Preparing for Interview with MD
I have a personal phone/in-person interview with an MD at an elite boutique bank. He has over 25 years of experience in the field. How can I properly prepare for this? I want to nail it. I have done research on both him, as well as the firm. I have not traditionally been interested in IB, something originally more quantitative but I want to crush this.
What is the best way to prepare for this?
What is the best way to impress someone like this?
Should I go in just seeking info or push for a position at the bank?
How would you go about this personally?
Any information, advice, suggestions are much appreciated.
When interviewing with somebody that high up the food chain, I would not expect many (if any) technical/etc. Also from your post, it seems that this is NOT a job interview but the MD is doing somebody a favor and/or you're networking.....which is fine, that's how many people get their foot in the door. That being said, do not push for a job unless somebody has mentioned a specific role.
However, if you do want a job at the company, do some research on the firms' core values (philanthropy/diversity/etc) and craft a story as to how that pertains to your life/experiences. As you mentioned, do plenty of research on the MD and ASK THEM QUESTIONS. A cardinal rule of speaking to any human is that everybody loves talking about themselves. That being said, ask them questions that show you did your homework. For example, "Bob, I know that you spent 10 years at Company X before making the switch to Company Y and now you have been here for 20 years. That speaks volumes about Company Y, what do you feel has been the most important factor in you wanting to spend 2 decades here?"
If it is in person, wear a suit & tie, no exceptions... even if it's supposed to be 'informal.' Most importantly, be yourself, be humble, be curious.
I will leave you with an all-time favorite quote... "Success is when opportunity meets preparation" - Zig Ziglar.
You have the opportunity. The rest is up to you.
Should I still wear a suit&tie even if he asks to meet at Starbucks or something local @ home town? I feel it might be weird to meet him at a local starbucks, when he is wearing jeans and i'm decked out, especially in such a casual environment.
thanks for the response btw,
What if he shows up in a suit and you're dressed in jeans and a casual button down? How would that look.
Always overdress unless they specifically state business casual in event details. By overdress, obviously I don't mean come in a tux. Conservative suit + tie will do.
He wouldn't be meeting with you if you hadn't passed the technical questions and impressed the other people who interviewed you. So I guess he just wants to get to know you and maybe also find out how you think outside the box / and whether you are able to see the bigger picture.
So prepare questions about your hobbies, your ambitions, where you see yourself in a few years, and also be up to date on current events in the industry. Have your opinion on these events. Basically be able to have some smart and professional chit chat.
Also prepare questions to ask him.
Meeting with a Managing Director... Advice? (Originally Posted: 06/18/2014)
I am a rising sophomore at a target school who managed to get in contact with an MD at a major BB. We are meeting in two weeks and he is an alum of my school. I am a humanities major and probably won't know too many "technicals" and am worried about this. I ultimately do not know what to expect and I want to create a solid contact. Any advice on how to make the most of this would be appreciated.
I highly doubt he is going to ask you anything about technicals, especially being a rising sophomore. Just show enthusiasm for banking and his career.
I second the above. Your technical knowledge will be pretty low at that level. Just show interest.
The above regarding technical.
Just try to have a conversation and find some similarities. Check him out on Linkedin and just generally google him. Other than the same school, see if you share any other commonalities and expand on them: if you see he does charity work for blind & mute Inuits and you're a blind but not mute Inuit, bring it up. It's also best to ask advice on how to break in: what clubs and ec's you could do, any other alums you could meet with at his bank or at others, etc. Do not ask for a job or internship next summer but ask how you could best prepare for that and let him throw it out there that he'd be a reference. And ask if it would be ok to follow up in a few months and just figure out ways to bring something pertinent up on why you're following up, i.e. "I took your advice and joined the left handed purple PETA finance club and it's been eye opening..."
If you can find any information regarding any deals he was on, that will score you points.
