M&A Coffee Chat after screening my CV
Hey guys,
I've recently been referred by a friend for an M&A analyst position and got an email by an associate asking for coffee along with another analyst.
Since they have my CV already, should I see this as a formal interview and prepare my technicals and qualitatives or is it just a pre-screening in which I should have a good story, some good questions to ask and be attentive?
Thanks in advance!
Always be prepared for at least soft technicals during an informational interview. This said, it'll likely be predominantly fit based questions and a chance for you to find out more about the position. Make sure you have a cogent understanding of some larger and more covered deals and be able to give an opinion on industry outlook moving forward. Chief to all of this is obviously just having a good conversation, it's meant to be explorative for both parties.
In my opinion, you should be prepared for a formal interview. If it ends up being more easy going, then that's good too, but if you show up completely unprepared for the questions they ask you, your relationship with that shop could be over. That said, do all the things you mentioned: good story, ask good questions, be pleasant in conversation, etc. but also be ready for an interview on the spot. Always better to be over-prepared than under.
Thanks a lot for your replies, i'll make sure to prepare for both then.
Would you guys have any examples of good questions to ask in M&A? Also what kind of fit questions they might ask?
It will likely be general fit questions such as "Why M&A, why the firm", make sure you prepare for the question "Walk me through your CV/Tell me a bit about yourself" as that can often set the tone for the rest of the chat and create either a strong memorable impression or one that is weak and makes you seem unprepared.
Also a good tip is to prepare good questions to ask the analyst at the end of the interaction. A good question should be something that you can't find off the internet
I would add to what the others said to be prepared to talk about a recent M&A deal and details such as deal size, multiples, why the companies merged, and your opinion on the deal. People like to ask these types of questions to make sure you are actually interested in M&A and can speak the language.
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