Online Application
This will take around an hour to complete. It requires you to fill out your educational career, contact details and industry experiences. You may be asked about your personal interests such as hobbies and questions relating to your activities. In this process, you are required to send your CV, a cover letter maximum 1 page including details on why you would like to join Morgan Stanley.
Expect a 2-day wait before progressing to the next stage.
Phone Interview
This interview will last around 30 minutes, however Arinola finished the call quickly only using half of the time. Someone from management at Morgan Stanley will interview you in a relaxed and casual environment. It is expected that there will be no technical questions relating to the role, in this interview.
Example task
Questions in this interview are mainly focused around your previous experiences that you mentioned on your CV, so be prepared to answer questions such as “Describe a time when you had to demonstrate leadership skills”. Another question could be “What do you know about the role you are applying for”.
How to respond for success
Arinola responded to her questions by relating her experiences to the answer. For the previous example, she replied how when she worked at Co-operative Food, that she had to work as a team to deliver customer requirements and needs. For the second example, it is really crucial that you do some research into the role you are applying for.
Expect a 1-week wait before progressing to the next stage.
Psychometric Test
Situational awareness
In this series of short questions, you will be given a situation which could happen whilst you are working at Morgan Stanley. You must answer the questions by selecting a multiple choice. You will have around 30 minutes to complete this section.
A typical question at this stage would be “If your boss says that you have to cover for a colleague for the day, what would be the first thing you do?”.
Non-verbal and numerical reasoning
In this series of short questions, you will be given a situation which could happen whilst you are working at Morgan Stanley. You must answer the questions by selecting a multiple choice. You will have around 30 minutes to complete this section.
Typical questions in this test include ones such as simple % increase and decrease calculations and pattern memory tests with shapes on a grid.
Expect a 1-week wait before progressing to the next stage.
Psychometric Test
Situational awareness
In this series of short questions, you will be given a situation which could happen whilst you are working at Morgan Stanley. You must answer the questions by selecting a multiple choice. You will have around 30 minutes to complete this section.
A typical question at this stage would be “If your boss says that you have to cover for a colleague for the day, what would be the first thing you do?”.
Non-verbal and numerical reasoning
In this series of short questions, you will be given a situation which could happen whilst you are working at Morgan Stanley. You must answer the questions by selecting a multiple choice. You will have around 30 minutes to complete this section.
Typical questions in this test include ones such as simple % increase and decrease calculations and pattern memory tests with shapes on a grid.
Expect a 1-week wait before progressing to the next stage.
Assessment Centre
The first stage of the Morgan Stanley assessment centre is a live interview with two employees. This will take around 30-40 minutes to complete, followed by a breakout room where you will be joined by other candidates who are applying for the same role.
Example task
You will be typically asked about your previous work experiences and the questions are very similar to the previous phone call interview. These questions have a much more skill based focus, meaning you will be asked questions about teamwork, communication etc.
How to respond for success
Arinola finished the interview early, but remembered to ask questions back to the interviewers. This shows that you are interested in the company, the role and you are a person with strong communication skills.
Second stage
For the second sage of the assessment centre, you will be interviewed by another 2 Morgan Stanley employees. This interview is focused on the firm itself and why you are interested in working there, why your role and how you would fit in if you got the job. This process will take about 30-40 minutes to complete.
Example task
You will be typically asked questions such as “Why is it important to have a financial regulatory board to regulate firms?” and other questions linked to the Company.
How to respond for success
Be confident in your reply, but do not pretend to know everything. Arinola struggled to answer the question example above, so instead she was polite and up front, suggesting if she could email the interviewers after her reply. This demonstrated integrity, honesty and persistence to find the right answers, making her a fitting match for the firm when dealing with clients.
Final stage
For the final stage of the Morgan Stanley assessment centre, you will be emailed a scenario of a company with 3 options. You will be asked to research and plan your thought process and present your solution to the interviewers, before answering questions based on your explanations.
Example task
Arinola was given the task to find what option was the best for the company to increase their profits, by A. reducing costs, B. increase sales C. increase both.
How to respond for success
When given 3 options to choose from, it is always best to stick to one firm answer, proving it by the reasons for the selection, such as why the other options are invalid, as well as the positives of your selection. If you can demonstrate calculations in your answer then this is a bonus. As the presentation is purely verbal (without a PowerPoint), you will need to be confident in your answer and make eye contact with your interviewers.
