Monkeys,
I had a phone interview with two associates, MM shop, last week and now I have a lunch scheduled with one of their VPs. I highly doubt I am going to be grilled on the technicals, but I am a little curious as to what he might ask me other than the generic "why banking?" "why XYZ firm?". I've already established the fact that I can walk and chew gum at the same time... Anyone had a similar type of interview structure?
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Given that it is MM and you are getting a lunch interview, I would imagine their goal is to get to know more about your background and what you are like as a person - the "fit" questions. Likely to be more of a conversation than interrogation.
don't salt the soup yo.
I had one of these with a MM bank a few weeks ago. You should only get behavioral questions, like "Walk me through your resume", "Why did you attend XYZ school?", "Why our bank?", etc.
Lunch Interviews (Originally Posted: 10/31/2007)
As part of my Lehman Superday on Friday 2 analysts will be taking me to lunch.
I realize that this is still VERY much a part of the interview process, but what specific tips do you guys have? What should I order? I don't want to get anything messy nor do I want to get the most expensive item on the menu. What other little codes of conduct are there for these types of lunch interviews?
an MD. but i think you;ll find that thread helpful.
What not to order: alchohol, a dinner plate, something really messy like ribs and something because you think is what you should (like an artsy salad).
Have a turkey club, that is always the safe bet. But if you like grilled chicken, fish, salad, etc eat it. No one will judge you for picking anything you like from the lunch menu.
Do not talk with your mouth ful, napkin on the lap, if they ask you to pick an appetizer do it! At ML we use to see how pople would respond because if assertive it says something about your personality, thats what the recruiters told us to do at least.
Lastly, do not seem too picky like asking for: a coke with not too much ice, with a lime slice in the drink and a lemon wedge on the glass. Seriously one guy did this with an analyst and I last year and it did not help his case.
You're not there to eat. If it helps you grab something to eat before you get there. it will help you to keep your mind off the food.
Make sure you order something around the same price as what they ordered. If they ask for a sandwich, don't you go and Filet mignon.
Relax and be yourself. If you try to be someone else and they hire you because of that, you're life will suck after you start work.
just be a normal person
I was in your same position a few weeks ago. Great points were all made in the posts above. Just be sure to relax, be polite and enjoy yourself.
Lunch Interview - Few senior members of a group (Originally Posted: 08/20/2013)
I have a lunch interview coming up with a few senior members of a group looking to bring on another Analyst. I already did a quick phone screen with the recruiter and we are now jumping right into the lunch. I’ve never been in this type of interview/meeting before and was interested if anyone has any insight? Should I expect to be answering technical’s in-between chewing? They did ask me to bring copies of the resume along for what it’s worth.
In my experience, a lunch interview is nothing more than a "get to know you" chat. There's a 99% you will just shoot the shit for an hour and a half. They will still probably ask you the "why our group", "what do you want to be doing", etc...so at least be prepared to answer those types of behavioral questions.
Don't order anything messy, don't order booze unless the boss does (and he won't), make sure you have manners, etc.
Lunch interviews are the best. Just informal enough
You should be prepared for some technicals as well. It will definitely be informal, but that doesn't mean they won't ask you some questions to get a feel for your competence.
That's the sense I'm getting. I don't expect anything too in depth, but questions to scratch the surface of my competence for the job.
Order spaghetti w/ red sauce... it will be impressive if you avoid getting it on yourself
lol
I went for a lunch interview once. Had jumbo shrimp as an appetizer. Choked on a piece. Got the job anyway.
default lunch plan: order what the most senior guy orders
default lunch convo: try to talk about sports/movies/TV shows/weekend(vacation) plans
default lunch avoidance: politics, religion, women
I would be shocked if they ask you anything remotely technical. Lunch interviews are for seeing how you conduct yourself and interact with others in a social setting. It is really important in jobs that deal with a lot of facetime with clients or positions that emphasis teamwork and collaboration. I would read more about things going on in the news, sports, events in the city, etc. Read the last few WSJ's because if there is anything technical it will likely be about some merger/central bank policy/whatever. No one is going to ask you to walk them through a DCF while getting lunch.
