Centerview interview questions, with its capabilities in its own words
Centerview Partners publishes who it hires and how to apply, but not its interview stages: one form with your resume, for one office only. The 14 questions below include 8 that start from its capabilities and careers pages, plus general practice for the rounds candidates describe.
Updated
- One office per application. Centerview says applications naming several offices aren't reviewed.
- Open to every major. Including people with little or no exposure to finance.
- Rounds left unpublished. Candidate reports point to a technical screen first and a superday of 5 to 6 interviews.
What Centerview says it looks for
From its careers and about pages:
Curiosity and diligence
Its initial training is built for people with high levels of intellectual curiosity and diligence, to give them a solid foundation in practical finance.
Passion and drive
Centerview says finance can be taught to anyone with passion and drive, so it is open to people with little or no exposure to the field.
A long-term view
It hopes its analysts will stay, so it says it commits extra resources to give them an experience well beyond a traditional two-year program.
Collaboration
Its culture, it says, prioritizes collaboration and inclusion and puts a premium on long-term talent development.
From Centerview's careers page, its about page and its capabilities page.
How hiring at Centerview works
From Centerview's careers page.
Who it hires, how to apply, what happens next
Who
Juniors, analysts and associates
A summer internship for college juniors and full-time analysts who start after graduation. Summer and full-time associates come from business schools.
Where from
Campuses and beyond
It recruits formally on a number of campuses and informally from a broad range of schools, and also hires full-time analysts from the market.
Apply
One form, one office
Your name and contact details, your resume, a category such as summer internship and one office. It asks you not to email several people at the firm.
Then
It reaches out
If your resume meets its current needs, Centerview gets in touch. If not, it keeps the resume on file.
Centerview does not publish its interview stages. Candidates report a 30-minute technical screen first, then a first round of two 30-minute interviews. Their superday accounts describe 5 to 6 interviews of about 30 minutes, with one finance technical and the others mixing brainteasers, market sizing, situational and behavioral questions.
14 questions to practice for Centerview
Centerview's capabilities and careers pages supply the first eight. The six after them are general practice for the technical and problem-solving rounds candidates describe.
Questions drawn from Centerview's own pages8 questions
Centerview didn't write these. They start from what its site says about its work and its people.
Why Centerview, an independent firm founded in 2006?
What a strong answer does
Centerview's careers page says it hopes analysts stay well beyond the usual two-year program. Interviewers may test whether you have thought about that, so be honest about how long you picture yourself in banking. Try this one out loud
Centerview is an independent bank. Why do M&A advisory there rather than at a bulge bracket that can lead with financing?
What a strong answer does
Centerview says it also advises clients between deals, as a sounding board on strategic, financial and operational issues. Think about what an analyst learns from advice that runs past the transaction, and build your reason on that. Try this one out loud
Centerview calls itself an entrepreneurial firm, with offices in New York, London, Paris, Menlo Park and San Francisco. How would you thrive there?
What a strong answer does
Its careers page mentions room to advance rapidly and events on topics from geopolitics to art, meant to build balanced, worldly professionals. An interest outside finance that you pursued on your own fits that picture and gives the interviewer something to ask about. Try this one out loud
Centerview's initial training builds a foundation in practical finance. Which practical finance skill do you most want to learn in your first year?
What a strong answer does
Centerview describes initial training as a start, followed by learning on deal teams and continuing programs. A skill only a live deal can teach, like reading how a client reacts to a page, shows you understand that split. Try this one out loud
Without naming names, what is one thing a Centerview banker told you that convinced you to apply?
What a strong answer does
Centerview asks applicants not to send unsolicited emails to several people at the firm, so say how the conversation came about, such as a campus event or an introduction. Your interviewer may know the person, so keep what you repeat accurate. Try this one out loud
Centerview advises special committees and companies facing shareholder activism. Which of those situations interests you more, and why?
What a strong answer does
The capabilities page groups these with takeover defense, fairness opinions, management buyouts and dual-class structures under Independent Board Advice. Mentioning one of those related assignments shows you read past the headline. Try this one out loud
Why Centerview's Restructuring & Recapitalization group, with its capital structure and liability management work, over its Strategic Advisory practice?
What a strong answer does
Centerview says the group advises companies, boards, shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders. Say which side of the table you would want to learn from first, since the questions an analyst answers differ on each. Try this one out loud
Centerview's Capital Advisory team works on capital structures across debt, equity and hybrid products. Why does that work appeal to you?
