How to Answer “Walk me through your resume.” in Investment Banking Interviews
“Walk me through your resume.” is one of the most common investment banking interview questions—and it often decides the tone for the rest of the conversation. A strong answer shows you can communicate like an analyst: structured, selective, and anchored to why you’re a good fit for the group.
In investment banking interview prep, treat this as a 2–3 minute pitch: past → proof → present → purpose. Your goal is not to repeat your CV line-by-line, but to connect the dots into a credible “why IB, why this team, why now” story.
What Interviewers Evaluate in Investment Banking Interview Questions
Interviewers use this prompt to test structure and judgement. Can you summarise a multi-year background into a few relevant points, in the right order, without rambling? Banking is client-facing and deadline-driven; they want signals you can speak clearly under time pressure.
They’re also checking fit and motivation. Your resume walkthrough should make it obvious why investment banking makes sense given your choices—internships, coursework, societies, leadership, and any inflection points. If your “why” sounds generic, they’ll assume your commitment is shallow.
Finally, they’re looking for deal-readiness. Even though this is behavioural, strong candidates naturally weave in analyst-relevant proof points: working with messy data, attention to detail, teamwork, and commercial thinking. Light touch references to valuation interview prep (for example, building a simple DCF, understanding WACC drivers, or interpreting terminal value assumptions) help, but only if they’re true and tied to your experience.
Resume Walkthrough Framework (Analyst-Ready Structure)
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Step 1: Start with a one-line headline (present → role target)
Open with a crisp headline that frames who you are and what you’re aiming for. Think: current status + core strengths + target role. This gives the interviewer a “map” and prevents your story from sounding like a chronology dump.
Keep it to one sentence, two at most. Example shape: “I’m a final-year economics student with internship experience in corporate finance and equity research, and I’m now focused on investment banking analyst roles because I enjoy fast-paced, transaction-oriented work.”
This step matters because it shows executive communication and sets up the rest of your walkthrough as evidence for that claim. It also helps you steer away from less relevant items and toward what the team cares about (work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to learn technical concepts quickly).
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Step 2: Walk through 2–3 ‘chapters’ with proof (Situation → Action → Result)
Choose two or three chapters that are most relevant to banking (internships, finance-heavy projects, leadership with measurable outcomes). For each, give: what you did, the skills you used, and a tangible result.
Aim for analyst-like specificity without turning it into a technical monologue: “built a comps set,” “cleaned and reconciled KPIs,” “wrote an investment memo,” “supported a live pitch.” If you have relevant modelling exposure, reference it naturally: “I built a basic DCF to triangulate valuation and pressure-tested the key sensitivities like WACC and terminal value assumptions.”
Avoid listing every bullet on your resume. The point is to create a coherent narrative that demonstrates readiness for the day-to-day, not to recite dates. Selectivity is part of good judgement.
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Step 3: Connect the dots to ‘why investment banking’ (motivation with evidence)
After your chapters, explicitly connect them to why IB. Make your motivation evidence-based: talk about what you learned from your experiences and what you want more of (transactions, steep learning curve, teamwork under pressure, client impact).
This is where many candidates fail by giving generic reasons (“I like finance” or “I’m hardworking”). Instead, cite moments that showed you the work is a fit: enjoying the intensity of a deadline, liking the blend of analysis and communication, or preferring deal-driven problems over longer-horizon research.
If you’re expecting ib technical questions later, this bridge also signals you’re prepared: you can mention you’ve strengthened accounting/valuation fundamentals and can discuss drivers behind valuation outputs, not just formulas. Keep it confident but matter-of-fact.
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Step 4: Finish with a tight ‘why this bank/team’ and handoff
Close by narrowing from “why IB” to “why this platform.” Mention one or two concrete reasons tailored to the firm or group: product strength, sector focus, reputation for analyst development, or recent deal themes you’ve followed.
Then hand the conversation back with a clean transition: “That’s the thread across my experience and why I’m excited about this analyst role—happy to go deeper on any of those.” This signals composure and invites the interviewer to choose the next path.
