I recently went through an interview process for a Commodities Structuring role at Morgan Stanley, and honestly, it was quite different from what I expected.
I had prepared extensively on topics directly related to the role, such as derivatives, risk management, and commodities markets. I spent time reviewing hedging strategies, understanding market dynamics like oil pricing and contango, and making sure I was comfortable with structuring concepts.
However, the interview took a very different direction.
Most of the questions I received were actually focused on logic and reasoning. They were more like puzzles or structured thinking exercises rather than technical finance questions.
As a result, I left the interview with the feeling that I didn’t perform as well as I could have. Not necessarily because I couldn’t solve the problems, but mainly because I wasn’t prepared for that type of questioning.
What really surprised me was how central these logic questions were. I initially thought they would only be a small part of the interview, but in reality, they made up a significant portion of it.
That being said, I’m still wondering if this is typical for this kind of role. I didn’t expect such a strong emphasis on logic questions for a structuring position in commodities.
If anyone has gone through similar interviews in structuring, trading, or commodities roles, I’d be really interested to hear your experience.
Overall, it was a great learning experience, and a reminder that preparation shouldn’t be limited to technical knowledge.