How to answer Deutsche Bank interview questions for graduate roles

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The Deutsche Bank recruitment process for graduate roles includes a pre-recorded video interview; to complete, you must record and then upload your responses. You should also expect at least one further interview at Deutsche Bank’s assessment centre.

Below we provide some examples of possible Deutsche Bank interview questions, based on what past candidates have reported and what we have gleaned from our knowledge of the bank. At the end of the article, you’ll find a useful set of links to follow-on advice that, combined with this guide, will ensure you’re fully prepared for your Deutsche Bank interview.

Deutsche Bank interview questions

There’s no guarantee that the bank will ask these previously asked questions, but you can use them as a starting point to prepare for your interviews. It’s also advisable that you think about other questions that you could be asked (about your skills, CV and understanding of the job role and industry) and how best to answer them.

• Why do you want to work for Deutsche Bank ?
• Tell me about one instance where you provided a service to the client but the client was unhappy .
• What happened in the X market yesterday ?
• What is the banking/trading outlook for this year ?
• What is one thing not on your application that we should know about ?
• Tell me about a recent piece of news involving Deutsche Bank that has interested you .
• What have you done in the past that makes you suitable for this role ?

Deutsche Bank interview question: ‘Why do you want to work for Deutsche Bank?’

How to answer: At first glance different investment banks can appear very similar, but one way to tell them apart and explain why you have applied to Deutsche Bank is to understand the culture of each bank. One possible approach when answering this interview question is to specify something that differentiates Deutsche Bank from its competitors and is relevant to the job that you’ll be doing. How, for example, does working on the trading floor at Deutsche Bank differ from working on the trading floor at one of its competitors?

Potential follow-up questions: Why do you want to work in this division? Why have you chosen the role you are applying for?

Read our article on answering ‘ Why are you interested in this position? ’ for a complete grounding in knowing how to approach ‘Why?’ interview questions.

Deutsche Bank interview question: ‘Tell me about one instance where you provided a service to the client but the client was unhappy.’

How to answer: Deutsche Bank’s interviewers have also been known to ask, ‘Tell me about a time when you failed’. Let’s deal with that first as there is some overlap between that and the question above. Your approach should include what you learned or what you would do differently given the chance. Failure is expected – you can learn a lot from having done something incorrectly the first time.

Show that the failure helped you to develop; focus on the skills you’ve improved since that time. For example, if you failed to complete a project before the deadline, how have you improved your time management skills since then?

Now the difference between that and the question about the unhappy client is that it involves a customer who might be angry, sad, personally disappointed or upset on behalf of another, and you may have done nothing wrong. But of course a repeated failure with a client is not wanted or expected.

You’ll need to identify not only the source of the upset but its precise emotional content and state how you dealt with that. It’s also good to acknowledge how you felt about the situation and how you dealt with that, particularly if you felt that the complaint was unfair.

Next, the bank will want to know how you separated emotion from fact and got to the bottom of the problem, and what you did about it. Finally, what was the outcome?

Potential follow-up questions: Tell me about a time when you have exceeded expectations. Tell me about a time when you used your own creativity to solve a problem.

Deutsche Bank interview question: ‘What happened in the X market yesterday?’

How to answer: One of the trickier commercial awareness questions, this shows just how up-to-date your knowledge of financial markets needs to be.

‘X’ represents whatever markets are most applicable to the post to which you have applied. If you claim to know about the division you’re applying to, you should at the very least be aware of the markets it operates in.

Your answer should be direct, but not so concise that you fail to express the reasons behind the movements in the markets. Do you understand the factors that affect the markets? Only the best candidates will cover this in their answer.

Potential follow-up questions: Why are these issues important for Deutsche Bank to be aware of? What are some of the more important/newsworthy deals we have just closed?

Deutsche Bank interview question: ‘What is the banking/trading outlook for this year?’

