Deal Sheet

What Is A Deal Sheet?

A deal sheet (DS) records the number of deals or projects employees have completed at the company during the fiscal year. These are deals where the person played a key role and helped the company or client get the best deal.

It can also show the candidate's experience and show they can be a great asset to the company. It also serves as proof that you have experience in such trading.

If a deal involves a company and a candidate needs to be selected, presenting the DS will allow the person to demonstrate experience in this deal, saving the recruiting team time.

These sheets are the most undervalued piece of paper because most employees don't know the value of this. It can also be important for a company to select the right candidate for the job.

Suppose you know this game, the deal sheets, unlike resumes, do not exaggerate employees' contributions to the firm; it's the opposite: it presents information in a very to-the-point manner and does not beat around the bush.

There are certain steps that an employee must follow while making a DS; otherwise, it’s just a piece of paper that could be thrown or can be molded into an airplane.

Why is a Deal Sheet Needed?

This question may come to your mind: why do we need a DS when we can make an eye-catching resume and present all the information on that piece of paper?

So let’s answer the question.

Just imagine a situation where you want to switch to another firm or industry, so you connect with the headhunter. They find your profile intriguing, so they call you and ask for certain documents like a resume, salary slip, educational certifications, etc.

You provide it to them, but now comes the crucial question: Do you have a deal/project sheet? You respond that you can make one tomorrow and begin assembling your top three or four deals that you have completed effectively.

However, to do this, you must carefully study the deals you have done to identify the details that should be included in the sheet.

Now it requires a lot of time and effort to do so because of all the research that requires you to present in a precise format that the interviewer can just glance at and get an idea of your caliber.

If you prepare the same beforehand, you can also practice the expected questions that the interviewer can ask to get you that extra edge.

Does the Deal Sheet make a difference? 

Many of the resumes that the firm receives have a lot of padding. In other words, the candidates try exaggerating their resumes to get an edge, but it worsens the matter.

Most resumes have the same redundant phrases and job experience, making the process very intricate.

As the interview process is very complex and time-consuming, the resume redundancy problem worsens the matter, so the interviewer often requires a DS to better understand the candidate's experience.

A DS tells the interviewer about battles(deals) they had fought and then converted into victory(Closing deals). This will give a very clear idea about the nature of the candidate, and the interviewer can quickly conclude whether or not you are a perfect match!

Tips for Compiling a Deal Sheet

This question may be on your mind, affecting whether or not the DS you are building stands out from the crowd because while everyone has a DS, only a few applicants may have the perfect formula for cracking the code.

Some points are necessary to include in the DS, such as

1. Company Overview
   A small introduction of the firm and its geographical presence and basic financial information, such as Stocks, EBITA, revenue, market cap, etc.
2. Date Of Deal
   The deal started on dd/mm/yyyy and ended on dd/mm/yyyy
3. Transaction Rationale
   Why did the buyer and seller want to get this deal done? Is it because of the following:
   • Debt Repayment
   • Expansion project
   • Introducing a new product
4. Your Contribution to the Deal
   How did you help the client/ firm close the deal?
   For example- When I got my hands on this deal, I helped my team by…., and that’s how we got to close this deal.
5. Your Role in the deal
   For Example - Analyst, Associate, AVP, etc.

These points are basics to start from while making a good sheet, but that’s not all. It’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Types of Deal Sheet

Many types of DSs used in different industries, and every deal sheet is unique. Some of the industries are

1. Real Estate
2. Investment Banking
3. Law 

1. Real estate Deal Sheet (RE DS)

Real estate is the land and any permanent structures, like a home, or improvements attached to the land, whether natural or man-made.

A real estate is a form of real property. It differs from personal property, which is not permanently attached to the land, such as vehicles, boats, jewelry, furniture, and farm equipment.

Brokers typically create real estate DSs to provide attorneys involved in a real estate transaction with pertinent information. This includes details about the offer, such as price and terms.

DS are important documents that allow investors to present a snapshot of the deal's most important information. This allows both sides to agree on what has happened and prevents discrepancies from delaying the transaction later.

Some points are exclusive to real estate DS. Those points are:

• The cost of the property may fluctuate or develop throughout protracted negotiations.
• The anticipated closing date clarifies when the transaction will end.
• Every relevant information regarding deal financing, including pertinent funds and lenders.
• Inclusions and exclusions, if any.

Here is an example of RE DS.