Preparing for head of group / MD interview? (Originally Posted: 05/15/2010)
At a BB, had 6 interviews with Associates / VPs so far and they've invited me for final interviews, which I believe will be held with head of group and a few MDs. How to best prepare for these? More technicals or more "fit"? I know the general consensus on these forums are that MD interviews are more of a personality fit tests but would appreciate if people can share their experiences and other expectations from MDs' end.
Thanks very much!
In my experiences, interviews with MDs and up have been more fit based than "technical". However, they want to know you have a general understanding of finance, so while they may not ask you to walk them through a DCF, they may ask you to talk about your thoughts on the economy as a whole, where the markets are going, etc. Don't completely ignore the technical questions though, the last thing you want is to walk in to the room and have that MD who is the exception to the rule and just wants to grill you on bond yields (which I have also had before).
You need to keep up with recent news, the economy, anything the government is doing that may effect the financial markets/banking, and you also need to pass the fit test. Connect with the MD on a personal level, try and find something you have in common with them. If I were to see a picture of the MD with three buddies on a golf course sitting on his desk, I may bring that up since I play golf.
Find something you have in common with them and can connect over and you are golden.
Good luck.
MDs will focus much more on the fit side of things. Also, if you know which MDs you are interviewing with try to do some research on their groups.
Yup, definitely more fit as posted above. While they generally don't have true technical questions, in my experience they have questions related to the broader economy and market movement. They seem to ask things in a more casual way, which can be good to calm your nerves, but definitely be careful you don't get too comfortable and start talking like you would to your boys.
Also, try to find out what group they are in. If you can ask about a recent deal and actually have some interesting comments on it, thats a big plus. At one superday, I had spoken with an associate a few days prior to about a big deal that had recently been announced. When I saw the list of interviewers, turned out I had one MD from this group. I brought this up and basically repeated some of the lines I heard from the associate. The MD loved it and was surprised I knew as much as I did... shortly after got an offer.
Meeting with MD? Final round? (Originally Posted: 05/07/2013)
Hey Guys,
I've got an interview with the MD of a group I've been interviewing with over the past few weeks (they have moved process along very quickly, great communication) this week, and am quite unsure what to expect. I've searched the forums prior to posting this, and found some great info. In regards to the process I had a typical HR phone screen, phone intv. with a VP, in person intv. with VP's and director, and this week I'm meeting with the MD. HR has told me they have received very positive feedback from the group. Is this likely the final round? Has been mostly fit questions, with a few basic technicals, I would expect the same from this intv? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
It sounds like a final round. Higher than MD might be partners but I don't think they will interview you. Questions are the same but amount of technical questions might increase. They will definitely look if you fit well within the company's culture.
Thanks for the response man. I am on the fence whether technical or fit type questions will increase. I can't imagine interviewing with partners, as it is quite a large firm with office around the nation. He is the MD for the office I'm being looked at for. Hopefully all goes well.
It looks like you're prepared. I doubt if the MD will give you any hard time since the whole group has already provided very positive feedback. Best of luck dude.
Just don't shit your pants.
Thanks man. I've prepped quite a few times for this specific role at the firm throughout the process, just going over the history, what they do, pulling info and nuances from previous interviews with VP's and making sure my technicals are sharp.
I don't think that the MD would ask any technical question. Just be friendly, humble, and put a big smile on your face.
Thanks man, appreciate your input. Exactly what I'm hoping for. Great process thus far.
Meeting with BB S&T MD (Originally Posted: 06/11/2014)
Just wanted to know if there was anything I should be especially prepared for. I do quite a bit of reading, and try to stay up on current events, so just continuing that I feel would be helpful. This is in about 5 days, so not too much time to do much else. He also mentioned that he would like to put me in front of the people who are closer to the hiring process in their firm at some point, not sure if he's going to do that when we meet or not. We've already spoken on the phone and had a few emails back and forth, so hoping this is a good sign.
Anything else I should specifically be aware of? His area is FICC.
Thanks.