As stated above dont say anything remotely political, degrading, etc.
This topic was posted a few weeks ago.
OP, how'd the lunch go? I hope you said plenty "thank you's" to the waiters/waitresses.
No idea what I'm doing for lunch interview (Originally Posted: 06/30/2016)
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More likely than not he's just going to lunch to briefly chat with you, but PWM is pretty much the one area of finance where it's possible to snag an internship out of high school. Inquire if there are any opportunities available (if he says no, pry just one more time by explaining you'd be willing to work for free) but don't sweat it if that doesn't pan out.
Thanks. Should I ask him about any other people I might be interested in contacting? Maybe anywhere else where he believes I can find unpaid internship type work?
For future reference, don't include exclamation points in emails. I have no idea who wrote that script but they lead you in a weird direction.
Anyhow, make sure you use proper manners of course and try to get him to talk about himself as much as possible. Ask him about the path he took to get to where he is, ask him about a typical day in the life, and ask him how you can best position yourself for success. Those questions alone demand long answers and generally when people talk about themselves for long periods of time they come away thinking the conversation was fantastic.
Plus, you'll genuinely learn things. Might not be bad to bring a small notebook and a pen just in case he tells you to contact specific people/companies - and feel free to ask if he knows anyone else you should get in contact with.
Be sure to do some research on the guy before hand (linkedin profile and company bio will suffice) so you can show you did your homework and make sure to write him a nice thank you email soon after the lunch. Other than that - it's just lunch and a conversation. You'll be good and good for you for starting so early.
Thanks for the pointers. Those exclamation points, I added haha.... I'll keep that in mind.
Should I go into the lunch without the expectation that I will get a gig? I'm assuming the chances of that happening are pretty low. Just go in with an open-mind to learn new things?
If you are purely picking a major to maximize your chances of working in investment banking/private equity, you should try to do the commerce major through McIntire at UVA, not economics. You should still do econ if you're really interested in it. Ideally you could try to double and get through as much of econ as you can before starting at McIntire.
Yeah, you apply to McIntire in the spring of your sophomore year and start in your junior year. I'll be working my tail off to get in!
But in the mean time, I will be majoring in economics.
Please act normal, don't be stiff and awkward
Lunch Interview - Senior associate in IB (Originally Posted: 06/26/2012)
I have a lunch interview coming up with a senior associate with an IB. What do I wear, eat, drink ect. Any etiquette tips. I have no idea.
be yourself, wear business casual, don't order anything horribly messy. this is what i do...it hasn't been effective, but i think it will work for others!
I would suit up. It might be casual though, just relax and be yourself.
Don't order a sandwich, and don't order anything you don't know. Order something you can exclusively with a knife and fork, like pasta (not spaghetti)
whut chu order?
fish filet?
Suit no tie.
Tie and suit. Don't order soup.
maybe suiting up is an NYC thing. i'm in the southeast and have never been told to wear a suit to informationals (assuming this is an informational, which it seems to be). nor have i ever met up with someone who was suited up (all MDs and VPs). it would be really awkward and presumptuous IMO to be suited up when the guy across the table is business casual.
tie no suit
Its a 2nd interview
"lunch" portion of the interview with analysts? (Originally Posted: 11/08/2012)
Hi this is my first post.
I have a final round in which I have to meet with the senior managers for a risk management position. Afterwards, they would send 2 analysts out with me to "get a snack" or lunch. Is there any protocol or behavior I should abide to? Do I have to pay the bill? What should be done for this lunch "informal" part of the interview?
If the lunch is part of the interview process they will pay for you. Something to keep in mind, though, is to think carefully about what you order -- don't order a big bowl of messy spaghetti for example. Make sure you will be able to carry the conversation easily while trying to also eat, this can be surprisingly difficult sometimes in these situations
Choose something easy to eat, not messy and that won't make your breath stink. Also a moderate priced entree is appropriate.
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