Lazard first round - Consisted of three parts

Hey peeps, So i couldn't really find anything online to help me prepare for my interview. Hated the feeling of not knowing what to do. So thought i'll put something up to help others!

The first round basically consists of three parts: 1. Case study 2. Numerical test 3. Interview

The case study is surprisingly very straightforward. It does not require you to have any previous technical knowledge at all. It is also not very detailed- they've been incredibly fair in terms of giving everyone an equal shot of getting through. All they are looking for at this stage is how capable you are in summarizing information, presentation etc.

The numerical test is one of SHL's verification test- apparently its only notifies them if the score matches or is in line with the previous test you did. The thing about this that i found difficult was the fact that it was much more detailed. The questions to be honest are much easier (mostly percentages and ratios) but you have to work it out for each company etc. There are only 10 questions for this test.

Lastly, the HR interview really wasn't that bad. I wasn't entirely sure if they were going to assess my m&A knowledge so I made sure I read enough about issues affecting the M&A industry, deals that have been taking place/announced and a lot more about the company itself. But fortunately my interview was much simpler than I would have ever imagined. The two women interviewing me were incredible nice and friendly. They asked me basic competency questions like leadership, teamwork etc. And some career motivation questions like why Lazard etc!

All in all it was a really pleasant experience. I was terrified about the the whole process but it turned out to be pretty ok and a good learning experience. Just make sure you are yourself and confident about what you are saying, writing etc!

Good luck!!