Bloomberg Financial Product Sales & Analytics Program interview questions

I applied to the Bloomberg Sales & Analytics program in late August and was contacted to set up a phone interview the next week. The phone interview was very brief with a pretty standard set of questions (personal background, why bloomberg, why finance, why sales, etc.). The next day I was invited to a morning event at Bloomberg HQ in Manhattan. This event consisted of two back-to-back thirty minute interviews, along with a tour of the facilities and a presentation on the Bloomberg Terminal. Overall, I thought the people I met were nice if a bit impersonal. My interview questions were mostly sales-related: what's most important in being a salesperson, how would you deal with demanding clients, etc. They also asked about what my ideal position would be and what my dream company would be besides Bloomberg. I'm always a little confused by this type of question because it's like I'm interviewing with you, why are you asking me about other companies/positions? I thought the interviews went well but I didn't end up being asked back for a final round. After the morning session, certain candidates were called forward and told they would have a final round interview that afternoon. Everyone else was told, "We'll be in touch," and it was pretty easy to figure out at that point that it was done. Basically, I thought this turn of events was quite abrupt. The senior salespeople conducting the interviews were meeting candidates non-stop during the time between my interview and the call for final rounds and I can't really fathom how they had time to sit and think and make their decisions. I kind of think that everything's based off their first impression of you. Overall, this left me a little put off about their whole process. It doesn't seem like that much thought goes into it honestly, but I suppose at a big company like Bloomberg, they have to move quickly.

I applied online and couple days later received an invitation for a initial phone screen. The phone screen was with a very nice person from Brazil, that same day got invited for an in-house interview with the Mexico City Sales team, also a very nice guy. The day after I got invited to the final round interview with managers from Brazil and New York for the following week. Only the Brazil manager was present. Again, a very nice person, it all fits in the Bloomberg culture, great place, smart people. I was a bit upset that my interviews were all the same, after two weeks of hard core catching up with the financial markets and dusting financial theory, there was not ONE financial question I wasn't asked to analyze any piece, which was a disappointment for me given I love doing just that. I was expecting, tons of hard core and stimulating questions but nothing, just go over my cv over and over again, both in house interviews touched the but why would you want this position with everything you have done? not in a mean way but looking truly confused, I did my best to explain that Bloomberg is my dream company but today I received the nice thank you but no thank you email. It happens. I wish them the best and alas will continue with my current job. For all young people out there, I truly encourage you to apply early in your career and make the best of what that "school" has to offer, I wish I had =).