What are your greatest strengths?

I'd pick two, and I've chosen them because they're what a first-year analyst gets judged on. The first is that I check numbers until they tie. I was treasurer of my university's rowing club for two years, with a budget of about $60,000. When I took over, the bank balance and the club's spreadsheet were $3,400 apart. I went through the statements and found the error. The second is that I take feedback fast and don't need it twice. In my internship last summer at a mid-size lender, my first credit memo came back from my manager with 31 comments. My later memos needed far fewer changes. I think those two matter here because an analyst's work gets checked by people with very little time to check it. I'd bring both of those to this job.

I'd pick two, and I've chosen them because they're what a first-year analyst gets judged on. The first is that I check numbers until they tie. I was treasurer of my university's rowing club for two years, with a budget of about $60,000. When I took over, the bank balance and the club's spreadsheet were $3,400 apart. The treasurer before me had carried the gap forward as a balancing line. I went through 14 months of statements one line at a time and found the club had paid the same regatta entry fees twice. I got $2,900 of it refunded, and after that I matched the books to the bank every month. The second is that I take feedback fast and don't need it twice. In my internship last summer at a mid-size lender, my first credit memo came back from my manager with 31 comments. I sorted them that night and saw that most came from the same three habits, like putting the conclusion on page two. I wrote those three on a card and checked every draft against it before I sent it. My fourth memo came back with four comments. I think those two matter here because an analyst's work gets checked by people with very little time to check it. If my numbers tie and I make each mistake once, the associate above me gets hours back. What I wouldn't call a strength yet is speed. I'm careful first and fast second, and this job needs both, so that's what I'd work on.