Are you familiar with vouching and how it is used during auditing processes?

"As an internal auditor, vouching is a process that accurately verifies that information is correct. During my time auditing large manufacturers, the vouching that I did entailed recovering and verifying items like invoices and purchase receipts and we'd use vouching for very large items that impacted an organization's bottom line."

At the heart of this question, your interviewer is looking to take a small peek inside your technical knowledge of the auditing process. Your answer can be pretty simple and straightforward by explaining what a voucher is and, if possible, talking about times that you have used it in auditing processes in the past.

"Because accounting processes are prone to human error in data entry, vouching is a way to ensure accuracy. In essence, vouching is certifying that data entered in an accounting book is accurate by crosschecking the information with actual statements, receipts and debit notes. I've conducting vouching during audits in the retail industry and these were required to be very thorough processes with large retailers receiving shipments of product from many different sources."

In this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we will rely on your organized and methodical approach to provide financial analysis reporting. What does your current reporting process consist of?

"In my current role, I utilize the Tableau program to provide live, up to date information to my clients. After using a simply built Excel program for many years, Tableau provides beautiful and easy to understand reporting that my clients can take and run with to make important decision. The connections and automations within the program have save me time and effort, allowing me to take on a much more robust client base. If hired for this role here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., I also have familiarity with SAS and Spotfire and consider myself a very quick learner if I need to learn a new program."

Providing the clients of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. with detailed reports will be a key part of this position and your interviewer will be looking to gauge your ability to be organized and detailed while also utilizing your critical thinking skills to provide the best reports possible. In your answer, keep a focus on the techniques and tools that you use to do your job in ensuring that clients are receiving the most accurate and detailed reports possible. As well, let your interviewer know that you are willing to learn new ways and new technologies to help onboard yourself to their team quicker.

"When I need to provide reporting to clients or my firm, I ensure that the reporting includes all key risks and valuation. Today, we as Financial Analysts have so many great tools available to us and my current preference is a statistical program like Crystal Ball. When paired with the advance Excel sheets that I have created, and have been commended, my clients are always happy with the insight that I am able to provide."

Our auditing process here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is very detailed. Can you walk me through your typical audit workflow in your current role?

"To aid in auditing processes, I created a very detailed audit planning document that my department has been using for the past four years and it has had a dramatic impact on our audit results. The planning document provides a step by step approach to outlining our objectives, clearly outlining documentation needed in identifying the stakeholders and setting a plan for meetings to take place. In this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., I would look to use a similar approach. With the plan in place, I work side by side with the stakeholders in explaining the audit and what is needed from each person. I do communicate in many methods, including email, phone and in-person meetings when possible. My goal is ensuring that each individual understands the process and the end goal as clearly as they can."

For this question, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into a couple different areas that you would bring to their team. First, they'll be looking to see that you have a firm grasp of what a solid auditing process looks like. Next, they'll be looking to see that you have the ability to communicate in a manner that is effective with the people that you'll be working closely with. Last, they'll be looking to hear that you have the critical thinking skills that are necessary to succeed in an auditing role in the financial field. As you answer this question, try to check off all three boxes for your interviewer.

"As a firm believer in a solid auditing software package, I currently utilize Onspring in my current role and couldn't be happier with its performance. This program details our ability to gather all financial documents in one central repository, walk through the steps necessary and planned for in our auditing process schedule necessary meetings, coordinate notes from my audit team and process final reports. If hired for this position at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., do you have a software package that I would be working off of?"

Can you think of a situation where raising debt over equity would be beneficial?

"In the situations where I've advised an organization to increase debt, they've received a distinct advantage in a lower cost form of financing versus equity financing. In the end, this reduced the organization's WACC and came out to be a win for them."

Debt and equity have a very closely bonded relationship with each other in relation to a company's finances. In most situations, raising debt can create too high of an amount of pressure to meet payments versus raising equity. But, there are a few key situations where there is a distinct advantage in raising debt over equity and your interviewer will be looking to hear that you understand at least one of those advantages to be tax shielding, reducing cost of capital and not diluting the stake for investors.

"Last year, I advised a manufacturer to take the debt over equity route when adding a new line of products that was guaranteed to be very profitable. This fact allowed the company to simply and quickly repay the loan plus interest while being able to reap the rewards of the extra profits. In that same case using equity, final profit would've been less."

In this finance role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., what do you feel would make for an ideal customer experience?