Is the MD a salesman, trader, salestrader..? If he's a salesperson then it will probably be more about communication skills and just seeing if you can converse well about the market. Trader would be more technical.
FICC is also a pretty big area so can you narrow that down?
I cannot unfortunately, when we last spoke and we talked about his role he was fairly general in all his answers. He lists his title on as MD of FICC so I'm not sure which specific area he deals with but I believe his background was more in FI so I'd tend to believe that's what he would be working with now. I'm not sure how this particular bank structures this part of their business, so I'm not sure if he's more of a sales guy or a trader.
We were very time-constrained the first time we spoke and he was interested in speaking about me so I didn't get a chance to drill down specifically to what he does on a day-to-day basis. He gave me more of a general description of where he had come from in his career, and his background. When I asked about their FICC department he gave me more generalized answers about how it functioned in general. If I had to guess I'd say he's in a client-facing role but I can't be sure. If you're a BB MD in S&T are you ever still a trader? Or are you just managing people at that point?
Still open to any other comments or advice. Thanks in advance.
Just wanted to keep this thread updated in case anyone was hoping to learn from my experiences here.
Meeting was 10 am yesterday, was a little unsure going in how it was going to progress. Turns out that the MD I know had arranged for one of the 1st year analysts to meet me first. He met me coming right off the elevator, and walked me through the trading floor and pointed out all the different areas. We then went back to the MD's office and had a conversation for maybe 20 minutes just about what his role was there, how he got there, and what he's looking to do with his career. He asked me some questions about myself, and since he was about my age, we had some similar experiences at school, which was nice.
After that, I met with the MD, and since we had already spoken on the phone and had a few emails back and forth, we mostly just talked about the industry, where he sees it going, how things are progressing for the FICC group at this firm, and just in general what the picture was looking like for the fixed income market (his area specifically) going forward. He was pretty helpful and straightforward, really nice guy and definitely a very honest person. He told me that they definitely look to hire on more of an "as-needed" basis, since the Chicago office is so much smaller than NYC. In fact, the analyst who met me was hired there on a last-minute basis, as he had gotten to know this same MD and kept in touch with him, thereby putting himself in the running when they had a position open up.
I don't want to give the firm away, although I could say of all the BBs it's potentially seen as the most "prestigious"...I hate that word. When speaking with this guy, I was shocked to hear a few things. First, for the Chicago offices at least, they have greatly reduced (eliminated in the case of S&T) OCR for FT positions, usually preferring to go after the internship class. They do very little hiring that isn't from their internship class, however it does happen. It's more of a size issue, there just isn't that many positions to fill. Again, the S&T offices are very small in Chicago.
He had some great insight on the direction of things, and especially on the current state of regulations. I could expand on this, if anyone wants to know more I definitely can. For now, I can say that it sounds a little less upbeat for FICC, and it certainly sounds like things are not even close to "back" yet. Of course, you can see that from the outside if you dig enough, but to hear the first-hand accounts from someone at a high level who deals with this every single day is extremely valuable.
Finally, I met with a VP in FI Sales (directly under the MD) who also spoke with me about how he got to where he is, what he does on a daily basis, and also got to know me a little bit. He was able to offer some great advice on what they look for in someone looking to break into the industry, and specifically what they look for in new hires on their desk. One word: Macro. In a sentence...Develop your macro viewpoint. Stressed this highly, and it makes perfect sense.
All three guys were incredibly nice, easy to talk to, knowledgable, and helpful. I really enjoyed it, and honestly it just made me feel even more strongly about going in this direction (hopefully) for my career.
I know that this is all very specific to my experiences, but honestly...the week leading up to this I had no idea what to expect and no idea what they would ask me or what they'd want to talk about. I just tried to stay up on general economic news for both the US and world leading up to the meeting, and I'm glad I did. Definitely was able to pull on my current events knowledge in all three conversations, which I think was a huge plus. I enjoy reading that stuff anyway, but it's always nice to be able to use it and have a discussion with someone who's also interested in it.
