First Citizens (and its SVB division, acquired March 2023) runs a fairly light, behaviorally-weighted loop for its corporate/investment-banking and commercial-banking tracks. A recruiter phone screen leads into either a HireVue or a first-round 1:1, then a superday of 3-4 back-to-back 30 minute conversations with associates/VPs/MDs, with light banking technicals (three statements, DCF, LBO basics, debt ratios) layered onto heavy fit questions. The old SVB Associate Development Program (rotational) followed the same shape but leaned more on market awareness and a 'why SVB' narrative.
These 19 writeups cover commercial banking, investment banking, leveraged finance and other roles, US only (NY / Boston / Raleigh). All of them were posted under a forum handle, so we could not verify the authors’ identities.
1Recruiter phone screenPhone screenShort recruiter call to gauge interest and confirm background before advancing to the program manager.Covered: Fit, Resume deep-dive
2ADP manager ZoomHiring managerOne-on-one with the program lead covering motivation and general banking awareness.Covered: Fit, Domain knowledge
3Two team interviewsPanelTwo thirty-minute back-to-back interviews with employees from different rotations, mixing behavioral and light technical (e.g. valuing a cash-flow-negative business).Covered: Behavioral, Financial modeling
1Recruiter screenerPhone screenIntroductory recruiter call, mostly background and interest.Covered: Resume deep-dive, Fit
2VP of Corp DevHiring managerStraightforward resume walkthrough and 'what do you know about SVB' style conversation. Candidate felt it went well but was ghosted afterwards.Covered: Resume deep-dive, Domain knowledge
1HireVueOnline assessmentOne-way video assessment covering standard IB basics: resume walk, three statements, why SVB, three valuation methods.Covered: Behavioral, Three statements, DCF
1One-on-oneTechnicalConversation about the current economic backdrop and general market awareness, plus a quick fit check.Covered: Domain knowledge, Fit
2Group interviewGroup exerciseSmall-group session focused on collaboration and communication.Covered: Behavioral
1Associate callPhone screenCasual recruiter-arranged first round with a TMT associate.Covered: Fit, Resume deep-dive
2Superday (three VPs)PanelThree back-to-back interviews with VPs, two behavioral and one technical (DCF and other valuation).Covered: Behavioral, DCF, Financial modeling
1HR phone callPhone screenVery personality-driven HR chat with limited technical probing.Covered: Fit
2One-on-onesTechnicalSeries of 1:1 interviews emphasising critical thinking and interest in the relevant markets rather than prior expertise.Covered: STAR stories, Domain knowledge
3Personality test + background checkAssessment centreFormal personality assessment plus a background check as the final gating step.Covered: Behavioral
1Recruiter screenPhone screenStandard recruiter intro call.Covered: Fit
2HireVue (4-5 questions)Online assessmentShort one-way video with a handful of behavioral prompts.Covered: Behavioral
3SuperdayPanelFour rounds with members of the hiring committee plus a meeting with two current ADP participants. Culture-fit and communication weighted heavily.Covered: Behavioral, STAR stories, Fit
1HR phone screenPhone screenBrief HR call gauging interest and internship background.Covered: Fit
2HireVue (~4 questions)Online assessmentOne-way video covering location preferences, core values and standard behaviorals.Covered: Behavioral
3Four virtual 1:1s (superday)PanelFour back-to-back virtual interviews (normally in-person in Boston or Palo Alto) covering past experience, weaknesses, why SVB, and why commercial banking.Covered: Behavioral, STAR stories, Fit
1On-campus 1:1TechnicalSingle on-campus 1:1 covering mostly fit with a single technical question on credit analysis. Assessed travel willingness and motivation for finance.Covered: Fit, Credit analysis, Behavioral
1HR phone screenPhone screenIntroductory HR call.Covered: Fit
2MD interviewHiring managerThirty-minute to one-hour session with the managing director.Covered: Domain knowledge
3VP interviewTechnicalSimilar-length interview with a research VP.Covered: Domain knowledge
4CIO interviewHiring managerRound with the chief investment officer.Covered: Domain knowledge