2. Investment Banking Deal Sheet (IB DS)

Investment banking is a branch of banking that aids people or organizations in raising capital and offers them financial consulting services. In addition, they serve as a middleman between security issuers and investors and aid startup companies in going public.

The associates who work there prepare their DS beforehand so that when they exit the bank into fields like PE (private equity), Hedge Funds, Consulting, etc., they can just show their experience through the sheet, which saves a lot of time for the head hunter and helps them to make swift decisions about giving the candidate the offer.

In investment banking, the specifics of every deal you’ve done, such as

• profit generated  
• yield per share 
• Role in the deal
• Client information ( Not sharing any confidential information) etc.

Here is an IB DS example.

3. Corporate Lawyer Deal Sheet (CL DS)

Corporate lawyers are commercial law experts. They are in charge of ensuring that a company's transactions adhere to corporate laws and regulations.

They could work for a law firm or as part of a company's legal department. Document preparation, partnership evaluation, and deal negotiation are all responsibilities.

CL DS is a document that lists the major cases or transactions on which a lawyer has worked. If you are an experienced lawyer, it’s obvious to have a DS.

Corporate Lawyer DS usually has points such as:

• Closed Cases
• Details of Clients ( No confidential information must be shared)
• Lost cases ( To show the mistakes)

CL DS resemble somewhat resembles IB DS. The difference is that lawyers have to fight cases to win, but IB has to give a sales pitch, after which buying and selling companies and shares happen.

Here is a Sample of CL DS.

Important Deal Sheet Tips and Tricks

Most candidates who create a DS do it in such a way that hurts the eyes of the interviewer. To reduce the time and pain in the interviewer's eyes, there are some important points to keep in mind when creating DS that will help you:

1. A DS isn’t needed if you are a greenhorn ( Fresher).

Don't stress about developing a deal sheet if you are just starting at a firm. Instead, focus on getting to know the company and the deals they handle.

2. Procrastination is an enemy.

When you start making the DS, it requires research and a lot of hard work and time, and you have to do this after your office hours, making it even more difficult.

So our minds think DS could be made on weekends, but then some kind of work comes up, you have to run errands, etc.

3. Date your Deals/Projects

Just as we state our experiences in descending order, i.e., the earliest first, we should always mention the date of the deal in our DS so that the interviewer has an idea of which deal you dealt with last.

4. Elaborate on your specific role in the deal.

Mentioning and elaborating on your specific role when writing DS gives a clear picture of the business and your contribution to it. It also helps you in other ways, such as:

• It helps you remember the business so that preparing for the interview is easy.
• It also shows that you are a serious candidate, as you had to reflect on your role and experience related to the business.

5. If you have dealt with legal matters, always mention them.

Suppose you have faced legal problems during the deal, e.g., court dates, lawyers' meetings, witness testimonies, etc. Try to mention how you dealt with these problems.

This says a lot about the applicant's profile and shows that you are willing to face challenges and are not afraid of things like courts, lawyers, etc.

6. Don't mention any classified information.

It might seem obvious, but this is a really important point. Avert disclosing any sensitive information that can cause issues for you or the business. However, it may be a safe choice if the company has publicized the name. 

7. Include Deals that you lost or didn’t close.

Since nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, if you were involved in a deal that you couldn't close or ended up losing, try to ensure you mention that deal and the specific details while keeping in mind the confidentiality clause.

Also, mention how you lost that deal and what lessons you learned from it. Mentioning those errors and the lessons learned from them speaks volumes about the candidate's character.

8. Try to cut down on redundant deals.

If you have a similar business for a client, you should try to make only one entry to avoid redundancy and to spare the interviewer's eyes.

9. Categorize the DS into separate blocks.

The easier your deal sheet is to read, the greater the chances of your selection. So divide it into logical categories separated by headings.

10. Ensure you comprehend and familiarize yourself with the information you are writing on the deal sheet.

If you have been compiling your DS since beginning your career, familiarize yourself with the business and review the details. Then ensure you keep track of your business.

After that, make a list of possible questions about your business deals. Again, it will be advantageous if the interviewer asks you the same questions.

11. Proofread

Last but not least, ensure you proofread and make corrections to the DS because any error at the later stage may cause you a good job opportunity.

Researched and authored by Aman Jha | LinkedIn

Reviewed and edited by Parul Gupta | LinkedIn

Free Resources

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