A good close also protects you from getting stuck: if your walkthrough ends abruptly, interviewers often probe weaknesses. A purposeful ending helps steer toward your strongest chapter and sets up follow-ups you can answer crisply.
Sample Resume Walkthrough Answer (Investment Banking Analyst)
I’m currently a final-year finance student, and across my internships and coursework I’ve gravitated toward transaction-focused work where I can combine analysis with clear communication—so I’m now targeting investment banking analyst roles.
My first relevant experience was a corporate finance internship at a mid-sized company, where I supported the FP&A and strategy team. I built monthly reporting that reconciled operating KPIs to the P&L, and I helped pull together materials for a refinancing discussion with lenders. That taught me how important accuracy is when senior stakeholders are using the numbers to make decisions.
After that, I joined an equity research internship where I strengthened my valuation fundamentals. I updated trading comps, summarised earnings calls, and built a simple DCF for coverage initiation to triangulate a valuation range. The main takeaway was learning how assumptions flow through—especially sensitivities around WACC and terminal value—and how to explain the “why” behind a target price, not just the spreadsheet.
Most recently, I led a student investment pitch team, coordinating five people and setting a weekly cadence to produce a final memo and presentation. I enjoyed the intensity of working to a deadline and the teamwork required to get to a high-quality output.
Those experiences are why investment banking appeals to me: fast-paced, high standards, and work that’s directly tied to live decisions and transactions. I’m particularly interested in your [Group/Platform] because of the exposure to [sector/product] and the chance to learn from a team that’s active on deals in that space. Happy to go deeper on any part of my background.
- Keep it to ~2–3 minutes; depth comes in the follow-ups.
- Use 2–3 chapters max; each should end with a skill + takeaway.
- Light technical references (DCF, WACC, terminal value) work best when tied to real tasks.
- Finish with ‘why this bank/team’ and an invitation to drill down.
Common Mistakes in an Investment Banking Resume Walkthrough
- Repeating the resume line-by-line instead of selecting the most relevant chapters for an analyst role.
- Leading with personal history (where you grew up) rather than a professional headline and direction.
- Over-claiming technical experience (e.g., implying expert-level modelling) and then struggling when ib technical questions begin.
- Using generic motivation (“I like finance”) rather than evidence-based reasons tied to your experiences.
- Spending too long on early items and rushing your strongest, most recent experience.
- Not landing the plane: ending without a clear ‘why IB/why this team’ close and a handoff for follow-ups.
Likely Follow-Ups, Including IB Technical Questions
What was the most technically challenging thing you worked on?
Pick one concrete deliverable (e.g., a DCF build, comps refresh, or KPI-to-financials bridge), explain the tricky part, and what you did to validate the output.
You mentioned a DCF—walk me through your approach at a high level.
Keep it structured: forecast drivers to free cash flow, choose WACC, estimate terminal value, discount back, and sanity-check with comps.
Why investment banking versus equity research/corporate finance?
Contrast the work styles: you prefer transaction timelines, broader execution exposure, and team-based delivery under tight deadlines—based on what you enjoyed most in prior roles.
Which experience best prepared you for being an analyst day-to-day?
Choose the most analyst-like role and map tasks to the job: attention to detail, turning comments quickly, managing priorities, and communicating updates clearly.
Tell me about a time you made a mistake and how you handled it.
Own it briefly, explain the fix and prevention (checks, version control, peer review), and show you protected stakeholders and timelines.
Practice Plan: Delivery, Timing, and Valuation Interview Prep
- Build two versions: a 60–90 second “airport” version and a 2–3 minute full version; practise both for different interviewer styles.
- Write your walkthrough as 3 chapters + a close. If you have more than three, you haven’t prioritised.
- Record yourself and cut filler words; aim for clean transitions (“After that…”, “The key takeaway was…”).
- Prepare proof points for likely pivots into valuation interview prep topics (a DCF you built, WACC intuition, terminal value sensitivities) without forcing them into the story.
- Do at least one timed mock on AceTheRound and iterate based on feedback: clarity, structure, and whether your “why IB” sounds evidence-based.
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