Interview difficulty in financial firms is a significant concern for aspiring professionals. As these establishments manage trillions of dollars, influence international trade, and shape capital markets, the real challenge for many candidates lies not in market fluctuations but in navigating the interview process.
An analysis by BestBrokers, leveraging data from Glassdoor, investigates the complexities of landing jobs in major publicly traded financial companies. This study evaluates average interview difficulty (rated on a 1-5 scale), candidate sentiments, and overall contentment, highlighting stark variations among banks, insurance companies, fund managers, and exchanges.
Highlights
Where Interviews Are Most Challenging
- Progressive Corporation
- Goldman Sachs
- Morgan Stanley
- Blackstone Inc.
- Ares Management
At the forefront of the difficulty scale is the US insurer Progressive, which achieves a score of 3.2/5. This rating reflects a combination of technical tests and assessments of cultural compatibility. Leading investment banks and alternative asset management firms such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, and Ares Management also rank among the most challenging, with their interview processes focusing heavily on analytical rigor, market knowledge, and case study problem-solving, even for roles that are not client-facing.
Intensity vs. Satisfaction: B3 Compared to HSBC
Brazil’s primary stock exchange, B3 (Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo), records a difficulty score of 3.0/5 alongside an impressive satisfaction rating of 73%. Many reviews note the structured evaluation process and clear communication, indicating that a transparent approach can mitigate the pressures of intensive assessments.
HSBC comes second in satisfaction ratings among firms that are tougher to enter, achieving 54%. Candidates appreciate the organised HR coordination and technical phases, which keep them informed at every stage of the process.
Payments and Cryptocurrency: A Discrepancy in Candidate Experience
- Mastercard
- Visa Inc.
- Coinbase
Global payment providers Mastercard and Visa showcase how the intensity of interviews may not always align with candidate experiences. Mastercard ranks with a difficulty score of 3.0/5, indicating a demanding assessment process. Visa, slightly behind at 2.9/5, records one of the lowest satisfaction scores in the dataset at 26%, with reviews highlighting insufficient feedback and sporadic interview rounds.
Coinbase contrasts this even more significantly; it holds a 3.0/5 difficulty rating, marking it as one of the toughest firms to interview for, but also displays the lowest satisfaction score at a mere 6%. Feedback often mentions multi-stage interviews and a lack of communication.
The Unexpected: Simpler Hiring Processes at Large Corporations
- Berkshire Hathaway
- AIA Group
- Ping An Insurance
Not all prominent financial institutions adopt high-pressure hiring tactics. Berkshire Hathaway has the lowest difficulty rating among mega-cap firms at 2.3/5. Glassdoor reviews describe conversational interviews focusing on candidates’ experiences and fit within the company.
Hong Kong’s AIA and China’s Ping An Insurance follow closely with scores of 2.6/5. Their interview formats seem to emphasise core competencies and interpersonal abilities rather than overwhelming technical challenges.
Structured, Selective, Yet Positive
- Amundi
- HDFC Bank
- Royal Bank of Canada
- Bank of America
- Zurich Insurance Group
- AXA
- Singapore Exchange
- Bank of China
- Agricultural Bank of China
French asset management firm Amundi pairs moderate difficulty at 2.7/5 with a solid satisfaction score of 69%, illustrating how clear communication and well-structured assessment stages can contribute to a positive experience.
HDFC Bank from India also achieves high satisfaction at 62%, alongside moderate difficulty. Reviewers often mention a clear structured recruitment, HR screening, and role-specific interviews.
The Royal Bank of Canada achieves a satisfaction score of 60%, with interview processes regarded as smooth and straightforward. Both Bank of America (56%) and Zurich Insurance Group (54%) also illustrate that structured interviews paired with supportive interviewers can enhance candidate perception, even when technical inquiries are involved. AXA and the Singapore Exchange reflect a similar trend of moderate selectivity paired with clear expectations.
In contrast, China’s Bank of China and Agricultural Bank of China show moderate difficulty scores (2.7/5) but lower satisfaction ratings of 37-42%. This suggests that the clarity of feedback and engagement with candidates, beyond just assessment intensity, significantly influence perceptions.
BestBrokers’ report uses data from CompaniesMarketCap to identify the largest publicly traded financial entities in banking, insurance, asset management, and exchanges. The analysis includes only companies that have received over 30 reviews on Glassdoor. The interview difficulty scores are sourced directly from Glassdoor (on a scale of 1 to 5), while the satisfaction ratings represent the net difference between positive and negative experiences reported. This data remains current as of February 24, 2025.
