Citi's interview process for students and graduates has five steps: apply online, complete a skills evaluation, a one-on-one first interview, a final stage, and an offer. The final stage is either multiple interviews, an assessment or a case study exercise, depending on the programme and location. Citi doesn't publish its interview questions, so the ones below are the kinds to prepare for, built from its Leadership Principles and the process it describes.
The process comes from Citi's early careers page and its recruitment scam awareness page, which explains how Citi recruits. Where Citi doesn't say something, we say so.
The Citi hiring process at a glance
| Step | What happens | What Citi says |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Apply | Submit your application through Citi's online portal (Workday). | Highlight your skills and relevant experience |
| 2. Skills evaluation | A skills discovery survey for EMEA and global Services programmes, or a coding assessment for Tech programmes. | No length or format published |
| 3. First interview | A one-on-one interview, if you're selected. | Covers your background and how your aspirations align with Citi's |
| 4. Final stage | Multiple interviews, an assessment or a case study exercise. | Depends on your programme and location |
| 5. Offer | Citi contacts you with an offer. | Your recruiter explains the details; offers are always in writing |
What is the Citi hiring process?
For its Early Career Programs, Citi describes the five steps above. Those programmes include pre-internships, internships, full-time analyst and associate programmes, and apprenticeships, across Banking, Markets, Services, Wealth, Technology, Operations, Risk and other functions.
Citi doesn't publish a step-by-step process for experienced hires. What it does say, on its scam awareness page, applies to every role:
- Roles are posted on Citi's official careers site, and applications go through Workday.
- Citi may use Eightfold Talent Intelligence to support candidate communications and parts of the recruitment process.
- Interviews take place by phone, video or in person, depending on the role and location. Citi doesn't hire solely through messaging apps.
- Offers are always in writing through authorised Citi channels, followed by a secure onboarding process.
If you're applying as an experienced hire, ask your recruiter what your process includes.
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How do you apply to Citi?
You apply through Citi's careers site, which takes you to Workday. Citi says Workday is its main platform for all recruitment, including programme applications and event registrations, and that you need a Citi-specific Workday account; one made for another company won't work. In Workday, a programme application shows up as a "job", which Citi says is normal.
Application windows depend on the programme:
| Programme | Who it's for | Length | When applications open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Analyst | Penultimate-year university students | 8 to 16 weeks | Typically September the year before |
| Summer Associate | Masters, MBA and PhD students | 10 weeks | September the year before |
| Placement Analyst | UK and European students who need a placement for their degree | 3 to 11 months | Typically September and January, by country |
| Full-Time Analyst | Graduates | Typically two years | Usually September the year before |
| Full-Time Associate | Masters, MBA or PhD graduates | Permanent role | Generally September the year before |
Citi also suggests joining its talent network and attending its virtual or in-person recruitment events while you search.
Does Citi have an online assessment?
Some programmes do. Citi's second step is a skills evaluation: EMEA and global Services programmes use a "skills discovery survey", and Tech programmes use an assessment "to confirm your coding skills". The final stage of some programmes is also an assessment.
Citi doesn't publish what these contain, how long they take, which provider runs them or how they're scored. Treat question counts and pass marks you read elsewhere as unconfirmed. Your invitation should explain the format. A few practical points apply to any pre-hire assessment:
- Find a quiet place and enough time before you start.
- For a coding assessment, practise writing working code under time pressure in the language you know best, and test your solution against edge cases.
- For a survey, answer as you actually work. Citi publishes no answer key.
If an assessment shows you workplace scenarios and asks what you'd do, it's a situational judgement format. Our guide to situational judgement tests explains how those work in general.
What happens in the Citi first interview?
If you're selected, Citi invites you to a one-on-one interview that it says will "delve deeper into your background and how your aspirations align with Citi's". Expect questions about your experience, why you chose your programme and business area, and where you want your career to go. Citi doesn't publish its length or format; depending on the role and location it may be by phone, video or in person.
What is the Citi final round?
Citi's final stage is one of three things, depending on your programme and location: multiple interviews, an assessment or a case study exercise. Citi doesn't publish how many interviews there are, what a case study covers or how long the stage lasts, so ask your recruiter when you're invited.
For a case study, expect to work through a business problem and explain your reasoning. Structure your answer, state your assumptions, and finish with a recommendation.
What happens after the Citi interview?
If you're the best fit for the role, Citi contacts you with an offer and your recruiter explains the details. Citi says offers always come in writing through authorised channels, followed by a secure onboarding process. It doesn't publish how long a decision takes.
Citi also says:
- It will never ask you to pay for training, software, equipment, visas or administrative fees. Background check fees may apply in some circumstances, but only after a formal offer.
- Sensitive personal information should only be requested after a formal written offer, through secure onboarding.
- Genuine recruitment emails come from addresses ending in @citi.com or @talentintelligence.citi.com, or from citi@myworkday.com. Citi's authorised recruitment partners may use their own domains.
