By Victor Paquet (Mergersight Operations) and Carlo Leopardi & Tommaso Arona (Boston University partners)
Walkthrough
For this question, you should understand what the recruiter is looking for. As much as where you get your news is important, the recruiter here is trying to see how you deal with newly presented information. Are you somebody that just reads the headlines? Or someone who has the intellectual curiosity to contextualize the article, and perhaps do further research beyond the article to expand your understanding. Words and concepts in finance can be complicated, do you stop at a word/concept you have not heard of? Or do you take time to understand what you are reading? What is your intent behind reading the news? Learning the language and concepts? Keeping up with recent deals? Keeping up with trends? These are just a few ideas to think about when structuring your interview answer.
Be prepared to share your sources and platforms you read news on. There are many great news sources out there. The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg are just a few sources you can start reading from, if you have not yet started.
(Obviously check out The MergerSigtht Group LinkedIn and Instagram pages as well as our website, www.mergersight.com, for up-to-date M&A weekly news and reports :) )
Mediums
The platform you first get exposed to the news is not as important as where you finish your research. For example, do not be afraid to mention that you follow popular news sources on your personal social media, as it is an easy way to get exposed to a lot of content in today’s world. However, social media should merely be an access point to the full article/further research you delve into.
You can tell a story, say that you have the TV on in the morning, or read the newspaper every Sunday, or even read news on your phone on your way to class. You can also mention specific types of deals, industries, geographies, or columns that you often read about.
Be personal
The answer should be very personal and should show the recruiter what type of person you are and what your interests are. At the end of the day, you should be reading what most interests you.
Additionally, you can mention how you apply what you read in the news to your everyday life. It is good practice to talk to friends, acquaintances, or perhaps someone working in the field about recent news. Speaking and sharing ideas within conversation is a great way to consolidate newly absorbed information and get comfortable with integrating financial language within your own speech.
Be relevant
Lastly, make sure that what you convey and learn from reading the news is actually relevant for the Investment Banking position (e.g. think about the coverage group, product group, or location you are applying to).