Current / Former Bankers: What's the one thing you wish prospective SA / FT analysts knew in the interview / hiring process?
IB
Tags:
(Senior Orangutan, 462
Points)
on 1/16/13 at 11:00pm
Posing the question for the benefit of prospective SA / FT analysts that may be looking for positions now.






If you contact me a few weeks
If you contact me a few weeks before the resume drop, seem personable and genuinely interested in the job when speaking with me and have a decent resume (i.e. 3.5 GPA and some sort of demonstrated interest in finance), you are almost guaranteed an interview. Seriously, when I have a stack of 200 resumes and only a handful of those kids have talked to me, I wonder whose resumes I'm going to pull (or at least try to justify pulling)... And if you go to a school where networking is the norm and everyone does it, then you're going to have to do it anyway.
One caveat - networking badly can hurt you. Don't be a jerk or a know it all. All you have to do is have real questions that you are curious about, and it certainly doesn't hurt if you already have some background on the person/firm.
How much your personality
How much your personality matters.
Beyond all the normal stuff
Beyond all the normal stuff (3.7+, good work experience and extracurriculars) I want correct responses to the following:
1) What investment banking is. "Investment bankers help companies grow by accessing the equity or debt markets or advise companies on strategic transactions like M&A, divestitures, etc."
2) What an analyst does. "Analysts provide the required analysis that seniors bankers use in presentation materials to help guide their conversations with C-level executives at large corporations. Example analysis includes company profiles, valuation materials, and trading overviews."
3) What publications/blogs/websites do you read to follow X industry (for industry bankers). I want to hear someone read TechCrunch if they want to join a tech group.
4) What deals have you followed in the last twelve months. If you're interviewing for a tech banking job and you can't even mention the potential Dell take private or even the Facebook IPO, you will be dinged.
When one man, for whatever reason, has an opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself.
The utmost basics from the
The utmost basics from the tech interview guides. I once had to interview a candidate that didn't know what A = L + OE was. How they got through the phone screen, I have no idea?
Don't imagine what
Don't imagine what characteristics a banking analyst suppose have and use those traits to package yourself, it's fake, it is not effective, it prevents you from showing your true strength and you can't do it forever.
Be yourself, and like Morpheus said to Neo: "Free your mind."
(P.S. This is assuming you are extremely well prepared for your technical questions)
TechBanking: The utmost
The utmost basics from the tech interview guides. I once had to interview a candidate that didn't know what A = L + OE was. How they got through the phone screen, I have no idea?
I don't believe this lol, no way.
Just a sophomore looking for an opportunity to start up this dream of mine.
Falcon: TechBanking: The
The utmost basics from the tech interview guides. I once had to interview a candidate that didn't know what A = L + OE was. How they got through the phone screen, I have no idea?
I don't believe this lol, no way.
Sadly, this is true. The number of kids with great resumes that don't properly prepare for recruiting always shocked me.
Would you say that, in a 30
Would you say that, in a 30 min interview, u decide on a candidate within the first 5 min? and the other 25 min is just formality?
Art of War: Would you say
Would you say that, in a 30 min interview, u decide on a candidate within the first 5 min? and the other 25 min is just formality?
Not necessarily, I always started off in the first 10 minutes or so with more fit based questions and had the person walk through their resume. I've seen kids nail this and then bomb the technicals, which would disqualify them. I will say, if I didn't like you in the first 5 minutes, you weren't going to recover.
TechBanking: Not necessarily,
Not necessarily, I always started off in the first 10 minutes or so with more fit based questions and had the person walk through their resume. I've seen kids nail this and then bomb the technicals, which would disqualify them. I will say, if I didn't like you in the first 5 minutes, you weren't going to recover.
What do you see candidates do, that make you not like them?
What is the most convincing
What is the most convincing "why investment banking" you've heard?
How can a non-target turn a
How can a non-target turn a phone interview into a second round/superday? Like the best things he or she can do in the phone interview
wish some people weren't so
wish some people weren't so formal during networking/interviews - having the right attitude and passing the "elevator test" is absolutely essential.
Prangs: How can a non-target
How can a non-target turn a phone interview into a second round/superday? Like the best things he or she can do in the phone interview
Once you have the interview, school (basically) doesn't matter - answer to your question is to do well in the phone interview just as if it was any other interview or if you were from a target school, no difference.
job.resume: TechBanking: No
Not necessarily, I always started off in the first 10 minutes or so with more fit based questions and had the person walk through their resume. I've seen kids nail this and then bomb the technicals, which would disqualify them. I will say, if I didn't like you in the first 5 minutes, you weren't going to recover.
What do you see candidates do, that make you not like them?
This is as much about feel than anything else...here are some things you look for:
- Can the person shake my hand like an adult and look me in the eye? (if you have some bs weak handshake, you are already off to a bad start...if you have questions, practice it with a friend)
- Does the person carry themselves in a way that makes me confident I can put them in front of a client's CEO?
- Does the person dress in a professional manner? If you're wearing a black shirt with your suit or some other major faux pas, gtfo...
- In initial questioning does the person come off as articulate and poised...again, could you be put in front of a client?
- Can the person explain their story, and why it fits into what I'm looking for?
- Does the person seem interesting to talk to? Have they had interesting experiences?
- Does the person seem over confident/arrogant/annoying/jittery?
- Does the person come off as intelligent?
TheFix: What is the most
TechBanking: Art of
jhughes: TechBanking: Art
This will be a long response
WallStreetPlayboys.com
Twitter @WallStPlayboys
Get paid, Get Laid. Nothing else matters.
Art of War: Would you say
jhughes: TechBanking: Art
Davidoff: jhughes: TechBa
This thread should be
READ MY BLOG: http://www.bateman-begins.blogspot.com
That if you can't tell me
oppcostofcapital: That if you
definitely -- a great place
Clever Name: 2) What an
mrb87: Clever Name: 2) What
CHItizen: mrb87: Clever
mrb87: CHItizen: mrb87:
CHItizen: mrb87: CHItizen
jhughes: TechBanking: Art