What makes Morgan Stanley different from others in the financial services industry?
The hiring managers at Morgan Stanley want you to outline what you believe is the firm's unique selling point. The goal of your response is to show the decision-makers that you have researched the organization and that you are excited about what differentiates Morgan Stanley from other potential employers in the financial services and investments industry.
Before your interview, take some time to learn more about Morgan Stanley's business principles, values, mission, and goals. These statements and principles will outline for you what makes the firm unique. You can also visit the news page or resources page from the company's website to read more about what efforts the firm has been recognized for recently or any awards the company has received.
How you answer this question will speak directly to how well you have researched Morgan Stanley before completing your HireVue interview. Take a look at the company website and its news section. You can also check out Google and see if Morgan Stanley is trending on any recent industry topics.
When speaking about what makes Morgan Stanley different from its competitors, you do not need to go into a significant amount of detail on the information that you find. Give enough information to show the hiring managers that you pay attention to the organization's accomplishments and understand what sets the firm apart from its competition.
The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the HireVue parameters set by Morgan Stanley, the asynchronous interview platform will generally give you 30 seconds to prepare a response and up to 2 minutes to answer each question. It's important to note that HireVue stops recording as soon as your time limit is up, so it's better to run under time than overtime.
"While preparing for this interview, I saw a report from Market Watch stating that Morgan Stanley has been more accurate in its market forecasts than most of its competitors this year. The market has been turbulent, and it's exceptional to see that Morgan Stanley has remained a trusted voice in this space regardless of volatile swings in the market. This example is just one of many that sets Morgan Stanley apart from its competitors and why I am eager to join this renowned financial organization."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
The most “comparable” competitor in size and line of business is Goldman Sachs. Morgan Stanley has a more balanced approach to risk, with private wealth and asset management representing the largest source of income ahead of more volatile trading and IB, unlike Goldman Sachs, which is being penalized by the market and playing catch up by trying to grow the PWM business. On the other hand, competitors seem to have achieved more diversity in their senior management ranks, particularly when it comes to women and contenders to succeed CEO Gorman when the time comes.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent response! You appear very knowledgeable about the company and where it stands in its competitive landscape. Perfect!
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