you also need to really sell them on your level of interest in their bank in the second half.

My second sentence would be something like

“But I’ve loved getting to know everyone here so much I can assure you [BANK] is at the top of my list…”

Then I’d re-iterate the top 3-4 reasons I used in for my answer to “Why [BANK]?”.

[2. Why Should We NOT Hire You?]

Most kids don’t realize this is just another version of “Why [BANK]?”

The key is to do some name dropping & show you networked more than the other kids.

You need to mention specific details learned on those calls & organize using the STAR approach.

Here’s how I structured my answer.

I’d always start by with the intro

“I think the #1 reason you shouldn’t hire me is if you don’t think I’m a culture fit...”

“Most bankers spend more hours in the office with their co-workers than they do with their families...”

“So therefore - getting along with the group of people you work with is at the top of my priority list.”

Then I used to STAR method to tell a personal story about why I value culture so much.

SITUATION: Grew up in a small town. HS graduating class was only 150 students. Chose to attend massive Big-10 School with over 50k students.

TASK: Feared I’d hate the big school environment & miss the tight-knit culture of HS where I knew every kid walking down the halls by their first & last name.

ACTION: Found ways to make the big community feel small at school. For example - had tight-knit community with super close twenty-person hockey team.

RESULT / REFLECTION: 

Realized how important it is to me to have tight-knit group like that. Therefore have chosen to make finding the same tight-knit culture a priority when deciding where to spend my career. Through networking calls learned that [INSERT BANK] has same type of tight-knit community.

Then THIS is where you insert the specific details you learned on networking calls.

For example – learned how “Jimmy & Caroline started together as analysts and are now getting married…which I think speaks for itself…” – So I know I'd find that same tight-knit culture I’m looking for at that bank.

[3. What’s The Biggest Exaggeration On Your Resume]

Bankers know every kid embellishes on their resume to sound more impressive.

My approach for this one was to pick a bullet point most people might THINK is exaggerated -

But double down & tell the full story behind it to prove it’s legit.

Here's the bullet point I liked to use.

I first explained how most people might think the “oversight” / leadership role was exaggerated.

I was still a freshman, so how serious could it really be…

But what I then did is back it up by using specific details.

I dove into full explanations of the exact tasks I did such as

• “Translating project scope to weekly workstream assignments for each consultant…”

• “Hosting weekly twenty-minute check-ins with each consultant to assess progress…”

• “Conducting midpoint performance review meetings to deliver feedback…”

Doubling down like this shows confidence which is one of the top traits you need for banking.

It also gives you another chance to further highlight your skills - which for me here was leadership.

Cheers 🥂

- Jack

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