5Superday round-robinAssessment centreFive-hour conference-room session cycling through the entire research team. Hardest questions were basic high-school algebra to check numerical fluency.Covered: Aptitude, Behavioral
1HR screenPhone screenBasic HR call outlining the role and confirming interest.Covered: Fit
2Virtual superday (3 team members)PanelThree team members ask basic technicals (e.g. how would you value real estate) plus fit questions.Covered: Behavioral, Financial modeling, Domain knowledge
3Director final roundHiring managerWrap-up with a director covering role logistics and prior experience.Covered: Fit, Resume deep-dive
1HR screeningPhone screenStandard HR intake call.Covered: Fit
2Split superday (4 x 30 min)PanelFour thirty-minute rounds split across two days mixing behavioural and technical (three statements, senior vs subordinated debt, simple LBO).Covered: Behavioral, Three statements, LBO basics
1HR screenPhone screenInitial HR intake.Covered: Fit
2Associate 1:1TechnicalWorking session with an associate covering DCF and LBO fundamentals.Covered: DCF, LBO basics
3Superday (associate + director)PanelTwo-round superday with an associate then a director focused on debt ratios and LBO structure.Covered: Financial modeling, Domain knowledge
1Recruiter HR screenPhone screenRecruiter-led screen.Covered: Fit
21:1 first roundTechnicalSingle 1:1 mixing behavioural and light technical.Covered: DCF, LBO basics
3Two 1:1s (final)PanelBack-to-back 1:1s with a behavioural emphasis, some light technicals on LBO targets and challenges.Covered: Behavioral, LBO basics
4Skills / drug / background checkAssessment centrePost-offer screening including a skills test, drug test and background check.Covered: Regulatory compliance
2Analyst + associate + VP callsPanelSequential phone rounds with an analyst, associate and VP covering resume, past failures, view of the analyst role, and comfort with hours.Covered: Behavioral, STAR stories, Domain knowledge
3Skills testOnline assessmentTimed skills assessment as part of the pipeline.Covered: Aptitude
1Phone interviewTechnicalSomewhat mismatched to the M&A job description, the call mixed an LBO walkthrough with behaviorals and a classic 25-horses brainteaser.Covered: LBO basics, Behavioral, Puzzles
1HR phone interview (30 min)Phone screenThirty-minute phone screen with head of HR after an internal referral, no technicals.Covered: Fit, Resume deep-dive
23-on-1 head office interviewPanelThree interviewers at head office, all behavioural. Expectation to be current on markets and to be strictly truthful under casual questioning.Covered: Behavioral, Domain knowledge
What First Citizens Bank is hiring for now
27 open roles in our index.
Most-posted roles
Lead Analyst - Credit Data Solutions1
Lead Data Engineer - Snowflake + DBT (Data build Tools)1
Principal Infrastructure Engineer - Splunk Admin (SIEM)1
Senior Process Manager – EO Business Planning, Strategy & Support1
Lead Software Engineer - DevOps1
Senior Process Manager - Fraud Data Modeling (Vice President)1
What is the interview process like at First Citizens Bank?
First Citizens (and its SVB division, acquired March 2023) runs a fairly light, behaviorally-weighted loop for its corporate/investment-banking and commercial-banking tracks. A recruiter phone screen leads into either a HireVue or a first-round 1:1, then a superday of 3-4 back-to-back 30 minute conversations with associates/VPs/MDs, with light banking technicals (three statements, DCF, LBO basics, debt ratios) layered onto heavy fit questions. The old SVB Associate Development Program (rotational) followed the same shape but leaned more on market awareness and a 'why SVB' narrative.
What topics does First Citizens Bank test in interviews?
Commonly reported topics include Behavioral, STAR stories, Resume deep-dive, Financial modeling, Three statements, DCF.
These guides summarize public, first-hand interview experiences shared by candidates. They describe the shape of each loop and the topics that came up, not a leaked question bank, and every experience links back to its original source. Processes change often. Treat this as directional prep, not a script.
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