Not sure what will come of this, but I seem to have left a good impression based on the replies I got to my "thanks" emails today. Hopefully has a positive effect at some point.
Interview with MD, any story or advice? (Originally Posted: 01/12/2008)
heard that interview with MD is much more fun, so any one can come up with some stories about this, any advice on how to deal with interview with MD?
Totally fit based, at least in my experiences and kinda tough to bullshit. Obviously the MD's are pretty smart and can see through the BS answers. So just be yourself and hope that it turns into a conversation more than an interview.
Interviews with MD's are way more fun. They tend to be a little more relaxed (in my experience) and they're not afraid to just give you shit if you merit it. This is usually a good thing. I remember I sat down with an MD at some point (back when I was interviewing for SA S&T positions) and he asked me, "So, what's with you? What do you see 5, 10 years down the road for yourself, career wise? Do you want to save the world or something?" and i laughed and replied, "actually...i just want to make a lot of money." He loved the answer. But it's honestly dependent on how you read people...some people wouldn't find that amusing, but I had a feeling from my convo with this guy that he was pretty good humored. I ended up interning at that specific bank.
Obviously don't say anything that sets expectations too high, like "I'm really good at finance" because they will grill you and quickly discover that you in fact know nothing compared to them.
I agree with HerSerendipity - a lot depends on the person and your read of him/her. For some MDs you would not want to say the "make a lot of money" answer, others might find it amusing.
I would just be yourself and make sure you have well-thought answers to career goals, future plans, why you're doing this, etc. because that is what they'll focus on. Some of my friends actually found these to be the easiest of the interviews they had because the MDs tend to only be concerned with high-level answers.
Just a warning, though - MDs will also have the most say in the recruiting process, so a "no" vote from them is essentially going to stop you from getting the job. So be careful.
all the guys, thanks very much!
What To Ask MD's During Interviews? (Originally Posted: 04/02/2014)
Came up while chatting to my friends about investment banking interview experiences.
Once you reach the final round - what questions do you ask MD's?
Seems like anything you ask (regarding finance/the industry) will seem 'juvenile' given their extensive experience.
Once you reach that stage - should you expect a technical grilling - or a more casual chat about your experiences so far (or both)?
Would also be interested in this. I have an informal meeting coming up in a similar situation.
I like to ask what kind of intangible qualities (outside of being smart, working hard, etc) allow someone to continue to progress in such a competitive industry
I've had interviews for MM IBD & S&T in Canada with the MDs and Senior Managers. We had a good chat about sports, family, and the like. Definitely find some common ground - in my case, I've had a lot of musical experience professionally, and it turns out that the MD's son was coincidentally part of a musical that we ended up doing together.
What do MD's look for when interviewing an Analyst? (Originally Posted: 12/08/2012)
I have an interview coming up with a large financial institution for an FP&A-esque role. I went through first round in-person interviews and did well. I interviewed with 3 ppl one of whom was an MD and it didn't even feel like an interview when talking to the MD. He started talking about how long hes been at the company and stories about how the company survived during the financial crisis. He barely asked me any questions and the ones he did ask were very simple (what do you do in your current role, what do you like abt your job, etc.). I got a call back for 2nd rounds and im interviewing with 3 ppl again, but this time there are 2 MD's on the list. One of whom is a senior MD who works directly above the MD that originally interviewed me, the other is the Global Head of the group im interviewing for. I kind of feel like I got lucky during my first round interview having an MD that was just really laid back and chill so now im wondering what exactly do MD's look for when hiring someone a few years out of college? Will it be mostly fit questions? Or am I mistaken and are most MD's pretty laid back when interviewing Analysts and dont ask too many questions? Please help!
They want to see competence and fit.
.
Interview with MD - What Next? (Originally Posted: 07/10/2014)
So I've secured an interview with a managing director of fixed income securities at a major middle market IB.
