I am ultimately interested in corporate development but I don't currently have a background to be competitive for a corporate development analyst position. I understand that corporate development and business development are very different more often than not.

I am thinking about taking a Business Development Analyst position at Lockheed Martin while I start and end my part-time MBA program. Would this position in business development get me closer to corporate development?

How easy is it to transfer from business development to corporate development post-MBA?

I know about some of the interviews out there, but I wanted to make a thread that might answer some lingering questions about the F500 recruiting process (namely strategy and finance roles, but since a lot of roles' names are interchangeable, F500 in general).

For strategy internships/FT:
Are interviews case-based, except a bit less rigorous than consulting interviews and maybe more industry-specific?

What sorts of prior experiences are HR looking for in applicants?

For finance interships/FT:
Are they mostly just gauging an interest in finance?
Will there be any technical questions? What type?

What sorts of prior experiences are HR looking for in applicants?

General:

What do people think of this working as a full time analyst? What are the exit opportunities like?

I'm curious about the different groups you might find: financial planning & analysis, development, etc. I'm also curious as to what it's actually called: finance department, corporate finance, etc.

It's for a little project I'm working on, any help would be much appreciated (particularly from gold star folks - I've got some SBs stashed away).

Hi all,

I was curious if anyone knew any good books on project valuation and or real options. There's tons of stuff out there for business valuation and estimating the value of securities, but I'm also interested in learning how to value various projects that a business might undertake, such as the opening of a plant, deciding whether or not to develop a new product or enter a new market, etc. One book I found through google search was "Project Valuation Using Real Options", but I was wondering if there were any others anyone would be willing to vouch for.

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for your replies!
Here's the story:
I go to a small state school that is only recently moving up in terms of rankings (got a full ride). I have been very active on campus and have a respectable GPA of 3.7. I feel, very often that I'm at a disadvantage due my school's lack of reputation in the Business world but after working really hard I was able to land an internship at Accenture as a CFM (Client Financial Management) Intern this summer. The pay is very competitive, benefits are great and the people are great. However Corporate Finance isn't something I'm very interested in (ideal would be IB) but I would be very happy as a Management Consultant at Accenture.

.

Hi, I'm new to the corporate finance world and have final round interviews coming up. The first round was primarily fit and a 'do you know our biz model' type thing. Now obviously I'll need to have some strategic questions up my sleeve since the ppl I'm talking to have been there for a decade or more. Was wondering what type of standard questions you guys always have lined up and if you have any suggestions. Also, does it matter if I discuss the firm's biz model more as a whole as opposed to the focus of the FP&A group (revenue focused) I'm interviewing for? I was thinking about discussing pricing and competitive positioning for sure.

Retrospectively, I think I should have said that I currently have a comparative advantage in persuasion, but my passion is for quantitative areas of corporate finance, esp. QRM.

Is this a good response if they are looking for a quantitative person?

Hello guys, I'm looking into the technical / behavioral / fit interview tips for corporate finance and other sectors (general).

What are some good guides that I can download/purchase?

Just looking for good guides on technical questions, behavioral and fit questions as well.

Thanks in advance!

How often do analysts that start at F100 company move up the ladder and what positions are like?

For example, in banking it's generally analyst, associate, VP, MD, etc. but how does it work in corporate finance?

It is different for every company?

So I'm in need of a little adivce from some people who have been working full-time for a good amount of time. I graduated in May 2012 (BBA Finance) and took an offer from the RE investment firm I had interned at during my last semester of college. After realizing RE was not my cup of tea & wanting a more finance centered role, I decided to pursue a career in corporate FP&A knowing that this was what I'd be happier doing. I received an offer in November after about a month long job search at a rather large (but not well known) healthcare firm as a financial analyst (Divisional FP&A).

Does anyone have a list of companies that look for corporate finance positions in NYC without having to relocate? F500 firms specifically?

Also, do most corporate finance positions prefer accounting or finance degrees?

Hey guys, just wondering if corporate finance rotational programs only recruit recent graduates. I just graduated this January and was looking into this. I might start out small at a lower company since I'm way too late in the game.

Also any general advice would help significantly, I'm going to network and prep for technical/behavior interview questions.

I really want to start an entry role in corporate finance in the NYC location, any advice for that? Thanks so much in advance.

Hey guys, just wondering if corporate finance rotational programs only recruit recent graduates. I just graduated this January and was looking into this. I might start out small at a lower company since I'm way too late in the game.

Also any general advice would help significantly, I'm going to network and prep for technical/behavior interview questions.

I really want to start an entry role in corporate finance in the NYC location, any advice for that? Thanks so much in advance.

Dear WSO, I’m a long term lurker, first time posting. I’m really desperate for your help. I don’t know what direction to take and I know I’m going to get blasted by you guys for making a post like this, but I exhausted all methods and need some genuine advice.
I came from a non/semi-target school (Baruch) and I just recently graduated with a BBA in finance with a mediocre GPA (Cumulative 3.1, Finance GPA 3.3) and I live in NYC. I’m not even going to consider IBD because realistically, I have no chance.
I’m trying to explore a couple of other fields: corporate finance at F500, PWM, commercial banking, and lastly asset management.

