PIMCO Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 526 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Which role are you interviewing for?
30 roles · 526 reportsCandidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at PIMCO.
PIMCO
Account Analyst
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 7 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Technical screen Onsite Background check
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Case Other
So the interview process was like, first there was Hirevue, with 10 questions, mostly behavioral and about finance/macro stuff. Then, a whole month later, came the technical interview, which was super focused on duration, convexity, and how to build a fixed income portfolio. After that, I had a Superday with 5 different rounds, meeting different teams in different places. Oh, and there was also an Excel assessment. The whole thing took about 3.5 months, and I really had to buckle down and study some specific macro economics and fixed income concepts. I heard back with a rejection email about 3 weeks after the Superday.
Confirmed questions0 questions
No confirmed questions were included in this interview report.
PIMCO
Account Associate
Entry Average Negative experience No offer 10 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Technical screen Onsite Presentation Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Presentation
It was a long process. I met over 10 people in total up to the final round. The last interview was with one of the APAC MDs, and it wasn't technical or difficult, just average questions. Throughout the process, I met many Sales Directors who were always asking me to ask them questions. One time, the Head of Sales started the interview by asking 'is there anything you wanna ask?'. So, be sure to prepare a lot of insightful questions that will make you stand out.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- What is your projection for the US economy over the next three months?
- What questions do you have for me?
PIMCO
Portfolio Compliance Associate
Entry Easy Negative experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Take home
Interview formats
Technical
The first step was an Excel Assessment. I was told I had reached the first phase on Wednesday morning and asked to do a 1-hour Excel Assessment on Thursday morning during a specific time slot. I didn't get the assessment at my requested time, so I contacted PIMCO. The assessment was sent at 7:10 AM with the due date still at 8 AM. The assessment itself was easy, with basic Excel, vlookup, and some interest rate/bond questions. However, PIMCO was not on time and didn't admit their mistakes. I decided to withdraw my application and didn't finish the assessment. It also didn't make sense that they had UK campus recruiters for a US-based interview class. Bottom line: they lacked timeliness and couldn't admit errors. I withdrew my application without finishing the assessment.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Could you answer some basic questions about Vlookup and other functions?
- Can you answer some questions about portfolio compliance, such as the percentage an ETF can hold of something?
PIMCO
Intern
Intern Average Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Onsite
Interview formats
Case Technical Coding
The HR team will share interviewer backgrounds which is super helpful. Everyone there is really nice and the company vibe is great. The interviews are pretty standard and not too tough. Just be confident, they are looking for candidates who are good all-around, balancing great communication with strong technical abilities.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- case study questions
- probability and statistics questions
- data structure questions
PIMCO Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from PIMCO interview reports.
“What would be the impact on the real estate industry if the Federal Reserve started trying to combat inflation?”
Read reports →“What strategies can be used to insure against the potential default of a bond?”
Read reports →“If interest rates increase by 50 bps, how would a portfolio of xxxx bonds react?”
Read reports →“Given the current strong debate, do you think the US faces a risk of long-term inflation, or will it be a temporary issue?”
Read reports →“What are the risks of (some) index that I'd never heard of so I didn't even know what the products that trade in it were so I didn't know how to evaluate risk”
Read report →“In the event that interest rates fall short of market expectations, how would we adjust duration risk?”
Read report →“Can you explain what the x and y axis represent on the yield curve?”
Read report →“Explain trading strategies: bond futures basis - how do you identify the ctd bond (and: highest implied repo rate) and explain the connection to the funding mkts”
Read report →“In the event that interest rates exceed market expectations, how would we adjust duration risk?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 526 PIMCO interview reports.