Use this guide to review sample interview questions & answers used at Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions. 8 minute read.
Many people who apply for Goldman’s summer internship will have to go through a set of interviews before they are offered a job at the bank.
Business Insider says that Goldman Sachs got a record 263,000 applications for its summer analyst program this year alone. With that in mind, companies like Goldman typically cut a majority of candidates during the resume screening process.
To learn how to sharpen up your resume, check out the article âMy Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Resumeâ.
If your resume makes it past the first round of screening, you may be asked to do a video interview, also called a Hirevue, where you can talk about yourself and why you’d be a good fit for the job.
In case you haven’t heard of Hirevues or video interviews, this is the type of platform that most investment banks use for candidates to answer pre-recorded video questions.
In the hirevue, Goldman Sachs usually only asks behavioral questions. However, some banks may add one or two technical questions from time to time. To best prepare for this section, see the behavioral questions and answers section in this article.
Landing an interview for a vice president role at prestigious investment bank Goldman Sachs is a major accomplishment. But the competition is fierce and you’ll need to showcase your leadership abilities, technical skills, and knowledge of markets to stand out.
Preparing for Goldman Sachs’ notoriously difficult VP interview questions is key. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll overview the 7 most common and critical VP interview questions to expect along with proven strategies to master them. Read on to learn how to ace your Goldman Sachs vice president interview.
1. Walk Me Through Your Resume
The “walk me through your resume” question is frequently used by Goldman Sachs interviewers to assess your career progression and responsibilities They want to understand how your experiences make you qualified for the VP role
When responding
- Start with your education and the skills gained relevant to the position
- Discuss each role and your increasing leadership, technical, or management contributions
- Emphasize key accomplishments like process improvements or revenue growth
- Tailor your response to the specific VP position you’re interviewing for
- Conclude by summarizing how your experience makes you a strong candidate
Focus on skills and achievements that align with Goldman Sachs’ core business like client relationships, market analysis, and leadership. Quantify your accomplishments with numbers whenever possible.
2. Why Are You Interested in This Role and Goldman Sachs?
With this common question, interviewers want to assess your motivation for the role and long-term fit with the company. Avoid generic answers about pursuing new challenges or needing a job change.
Focus your response on
- Specific aspects of the role that excite you
- Ways you can contribute your skills and experience
- Knowledge of Goldman Sachs’ culture, values, and business model
- Interest in the company’s leadership in global finance
- Desire to develop your career as part of an esteemed institution
Convey genuine enthusiasm for the position and commitment to remaining at Goldman long-term. Researching the role, department, and company beforehand can help strengthen your answer.
3. How Would You Handle an Underperforming Employee?
As a VP, managing team performance will be a critical responsibility. With this question, interviewers want to see your leadership approach in action.
In your response, share you would:
- Meet with them privately to understand issues impacting their work
- Set clear expectations and provide constructive feedback
- Offer training or resources to help improve weaker areas
- Develop an improvement plan with specific goals and timelines
- Have regular check-ins on progress and challenges
- Involve HR if performance concerns remain unresolved
Emphasize you would manage underperformance through support and communication before considering termination. Provide an example of when you successfully helped mentor a struggling team member if possible.
4. Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
Goldman seeks VP candidates invested in growing their careers at the company long-term. Convey you hope to:
- Have expanded your skills and responsibilities through the VP role
- Have been promoted to MD or partner level at Goldman
- Be leading an essential business unit or high-profile teams
- Have deepened your expertise in markets significant to Goldman
- Be recognized as an invaluable thought leader in your department
Avoid mentioning interest in roles at other companies. Position your goals as natural progressions along Goldman’s established career paths for top performers.
5. How Do You Handle High-Pressure Situations?
Excelling under pressure is vital for VPs in Goldman’s fast-paced environment. Share an example that highlights:
- Your ability to remain focused on priorities
- Your problem-solving and quick thinking
- How you ensure effective team communication
- Ways you manage your own stress levels
For added impact, choose an example relevant to the VP position like closing a complex deal or navigating a sudden market change.
6. What Is Your Management Style?
Goldman Sachs wants VPs who can manage teams effectively. Use this question to demonstrate your leadership approach by emphasizing that you:
- Lead by example and participate actively
- Encourage collaboration and listen to input
- Set clear objectives and give regular feedback
- Support employee growth and development
- Recognize achievements and motivate your team
Convey that you manage in a way that aligns with Goldman’s meritocratic culture. If your style has helped boost team productivity or morale, provide those details too.
