Sample Investment Analyst Interview Questions (with Answers)

By practicing with sample investment analyst interview questions before the interview date, you will be able to prepare well and boost your chances of being hired for the investment analyst position.

When interviewing for an investment analyst position, you should expect questions that cover whether you have the attitude and work ethic to succeed in a given industry, how your financial background or career experience can help the company, as well as other types of questions.

This post covers the common interview questions you should prepare for when interviewing for the position of an investment analyst, with suggested answers to help you give an excellent performance.

What do Interviewers look for in an Investment Analyst?

To get the best person for the investment analyst role for their companies, interviewers generally seek people who can analyse investments for various companies, evaluate risk and return, and recommend different investments to the business.

10 Most Common Investment Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions in an investment analyst job interview (with suggested answers):

1. Why do you want this job?

I want this job because I see the position of investment analyst as a challenge to show my skills and knowledge in the financial market.

2. What do you know about our company?

I have reviewed your company profile and really like its products. I think we can be a good match; I am interested in learning more about the position, so can you please tell me more?

3. What would your boss and co-workers say about you? (How do you work with others?)

I would like to be considered an independent person who likes to work alone on small challenges before working on large ones. My co-workers can describe me as energetic, passionate and goal oriented in my career..

4. What are your strengths?

Key strengths include my ability to analyze and solve problems, my organizational skills and high attention to details.

5. What do you think of our stocks?

I was impressed with the stocks your company has bought in the past 3 years as well as that of your competitors. Your research report shows a very good understanding of the industry and its trends, so I think we can have a great future together!

6. Why are you leaving your current position?

I felt that I could grow within my role no more because I had been doing it for 3 years, so I decided to seek another challenge elsewhere

More Common Investment Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

7. What was your biggest accomplishment in your last job?

I had the idea to launch a new product in my previous job which was not receiving attention from other companies, as I saw it as a huge gap in the market and I felt it could become very successful in the near future. I worked hard on this idea, offering my own suggestions and enthusiasm to drive the project forwards.

8. What are your salary requirements?

My salary requirement is 60,000USD with a bonus of 7,500USD. I understand that it won’t be easy for you to give me such a salary, but I am confident that I could get you the highest return on investment within your company.

9. What skills do you think we need?

I believe we need to improve our technical skills in addition to my problem solving skills because the company has trouble communicating with the customers and other companies due to lack of technical knowledge. If this is something you see as an issue, I would love to learn more about these areas in order to have a better understanding of them.

10. Why do you want to change companies?

I would like to change my company because I feel that as a company you cannot have the freedom of growth that I need in my career and for this reason I feel like a different company would be more suitable.

More Sample Interview Questions for Investment Analyst

Here are additional investment analyst interview questions to get you better prepared for the interview:

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. What was your favorite high school subject?
2. What was your favorite subject in college? Why?
3. During your summer vacation, what did you do?
4. What was your worst job before this one?
5. What is the most important thing you learned at that job?

Sample Case Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. What are the different types of equity?

2. Where do you see the investment opportunities?

3. What is a liquidity event? How might one affect an investment portfolio?

4. What is the underwriting process and how does it differ from stock lending?

5. If a company has venture capital on its balance sheet, what are some indicators that the company may be in financial difficulty soon?

Sample Competency Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. What are your qualifications?

2. How would you define the term risk?

3. Can you list some examples of market factors that can cause volatility?

4. Can you name the top three investment strategies in place today?

5. If a company was listed on the AIM Market and then sold by listing shareholders to investors, what steps could have been taken to avoid such a scenario?

Sample Problem-solving Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1.  How would you deal with the fact that your manager is more concerned about meeting short-term results rather than long-term goals?

2. Which risks and opportunities should we discuss in today’s meeting?

3. What would you do if we found out that one of our major suppliers had a quality problem?

4. What pattern in the investment pattern do you find most difficult to understand and explain to investors?  

5. If an investor tells you they can’t invest because they don’t know anything about the industry, what answer will persuade them to reconsider their decision?

Sample Situational Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. Has there ever been a time you had a disagreement with your manager? If so, tell me about it.

2. What is your greatest professional achievement to date?

3. Have you ever had any disagreements with your co-workers? If so, how did you handle them?

4. Have any of your previous experiences led to conflict with other team members? How was this resolved?

5. What are the most important attributes for success in this type of role?

Sample Communication Skills Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. What’s your communication style?

2. Can you give an example of the last time you tried to work with someone you didn’t get along with?

3. Tell me about a situation that proved difficult to deal with in your last job.

4. How will you handle a disagreement that could result from feedback from a previous client?

5. What’s the last financial report you attended for? Was there anything in it that surprised or impressed you?

Sample Interpersonal Skills Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. How does it make you feel when someone compliments or thanks you?

2. How do you deal with conflict?

3. To what extent are personal values important to you?

4. How do you handle an angry customer?

5. What’s the last time you made a mistake at work and how did it turn out?

Sample Company Culture Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. What is mission and values of this company?

2. What will the company look like 5 years from now?

3. What is the company’s strategy?

4. How many employees will be there?

5. Is the company growing or shrinking, and if so, why?

Sample Technical Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. What is quantitative research and what makes it different from qualitative research?

2. How can I explain the difference between monetizing and valuing a stock in an interview?

3. What is the difference between company-specific risks and macroeconomic risks?

4. What is your favorite investment book or book that influenced your career the most, and why?

5. Do you have any questions for me about our company, or about this position?

Sample Leadership Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. How do you define success?

2. What was the most difficult part of your career and how did you overcome it?

3. What has been your most meaningful accomplishment?

4. Which leadership qualities do you look for in a leader?

5. How would you describe your management style?

Sample Management Interview Questions for Investment Analyst Position

1. I would like to learn about your strengths and weaknesses or any obstacles that you might have faced in the past.

2. Why do you feel you make a good candidate for the investment analyst position in this company?

3. What is your experience with using technical analysis tools?

4. As an investment analyst, what are some of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of your job?

5. If I were to describe a problem from one of my previous jobs, how would you react to it?

Investment Analyst Interview Success Tips

Interviewing for a job as an investment analyst? Here are some valuable interview tips to help you ace it:

1. Present yourself as a problem-solver rather than someone who is stuck in the past. If a company’s biggest problem is the lack of revenue, then you should prove how you can come up with any solutions.
2. Always be honest and consistent with your response during the interview. Don’t be afraid to tell the interviewer(s) what you are bad in. Being transparent will earn you respect from your future boss.
3. Be proficient with Excel. You may be asked to solve some challenging problems and you will need to use your skills to do it.
4. Maintain yourself physically fit at all times during the interview process because you will be asked questions related to this topic quite often.
5. Know the job requirements. The type of investment analyst job you are applying for would depend on the firm’s business model, industry, and size of the company, and there are various qualifications required for different job title.

Conclusion

Investment analysts work in financial firms, where they study the performance of various securities, including stocks and bonds.

They then recommend the kinds of securities or asset classes to invest in for their clients based on past performance data.

This post has highlighted the common questions you may face in an investment analyst job interview, to help you come out successful.