A candidate’s detailed post about his “worst final interview” for an Analyst role at a Big 4 investment banking team in India has set off a wave of online discussion on hiring culture in the financial sector.
The applicant, who shared his story on Reddit, said the process stretched across four stages-- two projects and two interviews. The first task, an extensive equity research and financial modelling assignment, took him nearly 40 hours. His work drew praise in the pre-final round.
“They literally told me, ‘this was the best project we’ve seen among all candidates.’ That gave me a huge confidence boost,” he wrote.
After clearing Project 2 under tight deadlines, he prepared for the final stage. But delays and sudden rescheduling began to take a toll. The interview was postponed an hour before it was due, followed by a week of silence, and further back-and-forth with HR. “For context, I’m also on a career break right now to prepare for CAT… so this dragging out wasn’t helping,” he explained.
When the final interview finally happened, the tone left him unsettled. Asked to explain investment banking, he gave examples of deals, M&A, and underwriting. But the interviewer cut him off. “He flat out told me it was ‘way below expectations’ and that I should’ve spoken to someone in the firm. I told him I actually had — but he dismissed that and said I should’ve ‘just read something on the internet.’”
The exchange turned more personal when the interviewer asked: “What do you do after you wake up?” The candidate said his own question about the firm’s projects was brushed off with: “ye irrelevant sawaal kyu puch rahe ho” (why are you asking irrelevant questions). Moments later, he was told bluntly that the company would move ahead with other candidates.
“I walked away from that call feeling… honestly, kinda traumatised. After putting in so much effort, to be spoken to in such a dismissive and almost demeaning manner really shook me,” he said in his post.
The applicant, who shared his story on Reddit, said the process stretched across four stages-- two projects and two interviews. The first task, an extensive equity research and financial modelling assignment, took him nearly 40 hours. His work drew praise in the pre-final round.
“They literally told me, ‘this was the best project we’ve seen among all candidates.’ That gave me a huge confidence boost,” he wrote.
After clearing Project 2 under tight deadlines, he prepared for the final stage. But delays and sudden rescheduling began to take a toll. The interview was postponed an hour before it was due, followed by a week of silence, and further back-and-forth with HR. “For context, I’m also on a career break right now to prepare for CAT… so this dragging out wasn’t helping,” he explained.
When the final interview finally happened, the tone left him unsettled. Asked to explain investment banking, he gave examples of deals, M&A, and underwriting. But the interviewer cut him off. “He flat out told me it was ‘way below expectations’ and that I should’ve spoken to someone in the firm. I told him I actually had — but he dismissed that and said I should’ve ‘just read something on the internet.’”
The exchange turned more personal when the interviewer asked: “What do you do after you wake up?” The candidate said his own question about the firm’s projects was brushed off with: “ye irrelevant sawaal kyu puch rahe ho” (why are you asking irrelevant questions). Moments later, he was told bluntly that the company would move ahead with other candidates.
“I walked away from that call feeling… honestly, kinda traumatised. After putting in so much effort, to be spoken to in such a dismissive and almost demeaning manner really shook me,” he said in his post.
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