What a strong answer does
The team's list runs past raising money into capital allocation, such as dividend policy and share repurchases. A view on when a company should return cash instead of raising it shows range beyond financing. Try this one out loud
General technicals and problem solving6 questions
General practice, not Centerview's own questions. Candidates describe one finance technical interview plus brainteasers and market sizing.
Walk me through a merger model.
What a strong answer does
Combine the two income statements, adjust for financing, synergies and new D&A, then compare pro forma EPS with the buyer's standalone EPS. Know which input moves it most. Try this one out loud
- “How does the mix of cash and stock change the result?”
- “Where do transaction fees go?”
How would you value a company?
What a strong answer does
Comps, precedents and a DCF all belong in the answer. What the interviewer listens for is which one you would trust for this company, and why. Try this one out loud
- “Which method usually gives the highest value?”
- “How would you value a company with no profits?”
When would you not use a DCF?
What a strong answer does
When cash flows can't be forecast with any confidence, as with an early-stage company, or when a business is valued on its book, as with a bank. Say what you would use instead. Try this one out loud
- “How would you value a bank?”
- “What about a company in distress?”
Can enterprise value be negative?
What a strong answer does
Yes, when cash is larger than the market value of equity plus debt. Say what the market is signaling about the business when that happens. Try this one out loud
- “Would you buy that company?”
- “Can equity value be negative?”
A company has $100m of EBITDA. How much debt can it support?
What a strong answer does
Lenders think in leverage multiples and interest coverage. At 4x that is $400m, and a cyclical business would push you lower. Try this one out loud
- “Which covenant would you watch?”
- “What happens to that number in a downturn?”
How many gas stations are there in the US?
What a strong answer does
Cars on the road and how often each one fills up make a clean anchor. The check at the end matters as much as the math, so compare your answer with something you already know. Try this one out loud
- “Which assumption would you check first?”
- “How would the answer change in ten years?”
What Centerview does, in its own words
From its capabilities and careers pages. Knowing these lets you answer group questions without guessing.
Strategic AdvisoryDeals and advice between them
Mergers, acquisitions, sales, spinoffs, divestitures and cross-border deals. It also advises clients while they run their existing businesses.
Centerview: capabilitiesSpecial committeesAdvice to independent directors
Centerview calls itself the leading advisor to independent directors and special committees, and says it has advised on more large-scale special committee deals than any other advisor in recent years.
Centerview: capabilitiesShareholder activismDefense as core work
It says it does not treat defense like a product. The same board practice covers takeover defense, fairness opinions, management buyouts and dual-class structures.
Centerview: capabilitiesRestructuring & RecapitalizationCompanies, boards and creditors
Capital structure evaluation, liability management, debt capacity and valuation, exchange and tender offers, out-of-court recapitalizations and Chapter 11 cases.
Centerview: capabilitiesCapital AdvisoryDebt, equity and hybrids
Loans, private credit and bonds, convertibles and preferred equity, IPO advice, spin-offs, dividend policy, share repurchases and advice to governments.
Centerview: capabilitiesPlace to workVault #1, seven years
Centerview says it has been voted the top investment bank to work for in Vault.com's annual survey seven years in a row.
Centerview: careersRehearse the technical screen, and the superday after it
Soreno's AI interviewer runs technical and fit questions, asks a follow-up on each answer and scores it. Free for 7 days.
Questions people ask
How many interview rounds does Centerview have?
Centerview doesn't say. Candidates report a 30-minute technical screen and a first round of two 30-minute interviews, followed by a superday of 5 to 6 interviews.
How do I apply to Centerview?
Through the form on its careers page, with your contact details, resume, a category and one office. Centerview says applications for several offices will not be reviewed, and asks you not to send unsolicited emails to several people at the firm.
What does Centerview say about its Vault ranking?
Its careers page says Centerview has been voted the top investment bank to work for in Vault.com's annual survey seven years in a row. That is the firm's own claim.
Can I get a Centerview offer without a finance background?
Centerview says it is open to candidates from all schools and academic disciplines, including those with limited or no exposure to finance.
Does Centerview recruit from non-target schools?
It recruits formally on a number of campuses and informally from a broad range of schools, for both summer and full-time analyst roles.