Emphasising Your Value in Finance Interviews

Picking Out Key Experiences That Will Highlight Your Value

In your interviews, look for opportunities to discuss your experiences.

Your experiences are what make you 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

We can keep your answers simple and structured by using the STAR method.
S - The 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 you were in
T - Your 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤/responsibility in that situation
A - What 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 you took
R - The 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 of your actions

Now let’s look for opportunities to use this approach.

🖊 The obvious examples are questions like “describe a time when you had to…”
Or “tell me about a challenging experience doing XYZ.”

But when else can you discuss your experiences?

🖊 What about questions like “how do you deal with” / “what is your approach”?
E.g., “How do you deal with conflicts/disagreements with stakeholders?”

🖊 Another opportunity is “how well do you…?”
E.g., “How well do you lead projects/deals?”

🖊 “What is the most challenging part of X”
E.g., the most challenging part of building a dashboard

You don’t always have to discuss one specific experience.

👉 If you have done something many times (e.g., being involved in a budgeting process), you can discuss multiple experiences.

The important thing is showing your 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 the situation.
And showing you can 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬.

For a more detailed exploration and some examples, check out the video below ⬇
🕒 Investment professionals — 0.12
🕘 FP&A professionals — 1.00

Thanks for reading the Excel in Communication Newsletter! If you’re interested in advancing further in these skills, reach out by LinkedIn/Email.