ABC – Always Be Closing. If you haven't seen this classic yet, watch it and embrace its' message.You need to convert. If you don't, it's real simple: you got nothing coming. You could have dominated your online competency questions, online tests and you could have even made a killer CV – all for nothing if you won't convert. So here go the most common interview questions you should be ready for. Not necessarily going to tell you how to answer them exactly here as you should really have your own style for this/make the answers personal to you.Fit Interview Questions- Why investment banking?Be clear on your motivation to the industry and your particular division. Ideally have some sort of story and split your motivation into three easy key points. Think about the learning curve, career exposure and career progression you can gain. Also think about what you aspects you actually find interesting – perhaps you like the debt markets because they can be technical?Perhaps you prefer equities because they can be dynamic? Maybe you like derivatives because they are innovative, sometimes bespoke, solve problems and you enjoy the complex aspects of them? Or perhaps you prefer long-term more project-based work and enjoy the detail and nuances behind valuation learning about a company? Whatever it is, make sure you mention it. Look up elevator speech on Google, plenty of great resources to be found.- Why M&A over S&T?This is to check your reasons for applying to a certain division. This is especially the case at institutions that are pure advisory firms who to them, see it as crucial you are in no doubt over which of the aforementioned two options you prefer. It’s rather similar to above, think about what aspects you enjoy and why, articulate it well and then that can form the basis of your answer. Don't rumble.- How are we different from our competitors?This is a variation of the question above, research is always key with these questions. Does the bank use its huge balance sheet to its advantage? Think and cover some of the areas above. You can compare and contrast different banks without naming them in interview.- I see you study Law/some other unrelated subject, why did you apply to our programme?This is very much a standard question if you are coming from a less conventional background - it is especially important for you to be clear on your motivation and do your research. However, you are at an advantage as you can say how you have explored different options/career paths and this has made you more confident in your pursuit of investment banking.Try and have some form of easy story for this. You should also try and point to any areas of your CV that are finance-related, how you gave those activities/experiences a shot and decided you wanted to explore finance further as a result. You can then add how the Spring Week programme is perfect for someone like you because you have experienced other options and the Spring Week will give you the ideal insight to know whether you definitely want to pursue banking or not.- What got you interested in the investment banking industry?The answers to this question are to be found here. Instead, you should think more deeply about how you actually found out about the industry and what it is within that opportunity you find so compelling. You need to form a clear, easy to understand answer to this one.Perhaps you grew up with someone running their own business that got you interested; or maybe you met someone from the industry; or perhaps you did some research on the financial crisis and find the science of finance interesting; or maybe even you gained an insight into finance through an activity or module that inspired you. This needs to be personal to you, the "finance spark", whatever it is.I said earlier you should not mention money but actually, sometimes saying money played a role in your initial interest is refreshing and makes you seem more genuine. Be careful with this though.- Why Bank X?Make sure you have done your research on the bank you have applied for. When answering this you should crossover a few of the following points:Campus Presentations - what did you learn at these and why did it inspire you to apply?People - have you met anyone from the bank? What did they tell you about it that appealed to you?Differentiation - from the above or otherwise, do you know how the bank differentiates itself in an increasingly competitive market? Even better, do you know what sectors and areas the bank is particularly strong in and how it uses its strength in those areas to win mandates?Culture - have you experienced the culture of the bank? Alternatively have you heard about the culture of the bank? Does this fit better with your values and the type of environment you would like to work in?Deals & Awards - do you know what deals the bank has worked on recently, why it was picked for that deal and other awards the bank has won that clearly demonstrate its strength in your chosen area over its competitors?Making an answer personable but covering those areas should get you top marks for that question.- What does the average day look like in investment banking?If you can't answer this, it will obviously raise a red flag for the interviewer about your motivation. You should first clarify what division the interviewer is referring to and the level of seniority in this situation. You should then go on to explain that there is no typical day as for example, in M&A, it can depend on what stage of the deal you are at and whether there are any urgent requests.You should express knowledge of the long hours and hard work required in the industry and give a generic example of what a day might look like but emphasis this is not typical for every single day.Day in the Life of a Banker: check here, here, here and here.- Where else have you applied and do you have any offers?The key with this question is just to be honest. If you actually have multiple offers, then you should use this to your advantage. Candidates sometimes lie with this forgetting that a core theme of the industry now is integrity - you are effectively shooting yourself in the back if you get found out. Life rule #1: You reap what you sow.That would be it for the first part. In the next one I will focus on the commonly asked competency questions. Feel free to add your good/bad/ugly experiences with SW interviews, real interested to hear your experiences.Part II (competency interview questions) is here.Part III (technical interview questions) is here.