Investment Banking Analyst

Status
1st Year Analyst at
Group/Division/Type
Mergers and Acquisitions
City
Bannockburn
Interviewed
September 2013
Overall experience
Negative
Difficulty
Difficult

General Interview Information

Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
Less than 1 month

Interview Details

What did the interview consist of?
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Skills Test
Background Check
Please describe the interview / hiring process.
I applied online through my University's job portal. I then had to take the "Street of Walls" test. After completing the test, I was contacted by a VP to schedule a phone interview. The phone interview was very basic and consisted of 2 simple technical questions, followed by basic behavioral questions (time you failed, etc.). At the end of the call I was invited to a superday at their office. The superday consisted of 1 on 1 interviews with approximately 5 bankers (MDs, VP, and associates). There was also a case study component, which was relatively easy. Overall, the MDs and most associates were very nice. Some associates and VPs grilled you on technicals and placed a lot of pressure on you during behavioral questions. Some industry-specific questions were asked.
What were the most difficult or unexpected interview questions asked?
Phone questions were very basic. What are the three financial statements, and how do they link together?

IS, BS, and CFS. Describe linkages.
How does depreciation affect the three financial statements?

Pretty simple question. Review the WSO guide.
Why renewable energy/infrastructure?

Described my motivations for working in the industry. Mentioned personal background, where the industry is headed, emerging markets, etc.
Why Chicago? Have you thought about commuting?

The office is big on Chicago. They are also located in a suburb, so you need to consider the 1+ hr commute to work if you choose to live in the city.

Overall Company Rankings

  • 5 Stars
  • 4 Stars
  • 3 Stars
  • 2 Stars
  • 1 Star
Overall Ranking

Overall Ranking is a score from 1 star (very bad) to 5 stars (excellent) generated based on the Company Reviews of current and former employees at this company, taking everything into account.

The number you see in the middle of the donut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. If you hover over the various sections of the donut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few reviews). Simply put, as a company gets more reviews, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire dataset.

3.0
Career Advancement Opportunities

Career Advancement Opportunities is a score from 1 star (very bad) to 5 stars (excellent) generated based on the Company Reviews of current and former employees at this company, taking everything into account.

The number you see in the middle of the donut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. If you hover over the various sections of the donut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few reviews). Simply put, as a company gets more reviews, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire dataset.

2.0
Senior Management

Senior Management is a score from 1 star (very bad) to 5 stars (excellent) generated based on the Company Reviews of current and former employees at this company, taking everything into account.

The number you see in the middle of the donut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. If you hover over the various sections of the donut, you will see the % breakdown of each score given.

The percentile score in the title is calculated across the entire Company Database and uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates (to account for companies that have few reviews). Simply put, as a company gets more reviews, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire dataset.

3.0

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