I contacted him cold through email via a fraternity LinkedIn group and arranged a phone call with him last fall (I was a sophomore at the time). I'm going to be meeting him in early August in NYC and I would like to leverage this into a recommendation for an internship at his company.
What are some of the things I need to talk to him about? How do I approach the possibility of a recommendation? What should I wear? Is there anything that you would recommend in particular to read or study over?
Thanks
bump
Interviewing with the senior managing director (Originally Posted: 01/04/2008)
I had an interview with the senior managing director for an entry-level position in equities. I spoke briefly with a HR person but my first interview was with the senior managing director of equities right off the bat. Can I assume that since he interviewed me right of the bat that he is highly interested in me or should I just right that off as him just being thorough about who gets hired? I'm trying to get some insight on his thought process based on how the street typically hires people, this guy was extremely difficult to read.
The order of your interviewers is highly dependent on their schedules and what else is going on that day.... the MD might have only been available at that time or something.
Generally everyone who interviewed you will circle up later on and come to a consensus on a hire/no hire decision. Obviously the MDs will weigh in most heavily but everyone has a say.
Agree with dosk17. Some MDs make it known they want to do interviews when they're in the office, others get stuck with it. Don't read too much into it. But hey, impressing the SMD is much more positive than impressing an analyst, so you've got to feel good if it went well.
MD Interview - Technical or Fit (Originally Posted: 10/02/2009)
So I have a final rd interview with an MD. Do MD's tend to be more technical or fit or is there no way to really tell?
fit
Hope so. I actually had a first round a few days ago and the superday is tomorrow but I am just meeting with an MD for 30 mins and thats it. No idea why but I am worried that it could be a 30 min grill session.
what kind of firm bb/ elite boutique/ solid mm/ no-name?
bb but equity s&t division
Likely to be fit with a sniff test of technical to make sure you know what you're talking about
Auto Ding - So-So interview w/ senior MD? (Originally Posted: 10/01/2010)
Just wondering if anyone has had this happen to them. Went through many rounds of interviews, including with the group head. Had very strong interviews up until this point and then had one that didn't seem to go as smoothly with the group head's boss.
I'm still scheduled to have one more final interview with the group head again. But do you think I got auto-dinged already?
Has anyone managed to land offers with strong interviews w/ everyone, except the most senior guy?
Thanks
You never know. Wait for official decision
Ultimately, you can't go back in time and change the interview with the boss. Only thing you can do now is focus on the interview you have coming up and just try to rock it.
Yeah I know, but I am just curious how often this happens (getting the offer when you get the thumbs up from everyone except the region head).
It's all speculation that I didn't do well, or as well as I did in the other interviews. Gut feeling.
I've had great interviews with senior people, then gotten dinged by the associate. Shit happens.
friend of mine felt the same way with the director of North America that they bombed interview they ended up getting the job. This upper level guy was intentionally put into the interview to see how people dealt with such a super strong personality, his intention was to make you feel uncomfortable and see how you reacted to it.
^ Thanks guys. But top honcho clearly wasn't trying to be tough - I just got a bit nervous on the phone. I think a guy like that obviously has veto power, but I'm just glad I get to meet with the head of the group (who I would work w/ directly) again to try and make up for it.
Interview with MD (Originally Posted: 04/03/2011)
Hi all,
I emailed my resume to an MD of a boutique and have been invited for an initial telephone conversation. He stated that my engineering background and language and cultural connections to India are particularly appealing. While do have a mechanical engineering background along with an MSF, I am concerned as to what he is expecting of my engineering background. The bank specializes in life sciences sector and has a group responsible for servicing corporate finance clients seeking to do business with Indian pharmaceutical and life science entities. I would be very thankful If you guys can provide any tips as to how best to prepare for this conversation.
Thanks a lot.
Read the website and his bio. the best conversations are casual with a touch of formality and respect. Be prepared for some tough questions!
^Thanks. Any more tips guys?
Interview with MD-Part II (Originally Posted: 05/01/2011)
Hi Guys,
So I had this phone conversation with the MD almost 3 weeks back.
