State Street Mock Interview

Practice 31 State Street interview questions covering custody operations, fund accounting, and financial services expertise.

Question 1 of 31

Give me an example of a time that you had to solve a problem without having all of the necessary information at hand to do so. How did you handle that situation?

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Ryan Brunner

Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.

For this question, your interviewer is looking to test your ability to be analytical and resourceful in a specific situation where you had to dig further to solve a problem. Prior to your interview, try to think of a time in the past where you encountered this specific situation and talk through it by laying out the problem and walking through the step-by-step approach you took to solve it. Be as detailed you can as you explain how you sought to solve the problem. Your interviewer will be relying on these details to see how you will perform on the job with State Street.

Many positions at State Street will require you to work independently without having all the details you need. Senior-level leadership isn't there to hold your hand through a project, so make sure your interviewer knows that you can do your job well, even if you're missing a few of the puzzle pieces.

Ryan Brunner

Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.

"Back when I first joined my current organization, I was taking a role that had been vacant for many months, and I had to start with a backlog of work along with the regular daily activities. This customer service role included logging daily visitors and calls, and the interim rep only kept brief notes. After taking the time to walk through training and soon running on my own, I realized that the current workload wouldn't allow me to catch up on the backlog of work that had been missed. While I had ideas of how to play catch up on the work, I approached my supervisor with a few ideas, and we settled on having me log hours from home on our system as overtime to get caught up. I worked with our IT staff on getting set up on our network from home and was more than willing to help out with some extra hours."

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Jaymie

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Anonymous Answer

In my most recent role at ROI Communications, I was dealing with a client that needed internet access on a construction site and was very impatient and difficult to deal with. We had discovered that for them to get access, a local provider would have needed to do a bit of construction to make the connection possible and it was going to take a week or two. Upon hearing this I knew the client was going to be furious. I am a big believer in utilizing the resources around me when I cannot directly provide a solution, so in this case, I managed to reach out to a provider that focuses on wireless connections and make amends with the client in the meantime while their permanent connection was built.

Marcie's Feedback

Wow! This was a great way to handle this situation. By reaching out to the wireless provider, you showed that you can be incredibly resourceful if needed. This example also emphasizes your ability to successfully handle a disgruntled customer. Excellent!

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31State Street Interview Questions & Answers

Problem Solving

1.Give me an example of a time that you had to solve a problem without having all of the necessary information at hand to do so. How did you handle that situation?

Customer Service

2.Give an example of a time that you had to resolve a difficult situation with a client or customer. What were the keys to coming to a successful solution?

Direct

3.This position at State Street has generated a lot of interest from applicants. What do you feel is the one quality that sets you apart from others we are speaking with about this position?

Direct

4.What is the most attractive thing in your eyes about this role with State Street?

Problem Solving

5.Talk to me about a challenging situation you had to handle on the job that involved another colleague. How did you handle that situation?

Customer Service

6.If you were having an interaction with a client here at State Street, and you weren't able to answer their question or solve their problem on your own, how would you handle that situation?

Career Goals

7.We are looking for the most motivated individuals to join the team here at State Street. Where would you like your career to take you in the next five to ten years?

Customer Service

8.At State Street, our clients are the lifeblood of our business, and we do everything in our power to make them happy. What does the term customer service mean to you in your work?

Customer Service

9.Our clients here at State Street expect top-tier service and products, and we will expect you to provide that in this role. Have you ever went the extra mile for a client when it wasn't expected? Why did you do so?

Technical

10.At State Street, we expect our team members to take risk management principles into account. How have you performed risk mitigation and risk avoidance in your previous roles?

Adaptability

11.If hired to this role here at State Street, what do you see as one initial hurdle you will have to overcome in your first weeks on the job?

Adaptability

12.How long will it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our team at State Street?

Ask The Interviewer

13.Do you have any questions about this job or working for State Street?

Problem SOlving

14.How do you react to setbacks in the market?

Problem Solving

15.Tell me about a time you faced uncertainty. How did you handle it?

Experience

16.Tell me about a time where you had to analyze information in order to make a recommendation.

