Oppenheimer LA interview

I am interviewing with this firm next week and absolutely clueless about their culture, people, fit. Anyone with experience working for this firm please give me some advice regarding what type of questions i should prepare myself for (fit/technical or even brain teaser)....this is my first interview for full time so i am extremely nervous..thanks big time

37 Comments
 

beside former CIBC guys which we all know...then it would be tremendously helpful if you guys could be a bit more interview oriented. Just for me, but still appreciate all your advice

 

These guys are primarily focused on restructuring. From what I hear they go head-to-head with HLHZ frequently for a piece of the restructuring biz. Very young office too. Like the poster above said, they are formerly from CIBC. They've got a good practice going and are looking for fresh meat to continue to build out the LA office.

 
Best Response
CLGCTraderThe guys above has the right suggestion.

My 2 cents - I'd go for a CFA designation if you haven't already started that.

Ignore this piece of advice. It has been discussed ad nauseum here, but the CFA is essentially useless for this side of finance.

As far as the interview goes... you're going to want to know your technicals. As previous posters have mentioned, it's a new office so it's difficult to give you direct info on what the interview will be like (technical, fit, etc.). For a SA position, my guess is that there will be a large focus on fit and your understanding of IB, but since you have two prior positions, they'll definitely dig into your experience, what you've been exposed to, and most certainly technicals. If you're not sure what kind of technicals to expect, I'd take a look at dosk's (M&I's) interview guide... It's phenomenal.

If OpCo LA is restructuring, which it seems to be, I'd know a little bit about the differences between recap, bankruptcy (chapter 7 v. chapter 11), etc. That's something you may have already been exposed to in a Business Law class, but if not, just Google it and you should be able to get some basic info.

 

Oppenheimer & Co ? Good Firm, their most know for their research department. Awesome analysts, Example: Meredith Whitney,Meredith Whitney Advisory Group. My Fathers good friend works for Oppenheimer and he has been their for 22 years, so how much does that they? Just be relaxed, confident and speak well.

 

It's hard to give an idea of what the interview might be like given that the office is so new and you're going to be the first "new" analyst they've ever had at the LA office.

Know the standard valuation stuff, but also know about various types of debt and the intricacies of each (ie mezz debt, senior secured, preferred stock, etc). If you want to get into even more detail, study up on liens, liquidation preference, negative covenants, etc...

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”