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/interview-with-md
He wants someone who would work in the states for a few years and then go to India work for the Indian office (Which is perfectly in line with my long term goals). He seemed pretty interested and had said that he will email/call me in 2 weeks for continuing discussions, which he has not yet. Please advise if I should send a reminder email or just call him? I do not know what I should speak to him.
Thanks again!
Yes, just give him a quick call and ask him if he's had time to look at that. If you feel more comfortable, send an e-mail, but I suggest to call.
Why do people nitpick everything about this process? Just call him, he's busy and his schedule changes every day so he probably wont remember he has to call someone who randomly reached out to him in two weeks. Just say you know he's extremely busy and you just wanted to see if he had time to speak soon about the subject. He is a human
Lateral Interviews with MDs - Focus on Fit? (Originally Posted: 12/21/2012)
I'm a first-year Analyst at a BB and have been speaking with another BB. I have interviews with MDs coming up soon and was wondering if they would ask me technical questions. My understanding was that officer-level guys usually focus more on fit, and I don't recall being grilled on accounting questions by senior guys when I was a college kid. Truth be told, I hate math and haven't done much quantitative work thus far...
trust me, your MD probably forget how to do multiplication by now. And no, most MDs dont even know how to do a DCF but you should be always to prepared. If you want the job, you gotta cover all bases.
I need help ASAP. Interview with MD at a BB in 2 weeks! (Originally Posted: 01/12/2013)
Hey, guys.
So, I've been interning at an elite boutique Investment Banking firm in NYC for the past 6 months now. During my time there, I've managed to build a lot of great relationships with other interns and upper level management. A few months ago, we had a new client bring his business with the firm and he happens to be a high profile individual. For the sake anonymity, I won't state any names or companies.
I spoke to him a few weeks ago about any employment opportunities with a BB. He actually suggested I speak to one of his buddies at a BB who also happens to be an MD and is considered a major "player" in the IBD world.
I sent him an email the other day about how I graduated recently and looking for an opportunity for a possible interview. He responded a few hours later and said he would love to help. He gave me his direct cell phone # and asked that I call him in a few weeks, because he'll be traveling to Asia next week. He also asked for my resume (I already attached my resume in the original email that I sent out) so he can forward it to the recruitment team.
What should I expect from this phone call? Do I have a legit shot at IBD? How do I prepare for this?
Thanks for the help guys.
If he has an opening in his group and you are qualified then you he might be able to offer you a position within his group. Sounds positive though
sounds like you have a legit shot.. better start studying for your interviews
I had a MD in IBD at a BB tell me that I'm not eligible for the next analyst class because I graduated in May 2012 (assuming you did as well) .. this came from HR. I'm still waiting to see if an exception can be made. So, I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, although if he has some sort of position directly within his group, circumstances may be different.
edit - if you graduated this Dec. and not May like I think, you are in business pending he can push your res.
This is directly related to how much pull he has. If he really is a BSD and likes you... absolutely you can get a job from this.
You can define BSD at the Managing director level as follows: 1. Could be head of the sector group 2. Rakes in more deals than the head, so is paid more therefore allocated more resources
When you talk to him try and be more "high level" and second you want to "prove" you really want to do IBD and nothing else. At that level they ask you much less in terms of technical answers if its just a "get to know you" situation. The lower on the totem pole you go the more likely they ask you technical questions because they don't want to teach you.
Have a good reason why you want to work for him/that team... IE: maybe you're interviewing for the best Med Tech banker out there in that case name deals/tombstones etc...
Finally, if this does not pan out... Do not throw away his contact info. Make a good impression and hit him again when the regular cycle of interviews are coming up.
He is head of his sector group and made probably one of the biggest deals last year. His name is all over the news. The division he works for is actually what interests me the most and I have a lot of knowledge and background info on him and the company. I'll def do my homework for the next couple of weeks and prepare.
I graduated Dec 2012. So, I think I'd be eligible for the Class of 2013 analyst program.