7. What Questions Do You Have for Us?
Preparing thoughtful questions signals your interest in the company and role. Focus on bigger picture topics like:
- How Goldman maintains its competitive edge in a changing industry
- What key skills help VPs succeed long-term
- Career development and mobility for top performers
- Management priorities for the department this year
- How company values translate day-to-day
Avoid basic questions answered on their website. Asking strategic questions shows your business savvy and ability to think at the VP level.
With rigorous preparation using these strategies to tackle Goldman’s top VP interview questions, you can demonstrate your leadership acumen, technical expertise, and cultural fit. Be specific, data-driven, and show how your skills directly translate to vice president-level performance to prove you are Goldman Sachs VP material.
Superday (Final Round Interview)
If you make it past HireVue, you’re in the final round of interviews! The superday at Goldman Sachs and similar banks typically consists of 3-4 back-to-back interviews.
These interviews will likely contain a mix of behavioral and technical finance questions. Goldman Sachs is known to ask a lot of behavioral questions, but it depends on the interviewer and the candidate’s previous work experience in finance.
Youâll be able to prepare for most behavioral interview questions with the breakdown below.
- Understand the position. Interviewers can test this with a number of different questions. It’s important to know about the job you’re applying for and how it will help the company.
- Your motivations for applying. The industry is known for its high employee turnover. You should be able to explain why you want the job besides money or fame.
- Financial news. People who are really interested in finance will know about the latest financial news. Common sources include the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, etc.
- Situational questions. Banks like to see how tough a person is and how well they can handle tough situations. Are you ready to answer “What would you do?” and “Tell me about a time?”
See sample questions and answers below.
Q: Why Goldman Sachs and why the division you are applying to?
A: I’m interested in the investment banking division because it helps shape the strategic future of the industries these companies compete in by facilitating deals that greatly affect the biggest companies in the world today. Goldman is particularly well known for its leadership and strength in investment banking, exemplified by its #1 position in worldwide announced and completed M&A and IPOs for 2021. This kind of experience, especially at the junior level, would be very helpful to not only understand how the industry works but also make a difference in it. Â.
Having talked to people from all over IBD at school information sessions, I feel that Goldman’s culture is also very similar to mine. I like how the lean deal team structure puts an emphasis on ownership and teamwork, with each member being able to serve as a cog and adapt to different situations throughout the deal process. These are qualities I look for in a perfect workplace. Â.
Q: Describe a current event or recent transaction that you find interesting.
A: One recent transaction that I find interesting is JetBlueâs proposed all-cash acquisition of Spirit for $3. 8bn. The interesting thing to me about this deal is how it might affect the airline business and how antitrust laws might change the outcome. I believe the acquisition makes sense from a business point of view because it will 1) increase JetBlue’s route network to compete with the Big Four airlines; 2) provide immediate fleet expansion for an industry dealing with wider supply chain problems and accidents for manufacturers like Boeing; and 3) broaden the company’s offerings to include ultra-low cost flights. However, I still see some possible risks. People are talking a lot about how JetBlue and Frontier are competing to see who can bid the highest on Spirit’s assets. This makes people wonder if Spirit’s fundamentals really justify the price. Also, even though the four biggest airlines control most of the market, the DOJ and FTC are becoming more and more against big company acquisitions, which could make execution harder. Goldmanâs work as JetBlue’s financial advisor shows how the company can lead some of the most important deals for consumers around the world. Â.
Q: Why have you applied for IBD Classics (coverage groups)?
A: I’m interested in IBD Classics because the group covers a wide range of financial products and transactions. There aren’t many big competitors like Goldman Sachs whose coverage teams have M The fact that Goldman has been #1 in global completed M&A for 22 of the past 23 years speaks to the types of transactions I may have the opportunity to oversee. The group is strong in stocks and is becoming more present in debt, so I’ll also be able to see how other transformative deal processes work. Â.
Q: Why have you applied for IBD Financing (product groups)?
A: Debt has always been one of the most interesting products to me because it is so complicated and nuanced. I want to work in a debt group at Goldman Sachs. In Lloyd Blankfein’s last letter to shareholders, which was written in 2017, he said that the bank had made debt underwriting one of its top strategic priorities five years before. By 2017, Goldman made almost $3 billion in net income from underwriting debt, which was more than twice the company’s average from 2009 to 2011. The group is now ranked third in the league tables for debt, even though its balance sheet isn’t as strong as that of investment banks with commercial banking arms. Because of this, I can tell that Goldman’s underwriting skills are different because they come with strategic advice. I think that learning in this setting would be a great chance for a career. Â.