Dear WSO, I’m a long term lurker, first time posting. I’m really desperate for your help. I don’t know what direction to take and I know I’m going to get blasted by you guys for making a post like this, but I exhausted all methods and need some genuine advice.
I came from a non/semi-target school (Baruch) and I just recently graduated with a BBA in finance with a mediocre GPA (Cumulative 3.1, Finance GPA 3.3) and I live in NYC. I’m not even going to consider IBD because realistically, I have no chance.
I’m trying to explore a couple of other fields: corporate finance at F500, PWM, commercial banking, and lastly asset management.

Somehow I got an SA position at a great bank in NYC, but I'm not taking either of the mentioned courses until next year (didn't realize importance until it was too late). Is the learning curve going to be impossibly steep? Or does most SA work entail being a bitch who doesn't do much modeling?

In terms of placing into a top MBA Program a couple of years down the road, just wondering which job sets me up better. Which job would provide better exit ops for switching into IB or Consulting?

Please shred it. What is complete crap, what is fluff and can be trimmed, what is good and can be beefed up--be brutal. http://www.razume.com/documents/29913

Synopsis: I work as an investment analyst at a local/regional PWM firm, and I am applying for a F500 corporate financial analyst position.

Thanks in advance.

Average B School (Top 50)
May 2012 B.S Finance
3.9 GPA, 4.0 Finance GPA
No internship <----- mistake I am kicking myself for now and likely will for the rest of my career.

I did not come here for sympathy or to vent my frustration. I am looking for an honest assessment about my situation. I would appreciate perspective on the most effective way to get from where I am now to corporate finance. I have attempted to network through Linkedin and have sent 500+ resumes/covers into the void since I graduated 6 months ago. Not effective.

I was told today by a recruiter that the best they could do would be to place me in a mailroom, or offer me a 10$/hr job for two days scanning and shredding contracts in a commodities firm.

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if I am planning on staying in the southeast am I better off opting for regional MBA programs such as Duke, UVA, Emory, and UNC or would I still be best served by aiming for M7 + Tuck, Yale, NYU, Ross, and Cornell?

Also I was wondering what is the value of an MBA in industries such as Corp. Finance and Corporate/Commercial banking? A lot of guys in high finance discuss the opportunity cost of MBA but for more long-term career oriented industries is an MBA necessary to maintain career progression?

Hey guys, so I have a question as to what I should do for my sophomore internship.

I was recently contacted by a conglomerate (similar to GE) for a financial analyst summer position, meaning that I would be doing primarily corp fin. This is a position in a region that I would like to end up at and it is paid, so I would be able to easily finance housing etc.

Have offers from Houlihan Lokey, Jefferies, and Terra Firma (UK private equity company) - all for London office.

Just wondering which do you think will be best for Silicon Valley VC?

Edit: Regardless of which offer I take I imagine I will have to do a MBA in the US before moving into VC.

Some pro/cons of each I have researched:

- Houlihan is headquartered in LA, and is pretty strong in CA. Have talked to one of the analysts and he hinted at possibility of moving to a CA office after a few years in London, but I'm not sure what the process is for this or how feasible it is.

Hello, I'm a senior who goes to a non-target school, and I had one semester left before graduation. I somehow was able to land a IBM Financial Analyst Co-op offer and took it. I accepted the offer, and yesterday i received the offer letter stating my start and end date. Which is from 1/7/13 to 6/31/13. So my question is, is it possible to end the co-op a-little earlier, like a month early. I would really like to do a internship at a BB ( credit suisse- back off, operations) over the summer as well. I heard that orientation for CS will be on 5/31/13. This means i'll push back my graduation to 12/13. I heard it's kind of bad to quit earlier than the given end date, is it true? and do you think it's worth the risk?

I work in FP&A for a F500 and am planning to take level 1 of the CFA next June. I'm contemplating whether or not I should ask my boss if the company will cover the fees, because it may send a message that I'm planning to leave the company since the CFA isn't directly related to corporate finance/FP&A/accounting.

Any thoughts or knowledge on someone in corporate finance getting sponsorship for the CFA? Any advice on whether it's worth asking to have it covered?

I got an initial phone interview for this position on Thursday. What piqued my attention was that it involved treasury and forex hedging, which I would find interesting. What concerns me is the "operations" title and now making me wonder how much upward mobility a position like this has.

Any input most appreciated.

Responsibilities from the job ad:

As a FSC Operations Analyst, you will assist our Global Treasury team at a tactical level with responsibility for the following:
· Performance metrics
· Ad-hoc analysis
· Bank fee analysis and allocations
· Maintenance of global FX rates, FX back office support and enablement with FX trading partners
· Bank Account Management (BAM)
· Master data set up

How do you calculate asset beta?
The question states:

The Template Corporation has an equity beta of 1.2 and a debt of .8. The firm's market value debt to equity ratio is .6. Template has a zero tax rate. What is the asset beta?

The answer is " .8(.6/1.6) +1.2(1/1.16)= 1.05

Where does the numerator 1 come from?

I got an invitation for a first round interview. What questions should I expect? I have one week or so. It says two bankers from IBD (Corporate Finance) will conduct 20-30 mins. phone interviews. I go to a target school and have not much finance background (econ major). Any advice would be appreciated.