CorpStrategy M&A MBA Intern
I was hoping to PM Nefarious since he did the 2-part interview last year and works in the A&D sector, but it is likely better to have the answers on the forum for others to use.
I have an interview for a corporate strategy MBA internship at a F500 A&D firm coming up and wanted to get some thoughts on types of technical questions/cases to expect.
There are two interviews set with the VP and senior manager. There was no real screening just a short write-up of a few behavioral questions.
My concern is I am a career changer with no finance experience. If the questions are focused on the sector or company itself I will be fine, as I have about 10 years experience in the sector.
Outside of the basics; DCF, WACC, company financials and valuation methods, should I expect anything else or none at all. Trust me I have researched heavily, including almost every glassdoor interview related to corpdev/strat, the responses are pretty vague.
Since the forums here are active I thought it would be a good place to ask about what questions a VP/Senior manager might ask outside of looking for fit within the team.
Thank you, these forums are have been a great resource,
Watson
@"Nefarious". @"harvardgrad08". Hopefully I tagged them correctly.
@"Nefarious-"
hg08 doesn't seem to hang around anymore
CorpStrat M&A in the Defense industry is different than other corporations as everything is done with networking and connections. Then, when you think you might have a done deal, governments can get involved and piss all over everything. See the BAE Systems and EADS merger.
That being said, I am not sure exactly what you are interviewing for. Are you going to be doing the actual analysis? If so, have an understanding of the technicals. Are you going to be doing front facing work? If so, present yourself in a way that shows you can close deals. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask them here, or PM me directly.
Just an FYI - I no longer work in the field. I left a few months ago for a different opportunity.
Appreciate the responses. I am well aware of the pain dealing with the government. It is almost comical how deals are decided; rarely based on financials. Though it has started to change.
The position is pretty vague since it is only an internship. My guess is due diligence work on prospective acquisitions. The job posting reads towards research and presentation; only a mention of financial modeling.
After talking with a few people, most agree the interviews are more likely to be fit questions and discussing the defense sector in general terms.
Ah, I see. You are going to be doing a lot of bitch work.
As far as the interview goes, spend a lot of time focusing on the three financial statements as those are the foundation for a lot of M&A work. Most M&A departments have their own special way of valuation, DCF modeling, etc.
You will be putting together a lot of .ppt's and pitchbooks. Outside of that, you won't really be giving presentations.
Try and make connections on a personal level, look into the industry, research the company, and try and think about what M&A deals might make sense.
How easy was it to find this internship? I'm headed to Johnson this fall, and am looking to get into corp dev. I understand most people spend a few years in banking to get some deal experience first, but how available are internships like this to non-ex-bankers?
Sorry for OT!
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