Mistakes mistakes mistakes

I'm a 1st year analyst in IB coverage at BB. Always considered myself to be a fast learner and a reliable analyst. However I've realized I started to make so many small mistakes here and there that I'm starting to really worry about my attention to detail. Maybe it's because I'm just physically tired from all the late nights or just not giving a fuck as the holidays are approaching...

Was wondering what kind of steps it took for you to overcome this and is it even possible to produce a "perfect" work without any comments? Thanks yall

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful
  • 1st of all, you'll always have comments, the trick is to make sure you are perfect on formatting / firm standard. 
  • When you are completing comments, use a highlighter on a printed version to make sure you got everything
  • Review the finished product printed out or at least in Adobe, not in PPT - you will be floored with what you find
  • If you have a marked up PDF, flip the pages back and forth between the new output and the one with comments to make sure they are included - this will also show you if things have shifted
  • Associate trick: when market updating, flip the new and old page back and forth in adobe using ctrl-tab. What changed? Does that change make sense (e.g. stock price went up but our multiple stayed flat -> check consensus projections-> did they change? no? then the multiple should have gone up)
  • Last step before you send over updated deck, open the attached PDF from the email (ie not from where it's saved) to give one last look at what you are about to send. Especially late at night you WILL find a mistake (missing page number, unfinished bullet, etc). 

Lastly - short of getting something done for a meeting that is commencing, always always always take an extra few min to double check. Play the tape forward when you are getting down to it - will you hit the deadline? If not, shoot a quick note to the Associate/VP saying it is taking a bit longer and you are ticking and tying and will have something by [reasonable delay].  What is prob killing you is adhering to the (likely fake) deadlines. On time and wrong is worse than a heads up that it'll be a bit late and perfect 

 
  • 1st of all, you'll always have comments, the trick is to make sure you are perfect on formatting / firm standard. 
  • When you are completing comments, use a highlighter on a printed version to make sure you got everything
  • Review the finished product printed out or at least in Adobe, not in PPT - you will be floored with what you find
  • If you have a marked up PDF, flip the pages back and forth between the new output and the one with comments to make sure they are included - this will also show you if things have shifted
  • Associate trick: when market updating, flip the new and old page back and forth in adobe using ctrl-tab. What changed? Does that change make sense (e.g. stock price went up but our multiple stayed flat -> check consensus projections-> did they change? no? then the multiple should have gone up)
  • Last step before you send over updated deck, open the attached PDF from the email (ie not from where it's saved) to give one last look at what you are about to send. Especially late at night you WILL find a mistake (missing page number, unfinished bullet, etc). 

Lastly - short of getting something done for a meeting that is commencing, always always always take an extra few min to double check. Play the tape forward when you are getting down to it - will you hit the deadline? If not, shoot a quick note to the Associate/VP saying it is taking a bit longer and you are ticking and tying and will have something by [reasonable delay].  What is prob killing you is adhering to the (likely fake) deadlines. On time and wrong is worse than a heads up that it'll be a bit late and perfect 

This is on point. 

 

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