From engineering to banking: how does he tackle the “why” hurdle in interview?

Dear Jarus,

I’m a big fan of yours, I follow your newsletters and  I must commend you for the knowledge you are impacting on people.  I’m a graduate  of  chemical engineering.  But considering the poor development in engineering sector in Nigeria,  it’s usually hard for Nigerian graduates to have a career in their  original  field of study. This has made me to look elsewhere in terms of job search, like banks for instance.

Here is where I need your help: During interview, I maybe asked, ‘why bank? Why are you here? What’s the relationship of your course to this bank?’ and so many other likely questions I am coming from a science background.

Please Jarus, how can one give a possibly best answer to such questions?

Chucks, Asaba

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Thanks for finding my articles and blog posts useful, Chucks.

Generally, in interviews, confidence and mindset is very important. You can have good answer delivered poorly or bad answer delivered fancifully.

Let me just give you a template on how you can tackle such question , which you don’t have to follow to the letter:

“For me – and I think you will agree – course of study at the undergraduate level does not matter much. We have seen CEOs of Banks that studied engineering in school; we know many high flying accountants that studied courses as far off as Political Science, and they did well in their job. While this is more common here, it is actually not a local phenomenon. World bank is a financial institution and look at the current chairman, Jim Kim, he studied a medical course in Harvard at undergraduate level.

For me, undergraduate study is primarily meant to broaden your horizon, your exposure, your thinking. Yes, I studied chemical engineering because I wanted to become a chemical engineer, but as fate would have it, here is I am seeking a banking job. I don’t think it’s  totally off the mark. If anything, the rigours of engineering study put me in better position to do well in any role, with little training.

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This may also give back to other questions, like:

So, assuming you get this job, and after 5 months, you get an engineering job, will you quit?

Answer Tip: (with some emotion) I took the decision to study chemical engineering as a teenager, I am taking the decision to go into banking as a young adult. I’m not thinking of quitting. I don’t think it’s in my best interest, professionally speaking, to be jumping from one job to another. I have researched this organization and it fits into my dream work environment. I’m hopeful my expectation will be met. I’m not thinking of going back to engineering in the short term.

These are just templates, don’t be mechanical about it. If you have a specific interview, for a fee, our Premium Interview Preparation Service, can take you through a more rigorous mock session/rehearsal/expectation management.

Other things to note:

Be familiar with people that studied engineering or non-management courses and are doing well in bank. Effortlessly giving examples is a surefire way to dazzle in interview. I have many examples, but one of my favourites is the CFO of one of the biggest oil companies in Nigeria who studied engineering, not just for bachelors degree, but up to masters level but is now a finance guru.

Many examples. I have given you that of World Bank President. If you like reading people’s profile like me, you should have ready examples from the tip of your fingers, but it is not too late to go and research it. Giving a specific name/position helps more, but there is no harm in just being general, like “there are bank CEOs who studied undergraduate courses that are not related to banking“. But you stand the risk of being asked to give an example. Aig-Imhoukude, the immediate past CEO of Access Bank studied Law. Chika Mbonu, MD of the defunct Citizens bank, had a first class degree in civil engineering. These are examples you can use to dazzle if you can.

See also my general interview guide.

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