"In this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., I will be dealing with the financial impact on customers of a really large purchase and this type of purchase often causes stress and tension for them. To provide the best overall experience, I will always be very thorough and educational in my approach to make sure that every question that the customer has is fully answered. The worst thing that can ever happen is for a customer to bite off more than they can chew when it comes to a new loan."

In a role as a Loan Processor or Loan Officer, simply following company guidelines and answering questions from customers can be done by a robot. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. will be looking for you to help provide the best overall customer experience possible. For this question, they'll be looking to hear what great customer service on the lending side of the business means to you. No matter how you answer this question, be sure you explain the importance of making the customer feel valued in your approach with them.

"My approach to providing the greatest overall experience to my clients has always been solid listening and communication skills with them. I take the time to get to know my clients and what makes them tick. This approach gives me great insight in how I can best match them with the right loan moving forward. As you'll see when you contact my references, I have a very high overall customer rating in my current role based on customer surveys we have done over the past five years."

If you joined the team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., how would you build relationships with those that you would be working closely with?

"From my first day on the job, I would take the time to break the ice with my colleagues by introducing myself and setting up an individual meeting with each person. In the past, I've done these meetings over lunch or in an office where I've had questions prepared for me to get to know the person both personally and professionally. I want to ask my colleagues what they expect from me and what I can expect from them. I've found that these conversations really help to open up doors for working with each other moving forward."

For this question, your interviewer will be looking to get the sense that you would be proactive about getting to know your colleagues and fitting into the culture of the organization. Use a personal approach to talk about ways that you have done this in the past and how you would do it if hired for this position. Talk about the importance of relationship building in your line of work and how it helps the overall good of the organization if you take the initiative to do this.

"Being the new person on the job can be a very high anxiety time for some people, but I love the opportunity to break the ice with my coworkers by making that first contact. I think it's important to get to know each other on a personal level because we spend so much of our lives together in the workplace and I am a caring person that wants to know how last night's soccer game went for the kids. Beyond that first ice breaking conversation, my work relationships are then bonded through my work ethic and helping others on my team to show that I am a true team player."

What is one unique skill that you will bring to our loan processing team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.?

"I think the one skill that I have that sets me ahead of the rest running for this position is my experience and success in the world of sales. As you can see from my resume, my career out of college started in auto sales. In my five years of sales, I worked my up from Associate Sales to a Sales Team Lead at my dealership. Getting to know and master the sales side of the business has really helped me on the finance side with overall knowledge of the business and developing the skills needed to upsell customers on their loans."

Throughout your application process and candidate vetting process, you were brought into interview because your interview was confident that you had the basic skills and knowledge required to handle this job. Now, your interviewer is giving you the opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition with this question. As you prepare for this type of question, try to think of a unique skill that you have that can prove to be a big asset if Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. offers you the job. In your answer, be sure to explain why this skill applies to this role.

"As you can see from my experience, I have extensive leadership experience in leading teams of up to 12 employees and I also have remote working experience. Both of these duties have really given me confidence in my decision making abilities. If hired for this position, I would be able to hit the ground running on day one and be trusted with critical decisions where you might not have that ability with other candidates that don't have leadership experience."

We pride ourselves on our interdepartmental teamwork here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. If hired for this role, what kind of team player could we expect you to be?

"My colleagues that I work closely with would tell you that I'm knowledgeable in my area of expertise to contribute to the much larger team and do so without hesitation. As well, I'm able to communicate effectively, take direction and run with when needed and always willing to help out other areas if I have free time. I understand that I would be working very closely with the Advising staff here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. and know that they would have high expectations out of my work."

In the financial world, teamwork at an organization is the key to success and life at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is no different. As you talk about your abilities and experiences in being a great team player, try to highlight certain themes like building trust, gaining respect and being a subject matter expert as part of a larger team. Don't hesitate to show flexibility in your ability to both lead others and be lead by others and use examples of times that you've done both. To seal your answer for this question, talk about your desire to work as part of a team and do your research on this position to find out what types of colleagues you will be working with.

"I prefer to work in an environment that promotes teamwork and collegiality. If I were fortunate enough to join the team here, I want you to know that I love being in a leadership type role on a team where I can delegate work and help train others to better the organization. As well, I also thrive in a role where I am the minion and taking direction from others. I'd say that my key skills in working as a team are my ability to friendly, honest and trustworthy with my team."

If you noticed that a company's balance sheet was showing increased amounts of accounts receivables, what future impacts to that company would you consider to be feasible?

"An organization's lines on a balance sheet all have impact on other lines. In the case that I was made aware of an increase in accounts receivable for an organization, I would note that cash flow could be directly impacted and give a higher chance that the organization didn't have enough money to operate. As well, the reduced value of assets is a real possibility for that organization."

At the root of this question, your interview will be looking to hear that you understand how the different lines on a company's balance sheet are related to each other. In your answer, be sure to point out your understanding of this as your job as an analyst with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. will rely on your ability to do so.

"In reality, an increase in amounts receivable can have both a positive and negative impact. In the short term, accounts receivable show up as current-period revenue and have a positive effect on income statements. But over the long-term, a large increase in amounts receivable has a negative impact on cash-flow for the company."

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

"Having put a lot of thought into this even before submitting my resume for this position, I realize that my greatest hurdle would be making the leap as an Auditor into the financial focused industry. My five years of experience out of college have been focused on management and technical consulting services, but I feel that I've built a very good knowledge base and experience for this role here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. If given the opportunity to join your team, my initial focus would be to get enthralled in auditing in the financial industry and I'd do this by being attached at the hip to my colleagues and taking the time to talk one on one with a lot of other staff to help better understand what they'll expect of me in this role."

At the heart of this question, your interviewer is asking you to take an honest look inside of yourself to discuss what you feel is the biggest learning curve you will have if offered this position. This will give your interviewer a sense of how to handle your onboarding process if hired for the position and give them a sense that you have the ability to see what your biggest need would be. Similar to the what is your greatest weakness question, the key to answering this question is humbly pointing out a flaw that you may see and making a plan for how you will overcome that flaw.

"Understanding that my role here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. would have me working with the entire advisory staff, the first hurdle would be getting to know everyone on that team and showcasing the skills that I could bring to their work. If hired for the job, I would hope to be invited to team meetings where I could introduce myself and my role with the team and I'd invite an open conversation with the entire team."

What would you do in this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. if you could not get in touch with a debtor that owes money?

"If hired for this role, I fully realize that it will be a common occurrence to fail to make contact with a debtor. In my past roles, I have found that people with significant debt often change phone numbers and make efforts to avoid important mail. I would always follow company policy in my attempts to make contact through formal letters and phone calls. If necessary, I would scour public records for current address and contact information for the debtor."

This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to see how you will handle a very real situation in the role that you are interviewing for and gives them a chance to test your ethics and legal understanding of the FDCPA. In your answer, be sure to reiterate that you are able to stay levelheaded in your approach while also having the ability to think outside the box and be creative in every effort to find a solution.

In working with financial data here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., what are the steps you would take in the data validation process as part of your work?

"With any large analysis project and performing data validation, my first step is to create a detailed plan for the data needed. This plan will define the required data to be validated and set the way for the remaining steps. The next steps are to validate the information in the database and then the formatting of the data. Finally, prior to validating the data, sampling needs to be done to ensure that a small sample meets the requirements of the project. Being very proficient with many validation programs, I consider myself very proficient in both QuerySurge and Datameer but remain open to learning any new programs here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.."

Your job as a detailed and proficient Data Analyst requires you to take proper steps in the data validation process to ensure that data used is accurate and clean. Bad data in the financial industry can have a costly impact and your job will be to ensure that doesn't happen. For your answer to this question, discuss the importance and your method for both data screening and data verification as part of the validation process. Also, be sure to talk about any programs that you utilize during the validation process.

"Here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., your Financial Advisors rely on the most accurate and up to date data to present to clients and I would take great pride in my job as a Data Analyst to provide the best data possible. To validate data, the two important steps I would take are data screening and data verification. I am very confident in my ability to work with algorithms that screens large sets of data for their accuracy. On top of that, I have worked with a few of the different data verification programs like Experian and Sage Intacct."

Data Scientist is a fairly new role here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. Why do you feel that you can make the jump into the financial industry as a data scientist?

"As you can see from my resume, I have a very strong educational and work background in data science. My work experience in the tech industry has helped me grow in many areas that can be beneficial to the team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. I think that my experience in mining and cleaning raw data, paired with my experience in machine learning, could significantly benefit your clients that are seeking new and improved market data."

As finance becomes more heavily reliant on data, the need for well educated Data Scientists is becoming a need at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. And while your background may not be filled with experience in the financial field, it will be your job to convince your interviewer that you have the skills necessary to be strong Data Scientist while also having some great knowledge of the financial industry. Be open and honest of where your strong point fall and where you feel you have the most to learn while being open to making that progress in the field with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking..

"My passion and skills for mathematics and computer science drove me to a career in data science and analysis. Up to today, these skills have driven me to create a brilliant start up company that I sold almost ten years ago and then to a career with a large online retailer. Knowing that the financial industry is growing in data analytics, now is the time to strike when the iron is hot. As I've set out on a career search in the field, I have been greatly impressed by what I have learned about Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. and would look forward to help growing the data side of your business."

Are you familiar with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and how do you think it can be applied to this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.?

"I am very familiar with the FDCPA in my current role and I always keep the guidelines in my mind when attempting to collect a debt. In the medical billing field, our company policies are reflective of the FDCPA and prohibit me from contacting clients outside of the hours of 8:00am to 9:00pm. If I ever have to search online records for clients, I also know that I cannot contact them at their place of employment. If hired for this role, you can rest assured that I am very familiar with the act and would be very eager to learn how your policies at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. reflect the act."

First and foremost for this interview question, your interviewer will be looking to see that you are familiar with the act and the legal ramifications for companies that don't follow it. Make sure you can explain highlights of the act and then talk about how you have put them into practice. Last, tie what you know about the act into the role that you are interviewing for while highlighting once again a respect and obedience for the laws in place in regard to debt collection.

"As I have prepared for this interview, I feel that I've done my research to really understand the Fair Deb Collection Practices Act and how it would apply to this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. I understand that my communications must be free of harassment to the individuals I would be contacting and I want you to know that my professional demeanor and communication skills would be of utmost importance in this role. I also understand the issues of time and place of communications to clients as well. So I can have a better understanding of the act and how it applies here, are you able to expand on any specific policies the company has in place?"

What statistical analysis tools do you have experience working with?

"In my current role, most of my analysis is handled in SAS and I've really grown to appreciate the program's ability to to manage large data sets and create predictive modeling in the financial field. From a past job, I have experience on SPSS and also with the SQL programming language to build robust databases. Of course, I have received expert level training in Microsoft Excel and consider myself a master of the program."

As a successful and resourceful Data Analyst, your interviewer at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is expecting you to be knowledgeable and well-versed in the many tools available to you. In your answer, be sure to show diversity within particular programs like SAS and SPSS while also explaining that you are very proficient in Microsoft Excel. On top of the programs, talk about any experience you have with programming and database language like SQL and Python.

"Having been in the field for over 15 years, looking back at the technological advancements in the tools that we use is very amazing. I consider myself very fluent in both the Sisense and KISSmetrics programs. I also have a good amount of experience in Crystal Reports."

How do you stay on top of new trends in the financial services industry?

"I stay on top of financial service trends through a variety of blogs, news sites and financial magazines. My favorite finance news site at the moment is businessinsider.com."

The interviewer would like to know that your passion for financial services goes beyond your work hours. Do you keep on top of industry news and trends on your off time? Assure the interviewer that you are well immersed in the industry.

"I believe that it is crucial for me to stay on top of news in the financial services industry if I hope to be a success. I have joined multiple meet up groups to network with industry peers. It has really helped my network and given me insight into how other financial service professionals are making their careers flourish."

At Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., our Financial Analysts have to often work under a tight deadline. Talk about a time you had to work under a tight deadline in the past. How did you handle that situation and what made it a success?

"In my current role, I'm tasked with preparing some reports for our leadership team's bi-weekly meeting. Upon first taking that responsibility, I made sure that I kept myself organized during each work day and saving and prepping relevant information needed for their report. A couple of months ago, I was informed first thing in the morning that the meeting was being moved a week up to later that day due to some conflicts and vacation time for some of the team. Right away, I moved some things on my calendar to make this a top priority. From there, my regular organization of the materials needed made it easy for me to complete my job."

The financial field can sometimes be chaotic and stressful for analysts working on high pressure deadlines and the work life at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is no different. To test how you will perform in these situation if hired for this role, your interviewer will be looking to hear about a time where you did just that. No matter what the situation is that you discuss, be sure to show how you remained calm, focused and on-task to get the job done. Try and stress how you are resourceful and willing to utilize a team effort if necessary.

"During my last semester of my MBA program last spring, I was nearing completion of my capstone project. The project was a case study of mergers within the manufacturing industry and was a great overall project to learn from. During the semester, my full-time job I was working to put myself through school was becoming much more demanding and parts of my project got postponed to a point where I was fearing not being able to complete it to the best of my abilities with the final due date approaching. Right away, I rearranged my work schedule to work half time and began plugging away at the final pieces of the project. To complete it, I had to sacrifice some outside weekend events with friends. While sad to do that at first, I learned some great lessons on time management, project management and sacrifice."

One huge philosophy that we believe in at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is professional development. How have you worked to develop yourself professionally throughout your career?

"I am a firm believer in being a life long learner in my work as a Data Analyst. As technology and times have changed over the course of time, I see it as very important to be learning and changing along with the times. Just over the past two years, the Data Fest and Data Summit national conferences and participation in these events on a yearly basis is super important to me to help me grow and develop."

In an ever-changing field like financial services, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. knows that professional growth and development is vital to them staying at the forefront of their industry. For this question, your interviewer is looking to ensure that your values surrounding professional development match the values of the company. Use this question as an opportunity for you to highlight the many ways that you grow and develop yourself to be the best that you can be in your career. Highlight any continuing education you have completed, any societies or groups that you belong to and any publications that you read on a regular basis that will prove to your interviewer that you aren't comfortable being stagnant in your career.

"In the financial field, I have to stay at the top of my game to compete with other advisors and keep clients happy and flourishing. To do this, I subscribe to and read many of the great publications that are out there. Some of my favorites include the Wall Street Journal, Money magazine and Forbes. I also subscribe to many others. As well, I am a member of NAIFA and I have attended the organization's Congressional Conference on a few occasions."

At Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we pride ourselves on providing the best overall customer experience. Talk about your customer service experience and explain why it will help our clients here.

"Over the past five years in my current role in customer service, my number one mantra has been to create the most personalized experience possibl for each person. I have done this by taking the time to get to know the customer, find out what their needs are and creating an experience unique to them. Where my time in automotive sales has really prepared for this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is in this approach. If hired for this role, I know that I will be relied upon to use open and honest communication skills, time management skills and to take a empathetic and personalized approach with each client and I can definitely be relied upon to do that."

In the financial services industry, overall client experience is a major predictor of business growth and the team at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. takes the overall client experience seriously. For this question, your interviewer will be looking for you to expand upon your customer service experience past what they can see from your resume. To seal the deal for your interview, try to talk about times that you have went above and beyond the call of duty to provide the best service possible for a customer.

"In my years in a front facing customer service role, I've prided myself on being the face of the franchise. More often than not, my interactions with customers can be the difference between a repeat customer and a person who never comes back again. To ensure repeat customers, I make sure that I am knowledgeable about our products and services, I'm proactive with their needs and I'm always accountable for any mistakes that are made on my organization's side of things. If given the opportunity to join the team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., I will work hard to be highly educated in your services and be proactive and accountable in every interaction that I have."

The day-to-day life at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. 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?

"Being a person that thrives in a fast paced work environment, I have the ability to handle stressed colleagues with a grain of salt. As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last five years in the manufacturing industry where my department worked under tight deadlines all of the time. If I noticed that a colleague was under stress, I offered my help if I was able to and down the road that was usually reciprocated back to me. This unselfish attitude and realizing that someone else's stress wasn't directed at me was the key to maintaining personal health and balance on the job."

The daily life at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is naturally very fast paced and because of that, both the colleagues and the clients that you may be working with have potential to be stressed, needy and downright mean at times. For this question, your interviewer is looking to get a sense that you would be able to work in this type of environment. In your answer, talk about the fact that you are cognizant of what this job entails as far as personal interactions go and talk about times where you have worked successfully through situations like this in the past. As well, don't hesitate to talk about your own personality traits that help you thrive in these types of situations.

"In my current role in client services with a large hospitality group, some days can go off the rails and it feels like I'm working with enraged customers all day long. I have the attitude that their anger isn't directed towards me, but I'm the face of the company that they are currently working with and I need to do my job in helping solve their issue. While I do have great resources at my hand to help solve customer issues, I think that taking the time to get to know all of our management team and how they solve problems is key as well so I know who to put customers in touch with if needed."

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

"My overall management style is the belief in building a positive team atmosphere. I'm a firm believer that each person and role brings a specific skill set to the ocverall goals and purpose of a team and I promote a team based atmosphere by larifying everyone's role on the team, keeping every person's objectives clear, rewarding great performers on the team and holding people accountable for their actions. If hired for this role at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., you can be assured that my promotion of a team based atmosphere would help achieve even higher goals than you have set right now."

Prior to your interview, try to take a long, hard look inside your skills and styles as a leader of others and prepare to present the best management style possible to your interviewer that fits the role that you are interviewing for with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. Your answer should also involve solid research into the culture of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. and the details of the role you are interviewing for. Some important things to touch on are your ability to promote a team atmosphere and your ability to delegate responsibilities when necessary.

"I think that it is crucial for a leader of others to be flexible in their style rather than relying on just one of the canned management styles. I'd like to highlight my abilities to lead as being a manager that works to grow and develop my staff to help them achieve their career goals and a leader who is able to provide direction and authority when the time for it arises. By knowing my team well and promoting our goals, I have the ability to assign work to the right people and follow through with my team on meeting all objective necessary."

Think back over your career up to today and tell me about the most difficult day on the job you encountered. What made the day difficult and how did you handle that situation?

"It's funny that you ask this question because I can honestly say that my worst day on the job happened just a few short weeks ago. Upon arriving to work in the morning, I quickly learned that our entire network was down and we wouldn't be able to work within our CRM or other programs that day. Many of my coworkers were visibly upset and questioning how we would be able to do our jobs that day. Rather than joining the crowd and freaking out about the situation, I huddled our group together to talk about solutions to the workday after we found out that the network likely wouldn't be fully up and running until late afternoon. While some colleagues carelessly went home for the day, I helped brainstorm how we could keep our phone lines open and my boss was very grateful for my efforts that day. Looking back, what made this the most difficult for me was seeing how others responded so negatively over an issue that we had no control over."

We've all had our share of difficult days on the job and how we handle those days in particular can really make or break where our careers go in that position or with that company. Think of a particular day ahead of your interview that really outlines your ability to handle adversity and proves that you were able to handle it with grace rather than turning your uniform in and heading home for the day. Another important piece of your answer should be discussing what lessons you learned from that particular day moving forward that you still carry with you to this day.

"Early in my career, I had a day where my entire office came down with the flu and I was left alone with the receptionist for the day. Being trained and working Financial Advisor, my colleagues also handled market analysis, retirement plans and insurance plans. At first, the receptionist and I went about our business. After being flooded with calls and in-person visits into our office, we connected again to talk about a plan moving forward. We discussed what types of calls she could handle and which ones I would handle and she triaged from there. I made contacted with my personal clients I had scheduled that day to reschedule and we worked well from there. If I couldn't answer a question for a client of one my colleagues, I ensured they knew that my colleague would follow up as soon as possible. Looking back, I learned that on days where you have to break routine like we did then that it was important to make a plan as early in the day as possible."

The clients of a financial firm like Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our Client Services team. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?

"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last three years in customer service relations for a large insurance company. As you can imagine, a large majority of my customer interactions were with upset customers. I've been called names that I can't repeat here in this interview and my key to working through these situations was to remain calm and not take things personally. Like the financial world, the insurance business is a very life altering experience and a loss or damage to an item is very stressful. I tried to put myself in the customers shoes, see things from their perspective and do my best to ease their situation. In this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., these same skills would be vital for me to find solutions or the right person to talk to if needed."

Whether due to a large amount of money lost on the market or a client feels they were ill-advised by an Advisor, your job as a Client Services Representative will at some point or another deal with a very angry client. For this answer, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you do what is necessary to stay calm and stay focused on finding a resolution. If possible, use a specific example of a time you had to do exactly this and explain how effective communication was critical in making the situation right for the client.

"First and foremost, an active listening approach is the first step to lowering the tension from an angry customer. A couple of months ago, we had a very angry customer come onsite to complain about a defective product that cut his hand pretty badly. The customer came onsite to complain even before receiving emergency care, which was apparent that he needed. First, I let him release his anger and it was not a pretty sight. Then I calmly repeated back what he had said and then explained what our policy allowed me to do at that time. Looking back, my sincere approach and calm demeanor helped calm him down and later that day, my manager had a formal complaint sent to the manufacturer and we were assured that they'd be in contact with the customer."

How would you define what working capital is for a company and what does its measurement mean?

"In my current role, we measure working capital to gauge the ability of a company to pay off its debts quickly. In working with many industries, from retails to the public sector, the determination of a company's ability to do so based on calculation can differ greatly from industry to industry. To calculate, a range of line items from the company are used to take their current assets minus their current liabilities. In the retail industry, seasonal spikes in business create the need for a much higher working capital and if hired for this role, I have a great understanding of each industries specific needs."

As a Financial Analyst with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., you will be asked to help measure working capital of organizations. In your definition that you provide to your interviewer, ensure that you give them at least the basic definition of the calculation being current assets minus current liabilities. Then, talk about real situations that you've used the measurement to make critical decisions in the work that you've done in the past. This will confirm with your interviewer that you have the ability to use the measurement in this job.

"In a very broad sense, working capital is found by subtracting an organization's current liabilities from their current assets. In my current role, I utilize a more focused calculation of adding accounts receivable plus inventory and then subtracting accounts payable. The more focused calculation give a better idea of total working capital for organizations when trying to get a better overall picture of their health and efficiency when projecting out towards the future."

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

"A couple of years ago when I was working customer service in retail, a customer was looking for what happened to be a discontinued item of clothing for her sick mother. The easy route would have been to simply look it up, tell her it was discontinued and have her be on her way. What I did was take down the customers contact information and let her know that I could contact our person that handled archived products. If we could track it down, I would be in touch. With a simple phone call, my colleague was able to track the item down from the supplier and have it coordinated to ship directly. We put the customer in direct contact with the supplier and she was as happy as could be. Looking back on that situation, I felt that it was the right thing to do given the situation that the customer was in and knowing she was a loyal customer of ours."

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. looks to set themselves apart from their competition by delivering the best service possible in the industry. You, as a customer service professional, are likely used to doing this so in your example, be sure to think about a time where your going above and beyond the call of duty really impacted the overall customer experience. No matter what example you use, be sure to explain why you felt it was important to take that action and what outcomes you are aware that it produced.

"My current role in hospitality often has me working with very high profile customers that come to our hotel. Last year, a touring manager for a musician contacted me regarding and upcoming stay for the musician. I proactively asked for their dining and entertainment preferences and with that list, I was able to work with our catering staff to ensure we had preferred items on the menus for the nights that he stayed and that we had a customized video game package in the musician's room for the his extended stay. Prior to him leaving, his manager reached out to thank me for the great service!"

List the top 3 skills that you have acquired in your last role.

"In the past few years I was able to upgrade my education while still working full time. The biggest skill that I gained was my ability to multi-task as I worked the dual role of employee and student. I also have strong skills in a variety of Microsoft programs such as PowerPoint and Excel."

You have likely gained many valuable skills in your career. Share with the interviewer which skills you value the most. Be sure to include skills that will potentially benefit this potential new employer.

"There are many skills I gained in my most recent position as I had a great training program and my boss was a strong mentor. If I had to choose three top skills I would say that the biggest ones were effective multitasking, solid closing skills, and cold calling abilities."

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?

"In my current role, I currently use a program called Zendesk that is an interactive customer support tool. When we started to use this tool a little over a year ago, I was very quick to learn and utilize all of the great functions of the program and have since become a trainer for new staff that join our team. As well, I'm very fluent in the entire Microsoft suite of products and would consider myself an expert on the Outlook, Excel and Word programs."

Overall, your interviewer is simply looking to hear that you have a good grasp on programs to use to make you more efficient in your work and to do this, talk open and honestly about the programs that you currently use and talk about in what context that you use them. If at all possible with this role, try to research what additional programs you may have to learn if given this opportunity to join Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. and reassure your interviewer that your computer skills are fluent enough to pickup quickly if needed.

"I consider myself very agile when it comes to using and appreciating the vast amount of software that is available to Financial Advisors today. In my current role, I solely use RightCapital as a financial advising tool with my clients. I really love its ability to help in the budgeting and comprehensive planning processes with my clients. I'm also very familiar with the MoneyGuidePro tool and have used it successfully in the past. If hired for this role, you can consider me an open book when it comes to learning and effectively utilizing any programs needed."

What are some common excuses that you think you will face from debtors in this role and how to you think you would handle them?

"In my current role, I have heard the common excuses like the check is in the mail. In those instances, I make a direct plan with the debtor and then make sure to schedule any follow up for myself if needed. Sometimes, the debtor is telling the truth and we receive payment soon. But if we don't, I promptly follow up with them. I have received some odd excuses as well. A couple of months ago, a debtor claimed that he was just too busy to pay his bills. I was very professional in my direct approach in letting him know that if he had time to talk to me on the phone, he had time to pay his amount owed. He paid his amount owed over the phone that moment."

This question gives you the opportunity to show your familiarity with how consumers typically react to debt collection attempts. If you have direct experience dealing with any of the common excuses that debtors tend to use, talk about how you handle them. If you don't have direct prior experience in a collections role, be sure to research common excuses like a debtor claiming they haven't received any notice of debt and talk about how you would handle those situations. In your answer to how you would handle each excuse, be sure to explain how you will provide great customer service while making every effort to collect in a timely fashion.

"I understand that coming into this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., I will be working with clients that just don't have the funds available to make full payment at the time of contact. In those situations, I would expect that I would have the freedom to work out a payment plan with those clients that satisfies the needs of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. while also giving the client the best results as well."

