“Walk Me Through Your Resume” in Investment Banking Interviews: How to Answer

Mastering Your Story

If you find yourself with just 2 hours before your investment banking interview and zero preparation, what should you focus on first? And if you have 3 weeks, 3 months, or 6 months to prepare, where should you start? The answer is consistent across all scenarios: perfect your Story.

Your "Story" is your response to the first question in any interview:

• “Tell me about yourself.”
• “Walk me through your resume.”
• “Why are you here today?”

Despite being the most crucial part of any interview, most guides skim over it. They mistakenly treat it as just another qualitative question, on par with discussing your favorite TV show. This approach is wrong. Getting your Story right is non-negotiable.

The good news? You can significantly enhance your Story with less than an hour of effort. It's far easier than mastering accounting, valuation, and financial modeling, and it offers the highest return on investment in the interview prep process—if you follow our step-by-step guide and templates.

Walk Me Through Your Resume: The Definitive Guide

We’ve previously covered this topic, and much of that advice still applies. However, there are now three major differences with the “walk me through your resume” question:

1. You Must Have Previous Experience – Whether you’re an undergrad or a career changer at the MBA level, you need previous finance experience (i.e., a sequence of internships) to have any chance of getting into IB.
2. You Must Be More Concise – We recommend a 100-150-word outline and a 200-300-word full version for a maximum length of 1-2 minutes. Ignore suggestions for “3-5 minutes” as bankers will cut you off quickly.
3. Your Goals Must Be More Specific – Vague statements like wanting to “work on deals” or “advise companies” won’t cut it. Point to a specific industry or geography, cite a related deal the bank has worked on, and explain how that ties into your long-term plans.

Your Story isn’t a recitation of your resume; it’s a narrative that connects your experience to the role and this role to your future. It highlights your most relevant skills and experience and addresses the main objections interviewers may have:

• Can you work long hours?
• Can you talk to humans?
• Is your interest in finance genuine and long-term?
• Do you have financial knowledge despite a non-finance major?

The Structure, the Word Count, and the Objectives

We used to recommend a 5-point structure, but a 4-point structure is better because it encourages brevity. Here are the 4 points:

1. The Beginning – A quick sentence or two about your background, such as where you grew up or your university or business school.
2. Finance “Spark” – The specific person, event, or experience that drew you to finance or investment banking.
3. Growing Interest – How you gained relevant skills and work experience over time that prepare you for this job.
4. Why You’re Here Today and Your Future – Why this firm and group fit your long-term plans perfectly.

This structure works well for undergrads and recent grads. If you’ve had significant work experience, your “Spark” can be more of a gradual change over time.

Point 1: The Beginning

For undergrads and recent grads, this part is most important as you have nothing else to set yourself apart. It’s your chance to say something memorable that the interviewer hasn’t heard numerous times. For example:

OK Beginning: “I’m from China originally, but I went to high school in the U.S. and attended Georgetown, where I majored in Math and Economics and joined the Student Investment Fund.” [Word Count: 29]

Better Beginning: “I’m from China originally, but I went to high school in the U.S. and attended Georgetown, where I majored in Math and Economics and studied abroad in Bhutan to research culture and politics.” [Word Count: 33]

For those with full-time work experience, a straightforward approach is fine:

“I grew up outside Chicago, went to Northwestern for undergrad, and majored in Economics and Finance. I did a summer internship in equity capital markets at JP Morgan, and then came back full-time after graduation.” [Word Count: 35]

Point 2: Finance “Spark”

This part grabs the interviewer’s attention and sets your Story in motion. Specificity is key. For instance:

OK Spark: “I first got interested in finance when I interned at a consulting group and researched and analyzed clients’ financial statements. I spoke with an MD at an investment bank, Woodstone Partners, and he made me very interested in the industry.” [Word Count: 40]

Better Spark: “I first got interested in finance when I interned at a non-profit consulting group and analyzed the financial statements of two clients that wanted to merge. I spoke with an MD at an investment bank, Woodstone Partners, and he made me very interested in the industry.” [Word Count: 46]

If you’re not an undergrad or recent grad, your Spark can be more low-key:

“I’ve enjoyed my time in ECM, but at the same time, I’ve also gotten interested in working on more complex and varied deals. Since M&A deals tend to be more strategic, they’re often more interesting and challenging to work on. One example is the follow-on offering I worked on for Warbucks, where the company issued shares as part of its plan to consolidate the industry with acquisitions.” [Word Count: 67]

Point 3: Growing Interest

Explain how you gained the specific skills required for the job. Limit yourself to 3 experiences, and group entries together to streamline your pitch. For example:

Point 1: “I started out with a few on-campus jobs tutoring younger students in math and accounting, which I enjoyed, but I wanted to gain more real-world experience…”

Point 2: “…so I went to [Local Company Name] and did marketing there for the summer. I did well, liked the business, and helped them generate 20% more leads over two months, but I also wanted to do something that was more quantitative and closer to finance…”

Point 3: “…so the next summer I did private wealth management at [Bank Name], analyzed clients’ portfolios, and made investment recommendations. I enjoyed the analysis a lot more, but I also wanted to work with larger-scale clients…”

[Total Word Count: 106]

Point 4: Why You’re Here Today and Your Future

Today, expressing uncertainty in your long-term plans is not advisable. Even if you plan to transition to private equity soon, pretend you’re committed to IB. For example:

Example 1: “So I’m here today because I want to combine my telecom background with finance, and eventually become an adviser to companies in the industry. Your group has a great reputation for that, with deals such as [Name a Deal], so joining your firm is the best way for me to get there.” [Word Count: 52]

Example 2: “I’m here today because I want to leverage my wealth management experience and advise larger-scale clients on M&A deals, going back to the [Deal Name] deal that first interested me. Your group is strong in [Geography / Industry], which I follow, and so joining your team is the best way for me to work on those types of deals.” [Word Count: 59]

How to Avoid Falling Off the Path

1. Do NOT spend too much time on the Beginning: Do not explain your family history, why you picked all your classes, or any other irrelevant details.
2. Avoid excessive “plot twists”: Simplify your path to avoid confusion.
3. Give a reason for each transition and move in rough chronological order.
4. Don’t include information that doesn’t help your case: Avoid tangents and irrelevant details.

Templates and Example Answers

Templates are great, but knowing how to apply them to real-life situations is essential. Here are two example templates:

Engineer or Technical Major to IB

• Objections: Can you work long hours? Can you talk to people? Are you boring?
• Previous Experience: Finance-related experience in between roles is crucial.
• Specificity: Tie your background to the firm you’re interviewing with.

Big 4/Accounting to IB

• Objections: Can you work long hours? Can you talk to people? Are you boring?
• Previous Experience: Transition from accounting roles to finance-related experience.
• Specificity: Link firm’s deals to your initial interest in banking.

Conclusion

Your Story is like an undervalued stock: the market often overlooks it. But if you invest time and effort, you can achieve significant gains. Whether preparing for interviews at the last minute or months in advance, perfecting your answer to the “walk me through your resume” question is the first step. Get it right, and the rest of the interview will be smooth sailing.