AI Has Changed Finance Interviews. Read This To Know If You've Adapted.

It’s application season and I’m doing unlimited CV and cover letter reviews for everyone inside Finance Fast Track.

I’ve had over 400 people join in the last year, secure offers and move on. Don’t leave it to chance. Join today and approach applications with confidence.

Don’t want to read this article? Watch the video instead.

Hey {{first_name}} 👋!

Here’s an uncomfortable question:

If I gave you a random finance and banking topic (specific to the division of your interest) right now, could you speak about it confidently for 60 seconds?

No ChatGPT.

No notes.

No Googling.

Just you.

Because if the answer is no, you probably aren't as interview-ready as you think.

And in 2026, I think this matters more than ever.

A few years ago, knowing more than the average candidate gave you an edge.

You could spend weeks learning:

Today?

Everyone has ChatGPT.

Every candidate can generate a technically correct answer to:

"Why investment banking?"

"Why Goldman Sachs?"

"Walk me through a DCF."

"Tell me about a recent deal."

Information has become commoditised.

But there is still one thing AI can't do for you.

Sit in the interview and deliver the answer.

That's where the advantage has moved.

I've coached candidates who have gone on to secure opportunities across firms including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, hedge funds, private equity firms and other leading financial institutions.

And one of the highest-value things we do together isn't learning more information.

It's mock interviews.

Why?

Because there’s a huge difference between knowing an answer and being able to:

→ Explain it clearly
→ Structure it logically
→ Speak without constantly saying "um"
→ Sound confident without sounding rehearsed
→ Think when you're put under pressure
→ Hold an actual conversation
→ Give your own opinion
→ Maintain good body language

You can spend 20 hours researching investment banking and still completely fall apart when somebody asks:

"So, what actually happens to valuations when interest rates rise?"

That's the problem I wanted to solve.

I recently created a completely free interview practice tool called Interview Spin.

The concept is deliberately simple.

Choose the area you're preparing for.

Hit SPIN.

You'll get a random interview question, company, technical concept or industry topic.

Then you have to talk about it.

Out loud.

For 60 seconds (you can customise this and more in settings).

That's it!

But try it and you'll quickly realise how difficult this actually is.

If you're preparing for investment banking, for example, you might get:

Leveraged Buyout.

Could you explain one confidently for a minute?

Spin again.

Accretion/Dilution Analysis.

Can you explain that?

Spin again.

Bridge Financing.

What about that?

Here’s my attempt:

The goal isn't memorising perfect definitions.

The goal is reaching the point where you can comfortably talk finance.

If you're applying for investment banking, asset management, private equity, sales & trading or another finance role, try this today.

Select your target division.

Spin 10 times.

For every topic, give yourself 60 seconds.

No preparation.

No ChatGPT.

No notes.

If you can comfortably speak about 8–10 of them, you're probably developing a strong foundation.

If you struggle with most of them, that's useful information too.

You've just identified where your preparation needs to improve.

And there's an even harder version.

Interview Spin also has a research mode.

Instead of immediately answering the question:

1. Spin a topic.

2. Give yourself 10–15 minutes to research it.

3. Close your tabs and notes.

4. Explain it for 60–120 seconds.

This trains something incredibly important for finance recruiting:

Turning information into understanding.

Anyone can copy an AI-generated explanation.

But can you research something unfamiliar, understand what actually matters, form an opinion and explain it simply?

That's a much more valuable skill.

This is the part most candidates won't do.

Which is exactly why you should.

Put your phone in front of you and record your answer.

Then watch it back twice.

The first time:

Close your eyes.

Only listen.

Ask yourself:

Then play it again with the sound muted.

Watch your:

It's uncomfortable.

But you'll learn more about your interview technique from 20 minutes of doing this than another evening passively reading interview guides.

"Tell me about yourself."

Or:

"Walk me through your CV."

If I asked you that right now, could you give me a compelling 60–120 second answer?

Most candidates can't.

They give me a chronological list:

"I went to X university... then I joined Y society... then I did Z internship..."

That's not a story.

Instead, I want you to think:

PAST → PIVOTAL MOMENT → ACTION → PRESENT

Where did you start?

What triggered your interest in finance?

What did you do because of that interest?

How did those experiences strengthen or change your interests?

Why has that journey brought you to this specific interview today?

Now your interviewer isn't listening to a list of CV bullet points.

They're following a journey.

And remember:

This is often the first question of the interview.

Your answer can set the tone for everything that follows.

There is a bigger lesson here.

Don't wait until you receive a HireVue invitation to start practising interviews.

Don't wait until Goldman opens applications to research Goldman.

Don't wait until you're completing an application to figure out why you want investment banking.

The strongest candidates (and the ones I see inside FFT most frequently getting 5+ HireVues) prepare before they need to.

So when applications open, they're ready to move.

Their CV is ready.

Their firm research is ready.

Their cover letter template is ready.

Their interview answers are developing.

They've practised the online tests.

They can submit quickly without sacrificing quality.

That's increasingly important in competitive, rolling recruitment processes.

Preparation creates speed.

And speed matters when thousands of other candidates are applying for the same roles.

So here's your task for today:

Go to interviewspin.com.

Choose the division you're targeting.

Spin 10 times.

Record yourself answering every question for 60 seconds.

You'll discover very quickly where your interview preparation actually stands.

If you find it easy. Great!

And if you want more hands-on support, that's exactly what we work on inside Finance Fast Track.

CVs. Cover letters. Applications. Commercial awareness. Interview preparation. Mock interviews. And ultimately turning all that preparation into offers.

Because in the AI era, having access to the right information isn't enough.

Everyone has the information now.

Your advantage is what you can actually do with it.

Peace!

Afzal

P.S. Don't just open Interview Spin, spin once and close it. Do 10 spins today. The topics that make you uncomfortable are probably the exact topics you need to work on.

P.P.S. Whenever you’re ready: