Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb Interview Questions

8 total interview insight submissions
Interview Experience (87%)

The Interview Experience is a score from 1 star (very negative) to 5 stars (very positive) generated based on the Interview Insights at this company.

The number you see in the middle of the doughnut 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 interview insights). 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.

4
  • Very Negative
  • Negative
  • Neutral
  • Positive
  • Very Positive
Interview Difficulty (97%)

The Interview Difficulty is a score ranging from very difficult (red) to very easy (green) generated based on the Interview Insights at this company.

The number you see in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the simple average of these scores. The higher the number, the more difficult the interviews on average. If you hover over the various sections of the doughnut, 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 interview insights). Simply put, as a company gets more insights, the confidence of a "true score" increases so it is pulled closer to its simple average and away from the average of the entire data set.

3.5
  • Very Easy
  • Easy
  • Average
  • Difficult
  • Very Difficult

Interviews at Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb

Filter by:
Year
Job Title
Group/Division
Location
Experience
Difficulty
Intern
Year 2023
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Equity Capital Markets
Location New York
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2021
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Generalist
Location New York
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Average
Student / Prospective Monkey
Year 2018
Job Title Student / Prospective Monkey
Group/Division Investments
Location Chicago
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Average
Intern
Year 2016
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Generalist
Location New York
Experience
Very Positive
Difficulty
Very Difficult
Intern
Year 2017
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Research
Location Chicago
Experience
Very Positive
Difficulty
Difficult
Intern
Year 2014
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Investment Research
Location Chicago
Experience
Very Positive
Difficulty
Difficult
Intern
Year 2012
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Generalist
Location New York
Experience
Neutral
Difficulty
Easy
Intern
Year 2013
Job Title Intern
Group/Division Prime Brokerage
Location Chicago
Experience
Positive
Difficulty
Difficult

Interview Questions & Answers - Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb Examples

Sequoia Fund Summer Analyst Interview - Equity Capital Markets

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: May 2023
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
Started off with brief behavioral questions, asking why I chose my college and why Finance vs STEM majors. Technical-wise, nothing specific like pitch a stock or describe how $10 depreciation flows through the 3 statements. It was very qualitative and trying to assess how you think of businesses. Some macro questions like how do you expect the markets to behave in the next year or so and do you think the optimistic performance this year is warranted.
Interview Questions
How would you assess the profitability prospects of a high-growth subscriber business?
Explain your outlook on the markets for the next year

Summer Intern Interview - Generalist

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: June 2021
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Skills Test
Interview
It was a conversation basically geared to understand my passion for value investing and my pervious university experiences.
Interview Questions
The interviewer basically was saying how you must know what you want to do with your life and value investing must be your passion.

Summer Analyst Interview - Investments

Anonymous interview candidate in Chicago
Interviewed: August 2018
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
Phone Interview
Interview
Was given information to apply from on campus student organization. Submitted resume and cover letter, interview request followed. 1 hour phone interview.
Interview Questions
Interview was fairly routine in that most of the questions were behavioral. Questions surrounded why I chose my particular university, my favorite class, strengths and weaknesses, a stock pitch, why I enjoy investing, an investing book I have read, why I was interested in the firm specifically, what my least favorite class and on campus experience was. Additionally, the interviewer gave a summary of the firm and an overview of what the internship program was like - value fund with a very hands off internship experience.

Intern Interview - Generalist

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: February 2016
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
Applied Online
Length of Process
1-2 months
Application
Phone Interview
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
First round was with recruiter, 1 hour where they asked me normal behavioral questions. Prepare and you should be fine. Second round was with a portfolio manager. This round was really hard
Interview Questions
They asked me many questions about my personality, many behavioral questions that you might expect from a normal banking interview. I was asked questions that gauged how I would work on independent projects and with other people.

I was also asked about my investing experience and about companies that I'm passionate about. They really wanted to know about my investing mindset.

I felt that throughout the interview, the PM and the recruiter were just trying to see if I had the personality fit for an investor.

Summer Analyst Intern Interview - Investment Research

Anonymous interview candidate in Chicago
Interviewed: 2017
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
Other
Interview
I interviewed for the Chicago office. I had an initial 1 hour skype interview with the HR contact followed by another 1 hour skype interview with a PM.
Interview Questions
The first interview was very basic and straightforward. For the first 10 minutes my interviewer gave a history/background of the firm. They spent about 40 minutes just asking me questions about myself, trying to get to know me as best as they could. Some questions were: Why did you choose your major? Why did you choose to attend your school? What is your investment philosophy? Also was asked to pitch a stock, which took about 10 minutes.

