Online Application

This process will take around 30 minutes to complete. Lazard typically requires you to fill in personal information and submit your CV. The Spring Week for Lazard is not division specific and as such is just grouped as ‘Financial Advisory’.

Expect a 1 to 2-day wait before progressing to the next stage.

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Virtual Interview

Ruan watched a short introductory video explaining the details of how the interview is conducted before being asked questions from a pre-recorded clip. There are usually 5 questions for you to answer within 1.5-3 minutes. For each question you will have 30 typically seconds to prepare before your response will be recorded.

Example task

Questions are purely focused on motivational and situational ones. For example, "Why did you apply for Lazard?", "Why did you apply for financial advisory?"; "Tell us about a time you worked in a team" or "Tell us about a recent story/news article that interests you".

How to respond for success

For video interviews, dress as you would for an in person interview (Ruan wore a full suit with a tie). You can make notes when preparing but it is best not to have to look down as this is easily noticeable. It is important that you speak directly into your camera most of the time (try not to look at yourself speaking). Most importantly, it is clear that Lazard is looking for you to be as personable as possible.

Try to show-off your uniqueness when drawing upon your experiences to questions. Ruan recommends to aim for a good mix of finance/school/work experiences examples with some fun creative ones thrown in there!

Expect a 1 to 2-month wait before progressing to the next stage.

Final Interview

The final stage for the Lazard Spring Week Programme is a single hour long interview (virtually due to Covid-19). This interview is typically with a junior banker and an HR representative.

Example task

They will both ask you situational and motivational questions. Ranging from "Why did you apply to Lazard?", "Tell me about a time you had a difficult team member and how you went about dealing with that", "What are your interests?", to "If you could have dinner with any one person in history, who would it be?".

How to respond for success

Lazard focuses on employing personable people. The question you are trying to address in their heads is "Can I see myself working with this person?", in order to fulfil that you need to show off your personality! Do not try to conform to a certain rigid stereotype - just be yourself.

Expect a 1 to 2-week wait before receiving your offer.