Communication

17.Discuss how you approach explaining complex ideas in simple terms.

Communication

18.Do you have experience preparing and delivering presentations?

Technical

19.In this role with State Street, you will be expected to be the expert on changes in financial regulations that impact our business. How do you keep yourself up to speed on these changes currently?

Competency

20.Analytical skills are critical to success in this role at State Street. In which ways are you analytically-minded?

Direct

21.What are the top 3 skills you have acquired in your last role?

Customer Service

22.The clients of a financial firm like State Street can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our client-facing teams. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?

Direct

23.What is your greatest strength as a finance professional?

Direct

24.What is your greatest weakness as a finance professional?

Direct

25.How do you believe your coworkers would describe you?

Technical

26.What software programs do you use in your current work and how adaptable would you say that you are in learning and using new programs?

Discovery

27.The day-to-day life at State Street can be hectic and stressful at times. If hired for this role, how would you keep yourself motivated when working with stressed colleagues and pushy clients?

Leadership

28.Here at State Street, we are expecting someone with strong leadership skills to take this role. How would you describe your management style?

Direct

29.Tell me what you know about State Street.

Leadership

30.Tell me about a time you had to deal with adversity while in a leadership position.

Salary

State Street Mock Interview

Give me an example of a time that you had to solve a problem without having all of the necessary information at hand to do so. How did you handle that situation?

31State Street Interview Questions & Answers

1.Give me an example of a time that you had to solve a problem without having all of the necessary information at hand to do so. How did you handle that situation?

2.Give an example of a time that you had to resolve a difficult situation with a client or customer. What were the keys to coming to a successful solution?

3.This position at State Street has generated a lot of interest from applicants. What do you feel is the one quality that sets you apart from others we are speaking with about this position?

4.What is the most attractive thing in your eyes about this role with State Street?

5.Talk to me about a challenging situation you had to handle on the job that involved another colleague. How did you handle that situation?

6.If you were having an interaction with a client here at State Street, and you weren't able to answer their question or solve their problem on your own, how would you handle that situation?

7.We are looking for the most motivated individuals to join the team here at State Street. Where would you like your career to take you in the next five to ten years?

8.At State Street, our clients are the lifeblood of our business, and we do everything in our power to make them happy. What does the term customer service mean to you in your work?

9.Our clients here at State Street expect top-tier service and products, and we will expect you to provide that in this role. Have you ever went the extra mile for a client when it wasn't expected? Why did you do so?

10.At State Street, we expect our team members to take risk management principles into account. How have you performed risk mitigation and risk avoidance in your previous roles?

11.If hired to this role here at State Street, what do you see as one initial hurdle you will have to overcome in your first weeks on the job?

12.How long will it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our team at State Street?

13.Do you have any questions about this job or working for State Street?

14.How do you react to setbacks in the market?

15.Tell me about a time you faced uncertainty. How did you handle it?

16.Tell me about a time where you had to analyze information in order to make a recommendation.

17.Discuss how you approach explaining complex ideas in simple terms.

18.Do you have experience preparing and delivering presentations?

19.In this role with State Street, you will be expected to be the expert on changes in financial regulations that impact our business. How do you keep yourself up to speed on these changes currently?

20.Analytical skills are critical to success in this role at State Street. In which ways are you analytically-minded?

21.What are the top 3 skills you have acquired in your last role?

22.The clients of a financial firm like State Street can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our client-facing teams. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?

23.What is your greatest strength as a finance professional?

24.What is your greatest weakness as a finance professional?

25.How do you believe your coworkers would describe you?

26.What software programs do you use in your current work and how adaptable would you say that you are in learning and using new programs?

27.The day-to-day life at State Street can be hectic and stressful at times. If hired for this role, how would you keep yourself motivated when working with stressed colleagues and pushy clients?

28.Here at State Street, we are expecting someone with strong leadership skills to take this role. How would you describe your management style?

29.Tell me what you know about State Street.

30.Tell me about a time you had to deal with adversity while in a leadership position.

31.What are your salary expectations?