i'm getting interviewed next week by a head trader at a firm in NYC, i've always been focused on IBD, but my buddy gave me this opportunity to break into S&T, but i feel REALLY unprepared due to my complete lack of knowledge with the requirements of a trader. any help on questions asked, technical or behavioral, that he'd ask me?
| +106 | At what point should you give up? | 56 | 1d | |
| +81 | Shafted for SA 2025 Recruitment. Next steps? | 31 | 3d | |
| +37 | Recruiting while unemployed | 16 | 22h | |
| +37 | I am lost on the next step - Need Advice | 8 | 2d | |
| +29 | Tips for: LSE MSc Finance-->IBD SA. Should I go for a third internship in M&A?? | 7 | 5d | |
| +23 | To late for me? | 12 | 5d | |
| +22 | SF vs NY IB Stint | 10 | 2d | |
| +22 | How to get VP or higher role in IB from MBA | 12 | 5d | |
| +22 | Incoming freshmen at bocconi - SA 2025 recruiting | 15 | 14h | |
| Is networking still a thing for Western Europe and the UK? | 12 | 6d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
what type of trading do they do? markets, day trade? algo? market make?
what he's told me is, and i quote, "you'd be interviewing for numerous positions including derivatives trading and equity sales, and proprietary trading."
its apparently a meeting with him from 7-10 in the morning, so it sounds like i'll be there for quite some time.
Looks like now would be a good time to buy the technical guide and read a few books and the WSJ
bought the technical guide months ago, any book recommendations?
The wet feet guide. Or something with feet in the name, I read them about 6-7 years ago. Still valid for S&T.
It's extremely lazy of you to just come out with such a generic question. Go prepare. There are plenty of books out there, and this forum to consult. Bugs the fu.ck out of me when someone PMs me and asks me: "i got an interview what should I do?" Brush your teeth and comb your hair?
You are pretty much screwed unless you are a TRUE connection hire. If you haven't prepared previously for S&T, I can hardly see him getting too excited about you, unfortunately. Do you know shit about markets? What's crackin', what's moving and why? Are you good with mental maths (fucking nerds love to ask shit like what is 359x876)? If you are not, there are methods you can use to improve it with just a month or a few of practise.
Do you have good social skills? Just be likeable I guess. They might throw some fucks and cunts here and there, get used to it. Be confident but not cocky. Don't wear a fucking contrast collar shirt.
Go get em tiger!
Looks like you won't get the job Kyleyboy - love the contrast collar shirt reference Eurodealer I've had some pretty shit ass questions thrown at me in the like of 359x876, so don't be surprised the day you get something like this thrown at you... (Again the answer is not what matters, the thought process only...)
i know enough about the markets for sure, the mental math shit? fuck no.
i'm good with social skills, the more i've read about S&T is that they're looking for a good fit, more than the technical skills. contrast collar shirt? never in a million years.
any other advice for me? really struggling here.
Don't sweat about the mental math stuff, there's nothing you can do about it now anyway. Most likely he won't ask a question like that. More likely you will get grilled on markets and probably fit too.
By the way, is that quote from Wall Street Money Never Sleeps? Safe to say, never quote/mention that movie in an interview.
not a quote from the movie, i believe.
and i KNOW he's going to ask me about the markets, whats moving & why, specific sector i'm interested in, and all that shit. but i need to find some way to answer intelligently. lets face it, i'm unprepared and no matter what i bring up, he'll be able to call me out due to his vast knowledge and experience in S&T.
whats the angle i attack at? and if the answer is "you're fucked, my friend." then that sucks, because the last thing i'm doing is going into this long interview with a shit attitude.
This piece of advice is over used but here goes, if you don't know enough about something, admit it. Say something like "I am not familiar enough with that issue to draw any conclusions" and then maybe ask him to explain why that issue is important.
I personally would try to come up with unconventional ideas/views. Not because those ideas would be anything impressive, but because the chances are he's not focused on those issues and you might get an upper hand in the debate.
If he asks you about something specific, like the boring-as-fuck-euro crisis for example, just know the history and basic details and you should be fine.
Food for thought: traders must be able to back up their views with good rationale, but in the end they're all just opinions and anyone claiming to be in "the know" is full of shit.
Oh by the way, this is just my opinion too and I know fuck all.
i appreciate the comments man. anything besides fiscal cliff or euro-crisis that i should know the history of?
and i get what you're saying, it really is just opinions we're dealing with here, and nobody "knows all."
on another note, if he asks me derivatives stuff, should i just tell him i don't know enough about derivatives? or should i go crazy the next couple days and try to learn this stuff?
already downloaded and started reading, so far so good. anything else you'd recommend me reading about current events?
Also make sure you have an opinion on oil prices and good reasoning. Think about talking to some experts on that. Maybe ask a question on another forum to ask people to describe which direction oil is going in. Understand the fundamentals on oil prices and why they go up and down.
This is all pretty daunting but it would probably take you 24 hours max to do all this and read the other books I told you. A lot of this stuff I learned during my Hedge fund internship but it can be learned solo
And finally, update us on whether or not you got the job. I'd be stoked if you did
i just had a triple shot cappuccino & a five hour energy, here we go.
ANYTHING else you think i should know? i have three full days to read & cram as much finance material in my brain as humanly possible.
and this goes without saying, of course i will notify if i get this job.
will do, thank you for all the help, i really hope i can land this.
Just out of curiosity, which head hunting firm? You can message me privately if you don't want to answer in public...
sorry, I read it wrong...
Head trader? Ask him where he sources his supply of heads.
trades physical heads, apparently i have to sit next to his storage room filled with them during the interview.
Was the interview today?
Aut sapiente enim et molestiae sit et. Laboriosam repellat dolor sed quis ut quidem natus. Nulla qui est possimus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Voluptas quidem vel optio. Vel quod debitis quaerat consectetur.