Q: How does your experience make you a strong candidate for the job?
A: What I learned as an FP before This experience, which involved turning data into predictions of income and expenses, will help me make the kind of well-thought-out business decisions that clients and companies value.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
A: Since I’m still pretty new to my job, it’s hard for me to say where I want to be in 5 years. A rough idea of what I want to do with my early years is to learn all the little operational details that make the company run every day. Then, after 5 years, I hope to be able to take on a bigger leadership role that will allow me to make better business decisions based on more thought and insight.
Q: Tell me about a time you didnât get along with a coworker.
As I worked on a group project for one of my classes, I had a disagreement with another group member at first because we both wanted to do a certain part of the project. So that we could both share some of the responsibility for that part of the project, we decided to break it up into smaller sub-deliverables. Because of this, everyone was happy with their duties, and we were even able to make better use of our own strengths. This was reflected in our final work product, which exceeded expectations for the assignment. Â.
Q: Tell me about a time when you were part of a failed project.
A: I was working on a group project for a sister team within the company. I wanted to make a good first impression by saying the project would be done in two weeks, even though it was a big job. 5 weeks. The project ended up taking 4 weeks, which reflected poorly on our planning, organization, and ability to execute. I learned to be more thoughtful about project milestones and how I talk to people on my team after this. Since then, Iâve given out more conservative estimates on deliverables, as its always better to âunder-promise and over-deliver. â.
Q: Give us an understanding of the job you applied for.
A: From what I understand, the equity research department’s job is to give institutional investors opinions on a company’s worth based on its financials and business drivers, both big-picture and specific to the company. These points of view are put together in research reports, which are then used to decide whether a bank should buy, sell, or hold shares of a certain company. Equity research analysts usually focus on a group of companies within a certain part of an industry. For example, Chemicals is a part of Industrials as a whole.
Q: What do you like to do outside of school or work?
A: I enjoy playing basketball with my recreational campus team. It’s fun to play in tournaments where everyone is trying to beat each other, and many of the skills you need to do well on a basketball team are also useful at work. I also find the strategic part of the game to be very interesting. When you use different strategies that work best for different players in different game situations, you can get the most out of your team.
Q: What is a weakness that you have and how are you working to improve it?
A: Sure, I learned how to do financial modeling over the summer, but I think I could get better at using technical software like SQL and Python. I think it will become more and more important to know SQL and other data-oriented software skills as technology keeps getting better and businesses use more data. The SQL class I’m taking at school is really interesting, and I can’t wait to use some of what I learn in my next job. Â Â.
Technical Questions & Brainteasers:
Be sure to have a fundamental understanding of finance and accounting. You should know how to talk about the three main financial statements, the three main valuation methods, and other common financial terms used in the field. To best prepare, check out our Complete Finance & Valuation course.
Banks and other financial institutions also like to use brainteasers to see how creative you are and how quickly you can solve tough problems.
To review sample technical and brainteaser questions, check out this guide on Must Know Finance Interview Questions.
Check out our Complete Finance course if you want to get better at technical finance so you can get a competitive internship or full-time job in the field.
This behavior could kill your chances in a Goldman Sachs interview
How many Goldman Sachs interview questions are there?
Glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information, company reviews, and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job that’s right for you. 91 Goldman Sachs Vice President interview questions and 85 interview reviews. Free interview details posted anonymously by Goldman Sachs interview candidates.
What is the interview process like at Goldman Sachs?
I interviewed at Goldman Sachs The interview process was very simplistic, it’s the waiting for the extensive background checks and verification of who you are that is very drawn out. #1 HCM reaches out for Interview #2 Hiring Manager Interview #3 Peer Interview #4 Sr. VP Interview #5 Panel Interview #6 Offer is extended
What questions did you ask during a technical interview at Goldman Sachs?
Technical Interview with an Associate and Vice President, basic SQL and Python Programming Questions. It was over zoom. Asked some more typical interview questions about company culture and behavioral questions. What is something you read about in the news that may be applicable to Goldman Sachs? I interviewed at Goldman Sachs (Bengaluru)
How difficult is Goldman Sachs interview?
I interviewed at Goldman Sachs (New York, NY) It is virtual via a zoom link received three days before the interview. There will be an analyst asking questions about both behavioral and technical. Not very difficult but needs some business sense. What is your strength and weakness? I interviewed at Goldman Sachs (New York, NY)
