5 Subtle Ways to Standout In Your First Superday

April 06, 2025

In the waiting room for my first Superday there were four other kids.

Two from NYU.

One from Wharton.

And the other from Cornell.

 

I stuck out like a sore thumb coming from a non-target big ten school in the Midwest.

Seeing the competition made me even more nervous, knowing they’d only give one or two of us offers

Since the average Superday offer rate is under 30%.

 

These interviews are no piece of cake either.

You do FIVE HOURS of intense back-to-back interviews - each with a different theme.

All meant to simulate the fast-pace and high-pressure environment of investment banking.

 

Luckily, I was one of the two that walked away with an offer that day.

Standing out from the pack in the final round takes a special approach since every other kid is a stud.

These were the five things I did for every Superday that helped me convert all four of them into offers.

 

(#1) SEND THANK YOU EMAILS ASAP

I got the call with my first offer less than three hours after leaving the interview room.

Sitting at La Guardia ready to fly home, I saw an incoming call from an unknown NY number.

I thought there was no way they’d make decisions that fast, but sure enough it was the Director who I did the last interview with calling to deliver the good news.

 

Since they huddle up so fast, you need to send your thank-you emails before leaving the office.

I typed out shells well in advance that I could then fill in with a couple last minute details.

That way I wouldn’t be rushed and make a ton of typos in the chaos of leaving for the airport.

Below is an example of one I fired off while waiting to catch my Uber to the airport outside the office.

Sending it ASAP made sure he saw it before walking into that decision room.

You never know what small detail might be the difference in them choosing you over the others.

They probably won’t respond right away, but that doesn’t matter as long as they see it.

Trust me, they’ll respond eventually. Hopefully with something like this.

(#2) PLAN OPENING LINE

Every kid at the Superday will have the same cookie-cutter resume.

Finance Major…4.0…President of School’s Investment Fund…

Bankers hear the same story five times a day which will make every kid blend together for them.

There’s two ways to make sure this doesn’t happen.

SMALL TALK ANSWER

On the way to my second Superday, my flight never made it to NYC.

We took off from from CHI no problem, but couldn’t land in NYC because of the wind. My plane was diverted to Pittsburgh and we sat on the runway for the next six hours waiting for clearance. At around midnight, they said we’d have to stay the night and fly out the next afternoon.

Problem was - my interview started at 9:00am in Manhattan.

While waiting in line for my hotel voucher, I overheard a couple people talking about renting a car. Long story short - I ended up carpooling with three random strangers and drove seven hours through the middle of the night to make it on time for the Superday.

I thought getting no sleep would hurt my chances, but the STORY ended up working to my advantage.

When they asked “So how are you doing today?” at the beginning of every interview, I explained how the past 24hr had been a bit crazy for me. The story immediately caught their attention and they’d spend the next 20min asking me follow-up questions about the trip. It distracted them so much they didn’t end up having time to ask me any real questions.

Point is - never just say “Good, how are you” when they ask how you are today.

Even something simple like “I’m doing great!…Actually got a morning run in today through Central Park which was absolutely beautiful…” can be enough to distract them into having the small talk last as long as possible.

That extended small talk is how you build a personal connection and stand out from the other kids.

UNUSUAL TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

The distraction method can also be used in your answer to “Tell Me About Yourself”.

Re-work your answer so it overplays some unique / unusual aspect of your background.

I restructured mine to revolve around my abnormal level of dedication to hockey. In sixth grade, I started commuting two hours each way to play in the most competitive hockey league in the country. I did this so I could put myself in the position to get seen by college scouts.

It’s safe to say no other kid at that Superday had that in common with me.

(#3) RESUME PAPER & PADFOLIO

Using thick resume paper is a small detail that goes a long way.

Most kids just don’t think of this.

Attention to detail is everything in banking especially as an intern / analyst.

If you can get something like this right, bankers know you’ll be an all-star analyst.

They like things a certain way and know you’d quickly master the real small details of the job (like meticulously placing binder clips in the upper left corner of v27 of that pitch deck).

I bought a pack of this at Office Depot and printed 20 copies of my resume on it.

I then tucked those, along with the following in a padfolio.

  • Calculator

  • 5 sheets scratch paper

  • 2 pens

  • Breath mints and flosser (my Superday had lunch with analysts right before)

  • Photo ID (to get temporary elevator pass from front desk)

I’d recommend a padfolio with a zipper.

Just don’t be the kid that’s pulling resumes out of a plastic folder stuffed in a bright blue Under Armour backpack.

You can check your belongings at the front desk of the hotel. I only brought the padfolio to the office.

(#4) SCOUT OUT WARMUP SPOT

You need to warmup for interviews the same way you warmup for a sports game.

But instead of doing high knees and butt kicks, you should rehearse the same five questions on repeat.

  • (1) Tell Me About Yourself

  • (2) Why Investment Banking?

  • (3) Why [BANK NAME]?

  • (4) Why New York City?

  • (5) Tell Me About A [BANK NAME] Deal

I stopped looking at technicals two days before the Superday.

At that point you either know them or you don’t and your time is better spent perfecting those five.

The morning of - I always found a coffee shop close to the office and got there a couple hours early.

I’d scout it out on google maps the week before and make sure it had tables and a restroom.

I’d sit there and say my answers out loud over and over to get in the zone before walking in the building for game time.

I also did a walk-through the night before to make sure I knew where I was going.

After checking into the hotel, I took a stroll to the office and scoped out the coffee shop too.

And smacked some pizza from Ray’s on the way back.

I also asked the front desk for a wake-up call to cover myself if somehow my phone alarm didn’t work.

(#5) DRESS THE PART 

It’s hard to feel confident if you show up in a wrinkly suit.

Some people wear / carry it on the plane to avoid that, but I just bought this bag instead.

It’s basically a garment bag that rolls up into duffel.

You also want to make sure you’re wearing the right colors / patterns. Here are a few tips.

  • SUIT - Navy / Dark Gray / Black

  • SHIRT - Solid Color White / Light Blue

  • TIE - Red (Power Color to Covey Confidence)

  • BELT / SHOES - Match (Either Dark Brown / Dark Brown or Black / Black)

 

Cheers 🥂

- Jack