How to answer: This is another commercial awareness question, but asks you to take a broader look and think about how political developments and social issues in the wider world could affect the financial world. (Note: consider factors outside of the UK as well as within it.)

Potential follow-up question: How should our division respond to the outlook?

A quick segue into the importance of commercial awareness when applying to Deutsche Bank…

Some graduates have reported facing up to four separate rounds of interviews at Deutsche Bank – with the final round (at the assessment centre) containing up to four individual interviews.

It’s especially important, then, that you keep yourself up to date with current affairs in the industry – particularly with the stories that affect the department you’re applying to – throughout the whole time that you’re applying to the bank.

Head to our article on impressing banking recruiters with your commercial awareness to fully prepare for commercial questions before your Deutsche Bank interview.

…Deutsche Bank interview questions continued: ‘What is one thing not on your application that we should know about?’

How to answer: The first thing is not to panic, although the Deutsche Bank recruiters may be testing to see how you react to a leading question.

This is a great opportunity to reveal a pleasant surprise, and one which has a bearing upon your selection for the role. One strategy is to reveal a few more personal details about something you’ve already told them. For instance, perhaps they know you’ve excelled in a hobby or some aspect of study but not that you’ve succeeded despite a hardship or difficulty.

Or there’s the brand-new revelation. Perhaps it’s your life’s ambition to visit all the major capital cities of the world in the next few years, and that’s a sign of your global outlook. Say more: what is it about travel that broadens your horizons? What have you learned by being ‘globalist’?

Potential follow-up question: Why did you omit this information from your application?

Deutsche Bank interview question: ‘Tell me about a recent piece of news involving Deutsche Bank that has interested you.’

How to answer: ‘Most recent’ does not necessarily equate to ‘best’. Recent news is relative to the world in which it operates – a recent deal could be in the last week or it could be in the last three months; it all depends on the context in which you present it.

Whatever news you reference – a recent merger, a press release from Deutsche Bank and so on – you should be able to show that you researched this in more detail before coming to your interview. Don’t just regurgitate what you hear in the news; it’s better to give your own analysis of the situation. Make it relevant to the division that you’ve applied to. If you talk about a tax issue when you’re applying for a role in the risk department, things might look a little odd.

Potential follow-up question: How would you use this information in your daily working life?

Deutsche Bank interview question: ‘What have you done in the past that makes you suitable for this role?’

How to answer: Once again, this is all about keeping things relevant. Tie in your knowledge of the specifics of the graduate role and match it up with examples from your past. Ideally, you’ll be able to show knowledge of the markets and, at least, a little bit of experience in the tasks that you’ll be doing as part of your job.

In addition to the factual details, you should also be able to emphasise aspects of your character that make you stand out. Show that your attitude and values will fit in with Deutsche Bank and with the division you’ll be working in.

What kind of traders does Deutsche Bank want? Do you need to show a level of patience in your role within operations? Will an inquisitive mind help you in your role? You should be asking yourself these questions, and more, if you wish to be properly prepared for this question.

Potential follow-up questions: What skills are vital for the role? How do you see your career developing in the future?

Deutsche Bank interview question help for technical roles

If you’re applying for a technical graduate role at Deutsche Bank, such as the technology, data and innovation stream of the graduate analyst programme, be prepared for curveball technical questions based on the projects mentioned in your CV. Our research of anonymous employer survey websites found that several graduates who’d applied to this stream were asked about specific aspects of their projects. In one such example, a graduate was asked about the system design implemented in one of their projects.

It’s wise, therefore, to ensure you know the details of the projects that you include in your CV, and to have examples prepared before your Deutsche Bank interview of why you approached projects in the way that you did.

A final helping hand from targetjobs

Check out the following articles to further prepare for an interview with Deutsche Bank. We’ve also included a guide to investment and banking assessment centres for you to get a head start.

And don’t forget to create your targetjobs account . This will give you the best of what targetjobs has to offer in the way of tailored careers advice based on your specific career interests. So don’t miss out!