What does Citi look for?
Citi's mission is "to serve as a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress". It sets out how staff should act in three Leadership Principles:
| Leadership Principle | What to show in an interview |
|---|---|
| We take ownership | You took responsibility for a result, including when things went wrong |
| We deliver with pride | You set a high standard for your work and followed through |
| We succeed together | You worked across a team to reach a shared goal |
Citi's careers site also describes a global bank working across many countries, so examples of working with people from different places and backgrounds are worth having ready.
Common Citi interview questions and how to answer them
Citi doesn't publish a question list. The questions below are types to prepare for, built from its Leadership Principles, its mission and the process it describes. Use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) for the "tell me about a time" questions.
1. Tell me about yourself.
Keep it to two minutes. Cover the two or three experiences most relevant to the programme, then explain why you're applying to Citi now. Citi's first interview focuses on your background and aspirations, so end on where you want your career to go.
2. Why Citi?
Be specific. Citi describes itself as a global bank and states a vision to be "the preeminent banking partner for institutions with cross-border needs". Connect something in that to your own interests, such as work across countries, or something you learned at a Citi event.
3. Why this programme and business area?
Show you know what the business does. Services, for example, covers cash management, payments and securities services, while Markets covers sales, trading and distribution. Explain what in your experience fits that work.
4. Tell me about a time you took ownership of a problem.
This maps to "We take ownership". Choose an example where you noticed a problem nobody had picked up, took responsibility for fixing it and saw it through. Be honest about anything that went wrong.
5. Tell me about work you're proud of.
This maps to "We deliver with pride". Explain the standard you set yourself, what you did to meet it and the result, with specifics.
6. Tell me about a time you worked with a team to reach a goal.
This maps to "We succeed together". Pick an example where you helped others succeed, and be clear about your own contribution.
7. Tell me about a time you worked with people from different backgrounds or locations.
Citi's teams work across many countries. Talk about how you dealt with different working styles, time zones or viewpoints, and what the team achieved.
8. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
Ownership includes owning mistakes. Pick a real one, say what you did to put it right, and spend most of your answer on what you now do differently.
9. How would you explain a complex idea to a client?
Citi's mission is to be a trusted partner to clients. Pick something technical you know well and explain it simply, checking that the listener understands.
10. What's a market or economic story you've been following?
For Banking, Markets and Wealth roles, expect to discuss the wider world. Choose one story, explain what happened and why it matters to a bank like Citi, and say what you'd watch next.
11. Walk me through how you'd approach this problem.
In a case study, clarify the question, state your assumptions, structure your approach and give a recommendation.
12. Do you have any questions for us?
Ask the interviewer about their own work, what new joiners learn in their first months or how the team works with other regions. Avoid questions the careers site already answers.
How to prepare for the Citi interview
- Check when your programme opens. Most open in September the year before you'd start.
- Set up a Citi-specific Workday account before the application window opens.
- Learn the three Leadership Principles and prepare a STAR story for each, plus a mistake and a time you learned something quickly. Our list of behavioural interview questions gives you more to practise on.
- For Tech programmes, practise coding problems under time pressure.
- Read about the business you've applied to and follow one or two related stories in the news.
- Practise a case study out loud if your final stage includes one, explaining your reasoning as you go.
- Do a mock interview with someone who will give you honest feedback.
For other banks' processes, see our JPMorgan hiring process guide.
Practising realistic work tasks
Citi's skills evaluation and final stage test how you work, and that improves with practice on realistic tasks. Cohesyve, which publishes this guide, runs practice job simulations for your role, with a scored report on where you lost marks. It isn't affiliated with Citi and doesn't use Citi's interview questions or assessments.
FAQs
How long does the Citi hiring process take?
Citi doesn't publish a timeline. For internships and graduate programmes, applications typically open in September the year before you'd start. Ask your recruiter how long your process will take.
How many interviews does Citi have?
For early careers, at least two stages: a one-on-one first interview and a final stage that may be multiple interviews, an assessment or a case study. Citi doesn't publish an exact number.
Does Citi have a superday?
Citi doesn't use that term on its careers site. Its final stage is multiple interviews, an assessment or a case study, depending on the programme and location.
Does Citi do video interviews?
Yes, for some roles. Citi says interviews may take place by phone, video or in person, depending on the role and location.
Do I need a new Workday account to apply to Citi?
Yes. Citi says you need a Citi-specific Workday account; accounts created for other companies can't be used.
Will Citi ask me to pay during the hiring process?
No. Citi says it never asks candidates to pay for training, software, equipment, visas or administrative fees. Background check fees may apply in some circumstances, but only after a formal offer. Report suspicious messages to spoof@citi.com.
Sources
Citi's own pages, checked 27 October 2026:
- jobs.citi.com: Early careers
- jobs.citi.com: Internships
- jobs.citi.com: Full-time programs
- jobs.citi.com: Recruitment scam awareness
- jobs.citi.com: About us
- citigroup.com: About us