Sample report for a graduate

Generated by InterviewGrey on 22 October 2026 from a fictional CV and a fictional job advert. Nothing here is a real person or a real employer, and Northfield Bank is made up.

What you are looking at
  • The fictional candidate, Priya Shah, is an economics student at Leeds applying to a bank graduate scheme: the Risk Analyst Pathway at a fictional employer, Northfield Bank. The report speaks to Priya as "you", the way it would speak to you.
  • This is the real output of the product, not written by hand. The answers were typed in by us, with some strong points and some weak ones, so you can see what feedback looks like.
  • Open any question to read the answer. The report shows the quote each point is based on, a stronger version of your three biggest risks, and you can try an answer again.

Not a graduate? See an example for a career changer: a fictional operations manager stepping up to a much bigger role.

1. Before the interview: what it found

InterviewGrey reads the CV against the job advert and builds a profile. These are the gaps it spotted and then asked about.

Candidate

Economics BSc student at the University of Leeds, predicted 2:1, with experience in financial administration, budget management, customer-facing work and presenting.

  • Summer intern in Midshire Council's finance team, updating budget spreadsheets and helping prepare a committee report.
  • Treasurer of Leeds Economics Society, managing a £3,200 budget.
  • Two years' weekend experience as a sales assistant at Hollins Books.
  • Weekly volunteer at a food bank.

Role

Graduate Risk Analyst, Risk Analyst Pathway, Northfield Bank

  • A 2:1 degree or equivalent academic performance.
  • Strong numeracy and analytical ability for analysing credit portfolios.
  • Ability to explain complex ideas simply and present findings to senior colleagues.
  • Collaborative and curious approach, with the confidence to contribute in group settings.
  • Willingness to complete professional qualifications during the 24-month rotational programme.

Potential gaps

2. The interview: nine questions and the answers

Eight to ten questions: an opening, competency questions on the role's requirements, one or two blind spots and a closing question. The blind-spot questions are built from the gaps above.

Opening Q1. Why this graduate risk analyst scheme at Northfield Bank, and why is now the right time for you to begin a career in banking risk?

Hint shown with the question: Draw on your Economics degree, interest in financial risk, relevant experience and motivation for completing a rotational programme.

The answer

I'm finishing an economics degree at Leeds and what I enjoy most is turning numbers into something people can act on. My internship in the Midshire Council finance team showed me how budget decisions get made, and running the Economics Society budget as treasurer gave me a taste of being accountable for money. Risk appeals because it is analysis with consequences. I'm applying now because I'll graduate this summer and I want a scheme where I can learn the craft properly.

Blind spot Q2. You have not yet worked directly with credit portfolios or lending decisions. How would you approach analysing a credit portfolio, and what factors would you want to understand first?

Hint shown with the question: Show how you would transfer your Economics and financial-data knowledge, structure an unfamiliar problem and remain curious about risk drivers and data quality.

The answer

I haven't worked with credit portfolios, so I'd start by asking what the portfolio is for and what a bad outcome would look like. I'd want to know who the borrowers are, how much is lent to each type, and how many are late on payments. I'd probably look at it in Excel first and then ask a colleague whether I was looking at the right things.

Competency Q3. Tell us about a time when you used numerical or financial information to identify an issue, support a decision or improve the accuracy of your work.

Hint shown with the question: Use your council finance internship or your experience managing the Leeds Economics Society budget, and explain your approach and outcome.

The answer

As society treasurer I noticed we were overspending on events. I built a simple tracker of spend against budget, showed the committee the numbers, and we cut two events and moved one online. We finished the year £300 under budget on a £3,200 budget.

Competency Q4. How have you used Excel, pivot tables or Python to organise, analyse or present data, and what did your analysis tell you?

Hint shown with the question: Describe a specific task, the tools you used, how you checked your work and the insight or result you produced.

The answer

For my dissertation I taught myself pivot tables and some Python after my supervisor said my analysis was slow. It took about three weeks. I now run the regressions in about half the time. The analysis showed me that the effect I was testing was weaker than I'd expected, which changed how I wrote it up.

Competency Q5. Tell us about a time when you had to explain financial or analytical information to someone who was not a specialist.

Hint shown with the question: You could draw on preparing the council committee report, presenting or communicating with customers, focusing on how you simplified the message.

The answer

At the council I helped prepare a committee report, and I had to explain a budget variance table to someone on the committee who wasn't from finance. I cut it down to three figures and explained what had changed and why. They asked one follow-up question and then moved on, which I took as a good sign.

Competency Q6. When do you do your best analytical work, and how would you apply those strengths when contributing to a collaborative risk team?

Hint shown with the question: Reflect on your working style, then support your answer with an example from your degree, society, employment or volunteering.

