KfW Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 66 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Which role are you interviewing for?
16 roles · 66 reportsCandidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at KfW.
KfW
Working Student
Intern Average Positive experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
The atmosphere was very relaxed. The applicants were open to all types of questions. You could answer all questions. No technical questions were asked. The applicants focused on my abilities, especially social skills, to check if I could be quickly integrated into the group.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- How would you distribute tasks if the scope of work cannot be completed within the given timeframe?
- Tell me about your resume.
- What experience have you gained in this role?
KfW
Database Developer
Mid Average Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Panel
Interview formats
Technical Coding
Got a quick response to my application. In total, there were 3 interviews with KfW, spaced about 3-4 weeks apart. The first two interviews were only with subject matter experts who asked technical questions that I could answer well. The last interview included a recruiter who was friendly. Unfortunately, after the last interview, I received a rejection because another candidate apparently fit better. I can't say if that's true, but it felt a bit like an excuse. Overall, though, the application process was appreciative and pleasant.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Given a relational data model, write an SQL command to select and group revenues across different business years.
KfW
Rating Specialist
Mid Difficult Neutral experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral Presentation
The interview was about 90 minutes long and involved 5 people (1 HR, 1 working student, 3 analysts/team leads). However, it was mostly dominated by the HR representative, without much personal interaction with the actual team leads. This was mainly due to the question list, which left little time for other topics. Attempts to steer the conversation towards a more open discussion about the new job and overlaps with my current role were apparently blocked to get back on track. I found it particularly unfortunate that abstract, sometimes clichéd personality questions came up so often. I'll show examples in the 'Questions' section. There were technical questions, as expected, even difficult ones, but I felt they took a backseat, and I mostly spoke with HR instead of the actual employees. In the end, I probably only exchanged a few words with them.
Confirmed questions4 questions
- You were presented with the financial statements (balance sheet, P&L, cash flow, risk report ratios, capitalization ratios) of an anonymized Italian bank. You had to analyze them within 10 minutes and tell the team as much as possible about them. You were explicitly asked for your guess about the business model and the assessment of the bank's risk situation. Afterwards, you found out it was 'Intesa Sanpaolo'. No hints about the products sold or contextual information were given, other than it being an Italian bank.
- You were given three words, and you had 1 minute to tell the team what came to your mind for each. One of these was the topic 'low interest rate environment'.
- Do you know about the current situation of Commerzbank (takeover by UniCredit)? My knowledge of current topics in the banking world was apparently tested here. So I can only advise everyone to look at current news about current movements in the banking market beforehand.
KfW
Intern
Intern Difficult Positive experience Accept offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Presentation Technical screen Group Panel
Interview formats
Presentation Technical Case Behavioral Group
The interview at KfW includes a self-presentation, technical questions about IT development, practical case studies, questions about motivation and teamwork, and finally a Q&A session for the applicant. Technical and situational questions are often asked, particularly concerning IT topics, project experience, and problem-solving.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Could you introduce yourself? And why are you interested in working at KfW? What led you to choose this specific field or role?
- Tell me about yourself. What makes you want to join KfW? What was your reasoning for selecting this particular area or position?
KfW Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from KfW interview reports.
“How many tennis balls fit in an airplane?”
Read reports →“Given a relational data model, write an SQL command to select and group revenues across different business years.”
Read reports →“Can you explain how the credit crisis in the US originated?”
Read reports →“What indicators do you know that influence a bank's creditworthiness?”
Read reports →“What information do you have about KfW?”
Read report →“Did you ever hear of NIST?”
Read report →“What kinds of initiatives do you believe are worthy of support in fragile states?”
Read report →“Do you know about the current situation of Commerzbank (takeover by UniCredit)? My knowledge of current topics in the banking world was apparently tested here. So I can only advise everyone to look at current news about current movements in the banking market beforehand.”
Read report →“Could you outline the steps you would take to perform a financial analysis on a company in the power generation sector?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 66 KfW interview reports.