The second interview with the PM was almost entirely focused on discussing the stock pitch. The PM really dug into the investment thesis and see if there were any stones left un-turned.

Summer Investment Analyst Interview - Investment Research

Anonymous interview candidate in Chicago
Interviewed: February 2014
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
Phone Interview
Group Interview
Interview
Brief snapshot followed by more in depth explanation:

Snapshot:
- Legendary value investing firm with about $30bn split between its record holding sequoia fund and two or three hedge funds. Not much is known about them but these guys are really about as good as it gets so do your homework and show some respect, you arent walking into a BB IBD interview, Ruane is another animal
- Flat hierarchy, even summer interns work autonomously (stress your ability to do so in your interview/opposite structure of banking)
- Intellectual environment, they look for the most thoughtful and intelligent candidates, this seems to be the most important factor to them
- Learn value investing and demonstrate passion for investing
- THIS PLACE WILL SET YOU UP FOR LIFE, so seriously, if you have not at least read "The Intelligent Investor" before interviewing, you do not even deserve it

In-Depth
Applied through campus recruiting (I think they only recruit HYP, I could be wrong, but I also know that they do take a look at online applicants to find hidden gems so this is one of the few places where the resume drop is not a black hole). Interview consisted of an explanation of the firm structure (legendary MF and a couple hedge funds with investment analysts working collaboratively across each fund). Was asked to pitch a stock. Questions were very personal, the interviewer really wanted to get to know my personality and was trying to assess hidden potential. Two weeks later went to the office (50th floor of the Solow Building nicest office I have ever seen) and had three 2 on 1 interviews with managers of the various funds. Questions were deceptively simple, such as which company CEOs would you like to meet, or what would you do if you were king of a random country. Also was asked about books that I had read, and was given a brief case (how many windows in your dorm room building). Word of caution, Ruane is packed with incredibly smart people. The whole interview literally felt like they were trying to feel out my intelligence, thoughtfulness, and how well my personality and analytical skills were suited for a value investor (I swear these guys summed me up in seconds). As for advice, KNOW VALUE INVESTING. I mean indoctrinate yourself in the concept. Read the intelligent investor (as many books as you can your hands on really) and tailor your answers to the principles of value investing (particularly your stock pitch). THIS FIRM WILL SET YOU UP FOR LIFE, they only take one intern in each office (possibly one total depending on what they think of the talent), but if you really understand value investing and you are near genius with strong social skills and a good personality, then you have as good a chance as any. If I could emphasize one thing, they care much more about your approach, and your potential, than the exactness of your answers (correctly recounted firm metrics far less important than understanding the business segments, why the firm is positioned to continue generating ROE, why sell-side analysts are wrong etc). Demonstrate your independence, passion for investing, understanding of value investing, and be interesting, and then of course hope the stars will align.
Interview Questions
Pitch a stock
How many cups of coffee does starbucks sell per second. How many windows are in your dorm?
If you were king of X country, what would you do?
What book have you read recently?
In depth questions regarding your resume. I had worked at GS the previous summer, they drilled me on why I was interested in investing, because "finance and investing are different things entirely"

Summer Analyst Interview - Generalist

Anonymous interview candidate in New York
Interviewed: February 2012
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
1 on 1 Interview
Interview
I applied through on campus recruiting. It included a resume drop and cover letter. I was then selected for a first round interview. The interview lasted about thirty minutes and consisted of mainly behavioral questions and stock pitches. After about two weeks, I received an e-mail that I would not be making it to the next round.
Interview Questions
Pitch me a stock.
What are your three greatest strengths?
What are your three greatest weaknesses?

Hedge Fund Analyst Intern Interview - Prime Brokerage

Anonymous interview candidate in Chicago
Interviewed: March 2013
Outcome
No Offer
Interview Source
College / University / On Campus Recruiting
Length of Process
Less than 1 month
Application
Phone Interview
Interview
One phone interview, took a week for them to reply me. I was told that the final round interview would be held in their Chicago office, but I didn't make it to that round.
Interview Questions
Name us one company that is currently in our firm's portfolio.
Do you know anyone working in our firm?
As you may know, our fund focuses on value investing. Since you've previously mentioned that you're an avid reader of Dodd and Graham, tell us what other strategies are out there.
How heavy does the ocean weigh?