Citi HireVue Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
Citi uses a HireVue video interview early in its student hiring. These are the questions candidates report, grouped by type, with how to answer them for Citi.
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How the Citi HireVue works
Citi HireVue questions candidates report
20 questions from Citi HireVue interviews. Prepare a story for each type rather than a script for each question.
Motivation and fit
Why are you interested in this industry?
Why this department?
What makes you the ideal candidate for this role?
What have you done during your time at university?
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Behavioural
Tell me about a time you were under pressure.
What is a project you are really proud of?
When did you put a lot of time and effort into something that did not work out? What did you learn from it?
Tell me about a time you led a team or delivered through others.
Tell me about a time you resolved a disagreement with a specific person.
How a bank works
How would you describe investment banking to someone who doesn’t know anything about finance?
How does a bank make money?
How does a change in interest rates affect bank revenue?
How do you think about personal banking products?
What is the formula for EV and equity value?
Markets, news and Citi
How do recent global or economic news events affect the bank?
Tell me about a recent development in the markets that affected our business.
How do you see the market?
What is Citibank’s stock price?
What is a recent tech trend that Citi should adopt?
How to answer Citi HireVue questions
Build stories around the three Leadership Principles
Citi names three Leadership Principles: “we take ownership, we deliver with pride and we succeed together.” Match one to each behavioural question. A project that did not work out is an ownership answer: say what you got wrong and what you changed. A project you are proud of should end with the result for the people it served. A team or disagreement answer should show how the group got further because of what you did.
Explain how Citi makes money, in plain words
Several reported questions test whether you understand a bank at all: how it makes money, how rate changes hit revenue, personal banking products, and investment banking for a beginner. Citi runs five businesses: Services, Markets, Banking & International, Wealth and U.S. Consumer Cards. Have a two-sentence answer on how each earns its income, then use that to explain why rate rises usually help lending margins but can slow borrowing and deals.
Make “Why Citi” about cross-border clients
Citi calls itself “the preeminent banking partner for institutions with cross-border needs,” and its mission is to serve as “a trusted partner to our clients.” For why Citi and why this department, link that global client base to the team you applied to, and to one thing in your own background, such as languages, study abroad or an international project.
Know the share price and one recent event
Candidates have been asked for Citi’s share price, their view of the market and a recent development that affected the business. Check the share price the day you record. Pick one recent event and explain it in three steps: what happened, which of Citi’s five businesses it touches, and what that means for its clients.
Tie any tech trend to a Citi business
For the tech trend question, choose one you can explain simply, such as faster cross-border payments or AI in compliance checks, and say which Citi business would use it and what it would improve for clients. One concrete use beats a list of buzzwords.
Keep the technical answer short
Expect one technical question on banking tracks, such as enterprise value against equity value. Give the formula first (equity value plus net debt, plus other claims such as preferred stock and minority interest), then one sentence on when you would use each.
Tips for recording your answers
- Read the invitation email first. It sets the number of questions, the timings and whether you can retake, and those vary by year.
- Treat every answer as your only take, so nothing depends on a second attempt.
- Expect very little thinking time. Rehearse your opening sentence for why Citi, how a bank makes money and one market event, so you can start straight away.
- Aim for about 75 seconds per answer, inside the 90 seconds candidates report.
- Look at the lens, not your own picture, with the camera at eye level and the light in front of you.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the Citi HireVue?
Citi does not publish a number. Candidates on banking tracks report three, mostly behavioural with one technical question. Your invitation email gives the number for your programme.
How long do you get to answer Citi HireVue questions?
Candidates report about 90 seconds per answer and only a few seconds to think. Citi does not publish the timings.
Can you retake answers in the Citi HireVue?
Citi does not say, and reports vary by year. Plan as if each answer is your only take, and check the instructions on screen before you start.
Does the Citi HireVue have technical questions?
Yes, usually one on banking tracks. Reported examples include how a bank makes money, how interest rate changes affect revenue, and the formula for enterprise value and equity value.
What happens after the Citi HireVue?
Candidates report interviews with Citi staff and then a Superday. Citi describes its final stage as multiple interviews, an assessment or a case study exercise.
Practise for the Citi HireVue
Our AI interview practice uses the same one-way format: five questions on screen, 60 seconds to prepare, then up to a minute to answer on camera. Choose the finance focus and the questions lean towards finance, with feedback on relevance, clarity and structure and on what finance assessors look for, such as commercial awareness and integrity. You also get a model answer to your weakest question.
The questions are ours, not Citi’s. Start answering before the 60 seconds are up to match a shorter thinking time, and since practice lets you re-record, do one session in a single take.
Your first session is free with a free account. After that, Interview Access is £5 once for up to 20 sessions, with no subscription.