The answer

I do my best analytical work when I can work through the numbers on my own first and then talk it through with someone else to test it. In a risk team I'd bring that habit: do the groundwork carefully, then ask for a second pair of eyes before anything goes further. At the bookshop and in the food bank I've also learned to stay calm when something goes wrong.

Competency Q7. Describe a time when you took responsibility for an important task involving competing priorities or a risk of error. How did you maintain accuracy?

Hint shown with the question: Use your treasurer role, council finance work or customer-facing employment, and explain how you prioritised, checked details and handled any issues.

The answer

When I was treasurer I was responsible for the society's £3,200 budget during the same term as my exams. A mistake would have meant a committee member's expenses weren't paid. I kept a single spreadsheet, checked it against the bank statement each month, and told the committee early when a figure looked wrong.

Blind spot Q8. The programme requires you to complete professional qualifications and understand financial risk regulation alongside your rotations. How will you manage that commitment, and what might you find challenging?

Hint shown with the question: Be candid about the gap in your experience, then explain how you learn, manage competing demands and would seek support or feedback.

The answer

I know the qualifications are demanding, and I'll be doing them alongside rotations. I'm used to fitting in study around part-time work, because I worked weekends at the bookshop for two years while studying. What I might find difficult is the regulation side, because I haven't studied it. I'd ask what support the scheme gives.

Closing Q9. What questions do you have for us about the Risk Analyst Pathway, the rotational placements, professional qualifications or the type of work graduates undertake?

Hint shown with the question: Ask questions that demonstrate curiosity about the team, learning opportunities, expectations and how success is measured.

The answer

What does a typical first rotation look like, and how are graduates supported with their professional exams?

3. The report

A short verdict, then strengths, risks and coaching actions. Each strength and risk shows the question and the quote it comes from.

Your verdict

You are reasonably well prepared for this graduate risk analyst interview, with relevant evidence of numeracy, budgeting, Excel, communication and responsibility. The most important improvement is to give more structured, outcome-focused examples that show how your analysis affected a decision and how you would contribute collaboratively in a risk environment.

Strengths
You gave a clear and credible motivation for risk, linking your Economics degree and financial experience to the consequences of analysis.
Q1 · Why this graduate risk analyst scheme at Northfield Bank, and why is now the right time for you to begin a career in banking risk?
Risk appeals because it is analysis with consequences.
You demonstrated financial responsibility and quantified the result of your budget analysis.
Q3 · Tell us about a time when you used numerical or financial information to identify an issue, support a decision or improve the accuracy of your work.
We finished the year £300 under budget on a £3,200 budget.
You showed curiosity and self-directed learning by developing your technical skills and applying them to improve your analysis.
Q4 · How have you used Excel, pivot tables or Python to organise, analyse or present data, and what did your analysis tell you?
For my dissertation I taught myself pivot tables and some Python after my supervisor said my analysis was slow.
You showed an appropriate accuracy mindset for financial work by using a controlled process and checking information against an independent source.
Q7 · Describe a time when you took responsibility for an important task involving competing priorities or a risk of error. How did you maintain accuracy?
I kept a single spreadsheet, checked it against the bank statement each month, and told the committee early when a figure looked wrong.
Risks
Your answer to Q2 is a sensible starting point but does not yet demonstrate enough understanding of credit-risk analysis. You mention borrowers, lending amounts and late payments, but you do not explain how you would compare trends, concentrations, defaults or exposure and then communicate a conclusion.
Q2 · You have not yet worked directly with credit portfolios or lending decisions. How would you approach analysing a credit portfolio, and what factors would you want to understand first?
I'd want to know who the borrowers are, how much is lent to each type, and how many are late on payments.
A stronger version of this answer

I have not worked with credit portfolios yet, so I would first clarify the purpose of the portfolio and what a bad outcome would look like. I would then examine who the borrowers are, how much is lent to each type and how many are late on payments, using Excel to organise the information before checking my approach with a colleague. I would finish by summarising the main patterns and any areas that needed further investigation.

An example built from your own CV and answers. Put it in your own words, and fill in anything in [square brackets].

Your answer to Q6 does not answer the 'tell us about a time' part of the question. You describe how you prefer to work, but you do not give a specific collaborative example showing how you contributed, handled disagreement or helped a team reach an outcome.
Q6 · When do you do your best analytical work, and how would you apply those strengths when contributing to a collaborative risk team?
I do my best analytical work when I can work through the numbers on my own first and then talk it through with someone else to test it.
A stronger version of this answer

I do my best analytical work when I can work through the numbers on my own first and then talk it through with someone else to test it. In a risk team, I would bring that habit by doing the groundwork carefully and asking for a second pair of eyes before anything went further. For a specific example, I would explain how I used this approach when [insert a real situation involving teamwork], and the result was [insert the outcome].

