Raymond James & Associates

The interview process started with two phone interviews that were mostly behavioral. After completing both, one with an Equity Research Associate and one with the MD, Super Day was just around the corner. It began at 6:45 am when we listened to all of the Analysts' morning call notes so we could experience the early morning life of an Associate. We then had 6 interviews with different Research Analysts and 1 interview with the MD of Equity Research. Most of the interviews were behavioral. One of the Analysts asked some quick top-of-the-head math, and the MD asked us to pitch a stock. We also had an hour-long writing assessment. We were given a prompt and had to write about it. Mine had to deal with why the market fell so quickly in September 2014 (my interview was in October). I did a standard 5 paragraph essay with an intro, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. It was a one-pager. After I completed this, the MD asked me how I think I did. I said content-wise, I thought it was strong. She specifically asked how I think my grammar and writing style was; that's what's important in Equity Research since we write so much. Then, all of the candidates and members of the Equity Research team went out for dinner and drinks. They just want to make sure you don't make a fool of yourself. This was on Friday. I got my offer Tuesday morning. Overall, it was a very positive process.