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. Interview Questions

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1. Are you familiar with vouching and how it is used during auditing processes?
2. In this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we will rely on your organized and methodical approach to provide financial analysis reporting. What does your current reporting process consist of?
3. Our auditing process here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is very detailed. Can you walk me through your typical audit workflow in your current role?
4. Can you think of a situation where raising debt over equity would be beneficial?
5. In this finance role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., what do you feel would make for an ideal customer experience?
6. If you joined the team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., how would you build relationships with those that you would be working closely with?
7. What is one unique skill that you will bring to our loan processing team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.?
8. We pride ourselves on our interdepartmental teamwork here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. If hired for this role, what kind of team player could we expect you to be?
9. If you noticed that a company's balance sheet was showing increased amounts of accounts receivables, what future impacts to that company would you consider to be feasible?
10. If hired to this role here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., what do you see as one initial hurdle you will have to overcome in your first weeks on the job?
11. What would you do in this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. if you could not get in touch with a debtor that owes money?
12. In working with financial data here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., what are the steps you would take in the data validation process as part of your work?
13. Data Scientist is a fairly new role here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. Why do you feel that you can make the jump into the financial industry as a data scientist?
14. Are you familiar with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and how do you think it can be applied to this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.?
15. What statistical analysis tools do you have experience working with?
16. How do you stay on top of new trends in the financial services industry?
17. At Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., our Financial Analysts have to often work under a tight deadline. Talk about a time you had to work under a tight deadline in the past. How did you handle that situation and what made it a success?
18. One huge philosophy that we believe in at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is professional development. How have you worked to develop yourself professionally throughout your career?
19. At Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we pride ourselves on providing the best overall customer experience. Talk about your customer service experience and explain why it will help our clients here.
20. The day-to-day life at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. 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?
21. Here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we are expecting someone with strong leadership skills to take this role. How would you describe your management style?
22. Think back over your career up to today and tell me about the most difficult day on the job you encountered. What made the day difficult and how did you handle that situation?
23. The clients of a financial firm like Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our Client Services team. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?
24. How would you define what working capital is for a company and what does its measurement mean?
25. Our clients here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. expect top-tier service and products and we will expect you to do just that in this role. Have you ever went the extra mile for a client when it wasn't expected? Why did you do so?
26. List the top 3 skills that you have acquired in your last role.
27. 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?
28. What are some common excuses that you think you will face from debtors in this role and how to you think you would handle them?

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. Interview Questions

1. Are you familiar with vouching and how it is used during auditing processes?

2. In this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we will rely on your organized and methodical approach to provide financial analysis reporting. What does your current reporting process consist of?

3. Our auditing process here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is very detailed. Can you walk me through your typical audit workflow in your current role?

4. Can you think of a situation where raising debt over equity would be beneficial?

5. In this finance role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., what do you feel would make for an ideal customer experience?

6. If you joined the team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., how would you build relationships with those that you would be working closely with?

7. What is one unique skill that you will bring to our loan processing team here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.?

8. We pride ourselves on our interdepartmental teamwork here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. If hired for this role, what kind of team player could we expect you to be?

9. If you noticed that a company's balance sheet was showing increased amounts of accounts receivables, what future impacts to that company would you consider to be feasible?

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

11. What would you do in this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. if you could not get in touch with a debtor that owes money?

12. In working with financial data here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., what are the steps you would take in the data validation process as part of your work?

13. Data Scientist is a fairly new role here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.. Why do you feel that you can make the jump into the financial industry as a data scientist?

14. Are you familiar with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and how do you think it can be applied to this role with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.?

15. What statistical analysis tools do you have experience working with?

16. How do you stay on top of new trends in the financial services industry?

17. At Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., our Financial Analysts have to often work under a tight deadline. Talk about a time you had to work under a tight deadline in the past. How did you handle that situation and what made it a success?

18. One huge philosophy that we believe in at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. is professional development. How have you worked to develop yourself professionally throughout your career?

19. At Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we pride ourselves on providing the best overall customer experience. Talk about your customer service experience and explain why it will help our clients here.

20. The day-to-day life at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. 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?

21. Here at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking., we are expecting someone with strong leadership skills to take this role. How would you describe your management style?

22. Think back over your career up to today and tell me about the most difficult day on the job you encountered. What made the day difficult and how did you handle that situation?

23. The clients of a financial firm like Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our Client Services team. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?

24. How would you define what working capital is for a company and what does its measurement mean?

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

26. List the top 3 skills that you have acquired in your last role.

27. 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?

28. What are some common excuses that you think you will face from debtors in this role and how to you think you would handle them?