An example built from your own CV and answers. Put it in your own words, and fill in anything in [square brackets].

Your answer to Q8 shows that you recognise regulation as a development area, but your plan for managing the qualifications is too general. You rely mainly on your previous experience of balancing work and study and do not explain how you would organise revision, seek feedback or monitor your progress.
Q8 · The programme requires you to complete professional qualifications and understand financial risk regulation alongside your rotations. How will you manage that commitment, and what might you find challenging?
What I might find difficult is the regulation side, because I haven't studied it. I'd ask what support the scheme gives.
A stronger version of this answer

I am used to fitting study around part-time work, because I worked weekends at the bookshop for two years while studying. I would apply the same discipline to the professional qualifications by planning study time around each rotation and using the scheme's support early. Regulation would be a new area for me, so I would ask for guidance, track my progress and raise any gaps before they became a problem.

An example built from your own CV and answers. Put it in your own words, and fill in anything in [square brackets].

Your answer to Q5 explains what you did, but the result is inferred rather than demonstrated. Saying that the person asked one follow-up question is weaker than explaining whether the report was accepted, whether a decision was made or how your explanation improved understanding.
Q5 · Tell us about a time when you had to explain financial or analytical information to someone who was not a specialist.
They asked one follow-up question and then moved on, which I took as a good sign.
Your answer to Q7 describes a sound checking process but does not state the outcome or give evidence that the process prevented or identified an actual error.
Q7 · Describe a time when you took responsibility for an important task involving competing priorities or a risk of error. How did you maintain accuracy?
A mistake would have meant a committee member's expenses weren't paid.
Coaching actions
Prepare a concise credit-portfolio framework covering portfolio purpose, borrower segments, exposure, arrears, defaults, concentration and trends. Practise ending with the key risk insight and the action you would recommend.
Prepare one genuine teamwork example using Situation, Task, Action and Result. Make your individual contribution explicit and include how you tested or communicated your analysis to others.
Create a specific qualification plan covering how you will schedule study, use support, check understanding and respond if regulation is difficult. Keep it realistic and link it to your experience balancing study with bookshop work.
For every competency example, add a final result sentence: state what changed, what decision was made, what error was avoided or include a number where one is available.
Rework the Q7 example to include the actual outcome of your monthly checks and explain how your process protected the society's budget or payments.

4. Trying an answer again

On a risk that came from one of your answers, you can write the answer again and have it compared with your first attempt. Here is Priya trying Q2 again: “You have not yet worked directly with credit portfolios or lending decisions. How would you approach analysing a credit portfolio, and what factors would you want to understand first?”

Better. Your second answer is stronger because it gives a clearer, more structured approach to portfolio analysis rather than only listing broad questions. You now show how you would use Excel, validate the data, identify concentration and trends, and communicate your findings.

Your first answer

I haven't worked with credit portfolios, so I'd start by asking what the portfolio is for and what a bad outcome would look like. I'd want to know who the borrowers are, how much is lent to each type, and how many are late on payments. I'd probably look at it in Excel first and then ask a colleague whether I was looking at the right things.

Your new answer

I haven't worked with credit portfolios, so I'd start by asking what the portfolio is for and what a bad outcome would look like. Then I'd split the borrowers into groups, for example by type of loan, and for each group look at how much is lent, how many are behind on payments and how that has moved over recent months, so I could see whether problems are spreading or staying in one place. I'd also check whether a few large borrowers make up a big share of the lending, because one of them struggling would matter more than several small ones. I'd build a first view in Excel with a pivot table, check the totals against the source data, and talk it through with a colleague before drawing conclusions. I'd finish by saying in two or three sentences what stands out and what I'd look at next.

What improved

  • You explain how you would segment the portfolio, such as “by type of loan”, which makes your proposed analysis more practical.
  • You add trend analysis by considering “how that has moved over recent months” and whether problems are “spreading or staying in one place”.
  • You identify concentration risk by checking whether “a few large borrowers make up a big share of the lending”.
  • You give more relevant detail about your analytical process, including using “a pivot table” and checking “the totals against the source data”.
  • You show better judgement and communication by saying you would talk the analysis through with a colleague and explain “what stands out and what I'd look at next”.

What it still needs

  • You could mention other important portfolio dimensions, such as borrower sector, geography, credit score, loan size, collateral and loan-to-value ratios.
  • You could identify core risk measures such as default rates, probability of default, loss given default, exposure at default and provisions or expected losses.
  • You could explain that you would first understand the data definitions, reporting period, data quality and the portfolio's risk appetite or lending limits.
  • A strong answer would mention testing the portfolio under adverse scenarios, such as rising unemployment or interest rates, to assess how losses might change.
  • You could link the analysis more explicitly to an outcome, such as identifying emerging risks, recommending closer monitoring or informing senior colleagues' decisions.

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