At the more advanced stages of the application process it is even more important that you show up well prepared to your interviews. Not only because you want to outperform the other candidates but also because you can have sort of a peace of mind going into interviews, knowing you are actually prepared.Sometimes interviewers like to ask very specific questions to see how much preparation you have done for the interview, thereby gauging how badly you really want to work for their firm.Here is a list of key things you should research before attending a finance interview.· The Name Of The Bank’s CEO I have been asked that at an interview before. This question is sometimes used to throw the candidate off, as it is rather embarrassing if you don’t know the CEO of the bank you are interviewing with.· The Bank’s Strong Points And Key Products/Services Every bank has key areas that they are best at or are most known for. Make sure that you know what the bank you are interviewing with is best at.· Recent News About The BankIf the bank you are interviewing with has been in the news lately make sure you are aware of what is going on. If the banks is in the news for negative reasons, then it is better you avoid talking about the subject, but know what the news were nonetheless. You might be asked things such as ‘what have you read about XYZ bank recently?’ to check if you have done your research about the bank, and actually are interested in working for them.· The Bank’s Credit Rating The creditworthiness of banks has become a big topic since the credit crunch in 2007. So, it’s important that you know what the bank’s credit rating is that you are interviewing for. I have been asked this at more than one interview in the past.· Yesterday’s closing levels of FTSE100, SP500, Gold, GBPUSD, EURUSD & Oil Note these numbers down the day before and memorise them. If you are applying for a markets role you will usually be asked yesterday’s closing levels of the S&P500 or the FTSE100. Make sure you know them! Gold, the major currencies and the price of oil can also be asked, depending on who interviews you (and what department or desk they are from).· The People Who Will Be Interviewing You This last point can give you serious competitive advantage over those who do not put the time in to research their interviewers. In most cases, graduate recruitment will inform you via email who the people are that will interview you. At that point make sure you research the people via LinkedIn or a simple Google search to find out more about them. Check where they went to university, what sports team they like, what hobbies they have, etc. Their LinkedIn profiles should provide you with quite a bit of information. The idea behind this is that you find commonalities, which you can then use to build rapport with. For example, if you support the same football team or went to the same university, try to throw that into the conversation and build rapport with the interviewer like that.Obviously, always act in a professional matter, but interviewers also want to get to know you as a person, as you will potentially sit next to them for the next five years and they want to make sure they will get along with you.