Hi everyone! In two weeks, I’ll be flying home to San Francisco to interview for a summer internship with an accounting firm. From what I’ve heard from friends, recruiters, and current employees, their internship program is well-established. It sounds like the perfect place for me to develop my quantitative accounting skills and build my network–and to get a taste of what a post-grad, full-time position would be like. I’m really excited, but one thing has me a little terrified. I’ve interviewed successfully for on- and off-campus roles, and have practiced my elevator speech during Life After Scripps. But what’s scary and new for me this time is that I’ll be going in for a “superday”.
What is a Superday?
A superday is a common final step in the recruiting process for finance, accounting, and consulting firms. They typically last anywhere from three hours to a full day with a firm. According to Wall Street Prep, the firm flies out a group of candidates for on-site interviews. There is often an informal dinner/networking event the night before, which should be treated by prospective candidates as interviews. In some rare instances, firms might make hiring decisions after this event and simply confirm their decisions during the next day’s interviews, so be careful what you say. On interview day, candidates go to the office. They will probably meet other prospective candidates again. 
WSP advises candidates to take advantage of the networking opportunity and exchange contact information–“don’t view them as competition as you never know how they can help you later.” Candidates will then have round after round of interviews with different hiring groups. These interviews are one-on-one or two-on-one, and the type of questions will include both technical and fit.
Main Differences Between Superdays and Regular Interviews
The main differences are that a superday is longer (3 hours to a full day, instead of 30-45 minutes) and puts candidates in different social situations. Also, a superday usually includes a technical evaluation.
Superdays help firms better gauge your social fit–your soft skills. Can you carry a conversation with other candidates as well as a senior manager? Can you represent the firm appropriately at more casual professional events?
Superdays also test your technical capabilities. Study for this! Finance and accounting firms will ask questions like: What happens to the financial statements when COGS increases? GAAP vs IFRS? Pitch me a stock. Consulting firms will have case interviews, where candidates are given realistic problems or challenges and asked to resolve the situation.
How to Prepare for a Superday (Answer: As you would for any other interview!)
If you’re like me, you’re not sure what you need to know. A helpful book from the CP&R Library I’ve been reading, Ditch the Flip-Flops by Sylvia Landy, broke down what I should know. Landy recommended I research:
- my employer (mission, growth story, names of the top executives, focus/geographic scope, revenues/profit/loss, number of employees, recent news, hiring patterns, and any potential alumnae connections);
- the market (factors affecting industry growth or slowdown, competitors and how they compare with the employer); and
- the interviewers (try asking the recruiter or HR, “Do you mind telling me who I’ll be meeting? Will I be meeting the person who would be my supervisor?).
Superday Prep Resources
General Interview Prep
I’m really lucky to have a friend who just accepted a post-grad offer at the firm where I’m interviewing. I’m planning to grab drinks with her at the Motley so I can ask questions about what to expect during my superday interview. If I didn’t know her, I’d look through my LinkedIn connections or the LifeConnections database, and ask my friends and professors for introductions to their contacts. See CP&R’s Networking page for more information on how to do this appropriately. My favorite online resources for general information are Vault.com and GlassDoor.com, accessible through CP&R’s Websites and Resources page.
Business-Specific Resources for Technical Prep
Finance and accounting firms will test what you cover in class. For consulting firms, you’ll need to find practice case interview questions. A good general business website is TheGatewayOnline.com. Interested in accounting? Check out GoingConcern.com. Banking and investment? Try DrunkBankers.com or StreetofWalls.com (see Training). Consulting? Note most websites that come up when you google “case interview questions” are sneakily selling books or coaching services. But they might have useful information and a couple samples you can use. Ex. AceTheCase.com. Another helpful resource is the book Case in Point, available at the CP&R Library.
Have you ever gone in for a superday? What was it like? Please, please (!!!) share any advice you have in the comments! (seriously. I will buy you a Motley drink.)