Don't screw this up. I think you're on to something.
Yep you could get a job from this for sure...
So your best preparations would be below: 1. Reason why his group/sector 2. Name drop some info BEYOND his major deal so it shows you did research (I would name drop the major deal and then another one maybe 2-3 deals back so it implies you keep your eye on the market) 3. Have your story IRON clad strong, feel free to post/pm or whatever he will absolutely ask you about your history/why you want to do it. 4. Be happy not nervous. This sounds "lame and stupid" but its the truth. When you pick up the phone people can feel your personality immediately. This separates average people form good workers in some cases. He wants to be talking to someone who has a positive attitude. 5. Have a sector/stock in mind with some basic investment thesis "high level" (tablets versus PC's would be an example everyone would be aware of) but of course choose one related to the space.
Thats pretty much the basics, assume you know the simple finance stuff but would peg the chances of him grilling you on financials at 0.0000001%.
The key to life is always the same "Is this guy cool and would i hang out with him". People always want to help people they like.
This guy knows what hes talking about, nice stuff WSPlayboy. Goodluck OP, this is a golden opportunity! Keep on grinding.
Yeah, I think I can prepare well for this. He's head on TMT--more specifically: Internet space. TMT is what really interests me and I follow those sectors the most, especially in the market.
I'm also a double major in engineering; Biomedical Engineering to be more specific. The whole tech thing is another part of me that I really have a passion in.
You think dealbook would be a good place to find details on this person past deal history?
The company website is your best bet, pull up tombstones on the TMT sector in that arena.
Would avoid talking about facebook and actually if possible talk about two different sectors. Internet is the easiest space in the world and requires zero skill or knowledge so everyone is "interested" in Internet. Of course it has the most activity as well...
With that said you can just mention one internet deal and then one different type of tech deal (if possible find a bio tech deal so you can spin yourself easier as a good candidate).
Hard to tell by verbage if he is head of TMT or "internet head"... If internet head then yeah adjust commentary and stick with internet deals and again flush out anything that would make you spin your background easier.
Overall though, the key is much more about getting the guy to like you than it is about showing how "good you are"... the mid level guys decide if you're "good" because they will ask all the technical stuff. You basically want this guy to send you to be interviewed by the mid level people, he doesn't care about your financial skills because he only sees the end product anyway.
Same mantra, "How can i get this guy to like me"... If possible try to find any connection with him, same school, same major, same interest in tennis who knows. Making a connection is key.
MM Phone Interview with MD (Originally Posted: 07/05/2013)
Through networking on LinkedIn I was able to set up a phone call with an MD at a MM this Tuesday (Jefferies, Piper Jaffray, Houlihan) and I have no idea what to talk to him about.
On his profile it said he works in investment banking but when I messaged him he said he actually works in a fixed income trading group.
So what should I do to leverage this into something valuable and potentially an internship referral down the road? Any specific questions I should be asking?
Just make sure you're prepared with the usual. Story, b/s fit/behavioral questions, and technicals. As an MD, will he ask you them probably not... not even close, but its good to be safe and protect yourself to the downside. Just keep the conversation light and the pace moving. Bullshit w/ him, ask him questions about his experience, pointers for yourself, what he likes about the 'gig.
My one big piece of advice is don't 'overstay' your welcome, be in control and close on the right note by asking how stay involved or some shit. Aim for 15-20 minutes, but be flexible and responsive, if the call feels like its stalling out, just fuckin close. It's better to have a crisp, well-paced conversation for 10 minutes than a painfully slow, wrought with awkward silences 20 minute call. Quality over quantity. Also, its better to be in the drivers seat at this point in the call and have the MD actually think about it, and then respond versus him saying 'Oh shit, gotta go thanks' and you muttering out some like 'wait I... wanted to know how to...' and then he hangs up.
Stay loose. Go forth and Conquer!
OP, if you do not already know, this is an informational interview and not an actual interview.
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