Why do you want to work at our bank?

There are three reasons. First, the firm's position in industrials and business services fits my interest. In researching the group I read about several recent sell-side processes for mid-sized industrial companies, and that is exactly the kind of work I enjoyed when I built a comps analysis for a manufacturing target during my corporate development internship.

Second, the people I spoke with described a lean deal team structure, where analysts are close to senior bankers and clients. One associate told me she drafted sections of a management presentation in her first year and joined the client meetings to hear how it landed. I learn best when I can see how my work gets used, so that matters to me.

Third, the analyst program lets first-years work across products before specializing, which would let me build broad technical skills while staying in a sector I care about. Put together, it is the place where I think I would learn the most and contribute the fastest, and that is why I am excited about this role.