2 Quick Interview Questions
Hi, Got an interview coming up with a lower MM bank soon and I have these two broad questions:
1) What to say to "Why this firm" when I can't really find anything unique on their firm from news/transactions and since they are not really a top bank. I can always BS the lower level analysts/associates but I feel like this won't fly with the MD's.
2) How to answer general market/M&A industry questions? I have prepared a few M&A deals that stood out to me from 2019 but not sure how else to prep. I have previously been asked what websites do I use and what deals I found interesting, but I don't have much experience with this Q. Should I somehow tie it with their own deals?
Thanks in advance.
If an MD is asking you "why this bank" and there is not much public info on the bank, they probably aren't going to berate you on it. I would HIGHLY recommend having phone calls with 2-3 analysts/associates and ask them what differentiates the bank, why they chose it, etc. This takes your answer from "Google said XYZ" to "I talked to 3 analysts on your team and they said X, which really aligns with my interest in Y".
Websites - WSJ, Morning Brew are easy news sources. One question I like to ask about a person's prepped M&A deals are if they can explain the reasoning/synergies behind an acquisitions, even at a high level (also assumes these are large public companies, if they are private or small cap M&A I wouldn't ask that). Show me you can think critically and not just grab an M&A headline.