Every banker who now works at an investment bank has gone through what’s known as a Superday. The Superday is the final round in the recruiting process. While it’s impressive to have already made it that far, there is still challenging work left to do. At a Superday, you are competing with the best of the best and are interviewed by the senior bankers at the firm. In this article, we will discuss what you can expect at a Superday and how to best prepare for one.
What Is A Superday?
Whether you’re going through a Goldman Investment Banking Superday or a J.P. Morgan Wealth Management Superday, the experience will largely be the same. A Superday usually entails interviews with around 4-6 senior bankers that last 30-60 minutes each. All candidates who have successfully passed through the first rounds of interviews are invited on- site to the firm’s office for the location they are interviewing for.
The Unique Aspects Of A Superday Interview
The Superday interview process is challenging for any candidate. The process has been perfected over time to weed out candidates, even more than first round interviews. Below are some of the reasons Superdays present a unique challenge to candidates.
Superdays Are Mentally And Physically Draining
Most people aren’t used to talking about themselves critically and being tested on challenging topics for many consecutive hours in a day. During Superday interviews, candidates are pushed to the limit with behavioral and technical questions.
Superdays differ from earlier round interviews in that they require much more mental and physical stamina. In order to perform well, candidates need to show that they can power through the day and stay composed under multiple high-pressure interviews.
Diversity Of Interviewers
Interviewers for Superdays will usually come from various different groups from the investment bank. This means that a wide range of possible questions across various topics will likely be asked given that each interviewer from each group has a specialty. For instance, a banker from Leveraged Finance may ask many questions about debt, while a banker from M&A may focus on valuation questions.
In addition to different types of groups, interviewers will also vary in seniority and age. Typically, the older senior interviewers tend to focus more on behavioral questions to measure how well you fit into the group. They also tend to ask more curveball type technical questions. On the other hand, the younger VPs and Associates tend to ask tougher technical questions. This is because they are the ones closer to the technical analysis on a day-to-day basis. However, there are no hard and fast rules, so you should prepare to be asked any number of questions from any interviewer.
Personality And Presence Matter
Unlike in first round interviews, which are usually over the phone, Superday interviews are in person. This means that the way you carry yourself matters deeply. At the end of the day, your interviewers are human beings who want to also hire confident and competent individuals that they can see themselves working alongside.
Though you also need to showcase strong technical skills, your overall persona will often be equally if not more important. The best time to let your personality shine is when you are answering behavioral questions. However, even during technical questions, you should be showcasing confidence and enthusiasm.
After The Superday
At the end of the day, the interviewers rank each candidate and provide comments on performance. Once all Superday candidates have been interviewed, a small committee gathers all comments and vote on the candidates who they believe should receive offers.
Given that only a small number of candidates are invited to a Superday interview, Superday offer rates are usually higher than you might think. Regardless if it’s a JPM Superday or a UBS Superday, firms aim to hire around 25%-50% of the candidates interviewed. Of course, it completely depends on the firm and the pool of candidates at the Superday. Just know that if you’ve made it that far, you’ve got a pretty good shot!
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