Santander Financial Analyst Interview Questions
& Process

First interview was over the phone where I had to show my sales knowledge. Then I had an in-person interview with the bank manager. They asked about my past experiences and what I thought made me qualified for the bank teller position. There was a strong emphasis on sales skills and customer satisfaction. I personally thought it was too demanding for a bank teller position.

First there was a get-to-know-you chat for about 30 minutes, where they asked me to introduce myself and talk about my studies, and they explained the role. HR and the area manager were there. Then, I had to do an online behavioral assessment. The second interview was about an hour long. First, they reviewed the test results and gave me a chance to comment on them, referencing past experiences. Then came the technical part with questions on interpreting financial statements and a set of ratios, plus a reclassification exercise.

The interview process began with a screening call from an HR Recruiter to discuss my background, career goals, reasons for leaving my current job, preferred work environment, and salary expectations. I mentioned a salary range of $110K-$115K, which she confirmed was within the role's budget, so we proceeded. The first round was a video interview with the hiring manager, which lasted about an hour instead of the scheduled 30 minutes and was a positive experience. They inquired about my FP&A experience, my reasons for leaving my previous job, specific instances of handling difficult colleagues, and how I led a project. The manager highlighted the company's ambition and growth opportunities and asked about cyclical vs. project-based work and essential skills. We also discussed continuing education, and I expressed interest in pursuing the CFA if the company supported it. Next, I interviewed with someone senior to the hiring manager who had previously held that position. This interview also went well, focusing more on behavioral questions and requiring specific examples rather than general knowledge. A week later, the initial recruiter contacted me, stating I was the top candidate and that an offer was forthcoming. However, when she presented the offer the next day, it was $95K, significantly lower than our initial discussion. When I pointed out the discrepancy, she cited market rate, internal equity, and my experience (despite my 9 years of experience and MBA compared to the 3+ years and Bachelor's requirement). Although I expressed enthusiasm for the role but not the offer, and she offered a chance to counter, their final offer remained $95K. I informed her that if $95K was the maximum, I wouldn't have proceeded with the interviews, feeling it was a bait-and-switch. She claimed my openness to negotiation implied willingness to accept a much lower salary. I found their rigid stance on salary disappointing for a large bank and decided against pursuing the offer further.