The Capital Allocation Menu
A foundational interview question for corporate finance candidates who will support executive capital decisions.
What are the main ways a profitable company can use cash, and how would you frame the choice to a CFO?
2 questions reported in Alphabet interviews, organised by the group that asks them. Every question carries a model answer and graded feedback on your own attempt.
Questions
Easy · Medium
Hard
Model builds
Built in the spreadsheet grid
Project selection, returning capital and measuring per-share value. 1 question
A foundational interview question for corporate finance candidates who will support executive capital decisions.
What are the main ways a profitable company can use cash, and how would you frame the choice to a CFO?
Adjacency analysis, competitive response and where advantage actually comes from. 1 question
Used in corporate strategy roles where uncertainty is high and point forecasts are misleading.
How would you build scenarios for a three-year strategic plan?
Write your answer, get it graded on technical accuracy, completeness and communication, and see exactly which mechanic you missed.
Company tags reflect where a question type is commonly reported in interviews. They are not sourced from, endorsed by, or affiliated with Alphabet.