Trending Content
| +106 | At what point should you give up? | 57 | 5m | |
| +37 | Recruiting while unemployed | 16 | 1d | |
| +37 | I am lost on the next step - Need Advice | 8 | 3d | |
| +29 | Tips for: LSE MSc Finance-->IBD SA. Should I go for a third internship in M&A?? | 7 | 6d | |
| +25 | SF vs NY IB Stint | 10 | 2d | |
| +22 | Incoming freshmen at bocconi - SA 2025 recruiting | 15 | 1d | |
| +20 | Can I leverage my sister's attendance at Penn to break into IB? | 16 | 5d | |
| +19 | Trying to break into IB | 7 | 28m | |
| +19 | NYC Consumer PE/Growth Funds with decent comp but amazing WLB? | 6 | 1d | |
| +18 | Job Switch Advice | 3 | 9h |
Career Resources
First question - "So, you go to (non-target school) and interned for (global asset manager). Please tell me why the fuck your sitting in front of me."
lmaooo what did you say if you landed that spot youre a legend
Confirmed not suitable for IB. His bluntness is now validated. GG 4 u, bic boiii.
"you're" - FTFY
Now explain to me why you think you should work in a BB when you can't write proper English?
Jesus! It's an internet forum, stop being such a pedant - it's not a big deal
I would have walked out right away....to never be seen again
Not from an individual but from a firm (I won't mention who). This firm had us in for an assessment day and you had exercises in the morning and afternoon but the afternoon ones were only for those who passed the morning ones. We all do the morning ones and then they bring us some lunch. After lunch a guy comes in with a small piece of paper and say in front of everyone "guy 1, guy 2, guy 3 and guy 4 please go to the lifts. Everyone else can go home. Thank you for coming". Pretty cold and unprofessional to do it in front of everyone.
Dealing with bad interviewers (Originally Posted: 08/31/2012)
I had an interview the other day with a young(ER) individual. He was obviously good at his job, seeing as how he was interviewing potential candidates and was running a small department.
However, he was extremely awkward, to the point where his voice became shaky and his hands were slightly trembling. I almost felt like I was the person taking charge of the situation and had to make a major effort to try and make him feel comfortable.
It got to the point where I felt uncomfortable being in the room and could barely ask about the position b/c he was so nervously scanning my resume saying ''sooo ummm tell me about this' just trying to avoid even the remotest possibility of having a moment of silence.
Obviously this is a problem for me, because if he is that uncomfortable in that room with me, he is not going to have a good memory of that encounter and is thus not going to give good feedback when he later meets up with the other interviewers.
Anyone had a similar experience / tips for dealing with this in the future.
I know of a PE firm who did something similar to this. Was this for a BB/EB or PE?
Actually it wasn't either... it was an economic consulting firm; think FTI/NERA/Bates White
I also know a PE firm (LA office) who has done this.
Lazard in London used to do a variant of this.
Another ER weirdo. Don't blame yourself, he may be on drugs.
I believe it's a firm-wide practice...pretty intense if you ask me!
All ER people are on drugs... honestly... all research people are...
Did you mean youngER or young ER individual ;)) ?
He was a younger individual - not involved in equity research.
I could imagine the year end review process: he wouldn't be able to give you a mediocre bonus because he'd be afraid of a negative reaction from you. Of course, the guy above him would be telling him to sell the shitty bonuses to you and the other employees and he'd probably capitulate. Until you threw a hissy fit to him and he went back to senior mgt telling them you need a higher bonus. They'd tell him to eat shit. He'd come back to you...
You may never actually receive a bonus from this guy as there would be so much back and forth.
maybe he really needed to go take a crap
He's trolling
Not trolling - this is a true story.
reverse the role. start interviewing him about the job detail and anything you want to know.
Exactly. If you find yourself in that position it's a great opportunity to take over the process and squeeze the interviewer for info. Seems like an introvert so he's probably used to being in that situation...might make him stop pissing himself.
That would put any anxiety I had completely at ease.... Id feel like i was in the power position. Id be thinking if this turd can land the job, I surely can! How can I look bad next to him?
I wanted to bitch slap him - I got the job offer, but he would have been my supervisor so I declined.
How was the lunch?
Shit.
“Hi this is MarthaStewartsAFelon”
“Hi, did we have a call scheduled?”
“Yeah, we set it up on Thursday afternoon last week”
“[sounding very annoyed] ...and what was it supposed to be for exactly?”
“My summer analyst interview”
“Oh FUCK”
How to cope with the Bad guy in interviews (Originally Posted: 02/22/2011)
Hey guys,
So I've been interviewing with some of the banks for IBD this year. My experience from almost all of them is the following: On almost all of them, my first interview on the day is smooth and the person interviewing me is very friendly. On second or third I end up with a complete asshole. Who is somewhat of combination of uninterested aggressive and says my answers are wrong even if I know they are correct.
One guy was clocking me 20 seconds on some answers I were given him. (competency based that is)
My question is, is this a conscious strategy by the banks? Or am I just having a roll of bad luck?
Most importantly, How do you deal with the bad guy? How should you act in order to impress him.
That normal bullshit "I have been dreaming about a career in finance, I am great at teamwork and have positive attitude bla bla" don't seem to work on these guys.
Help me out!
Give as good as you get and don't look like a pussy. You need to show that you can step up to the plate. Do it firmly, but respectfully and you'll be fine. Also, you should have convictions in your answers (although if you're way off the mark then admit it).
He is not a bad guy... he is the reality of doing business.
Every single client you come across is going to be skeptical, antsy, nervous, distrusting and a whole other heap of seemingly negative characteristics. If you are going to be in a billion dollar business you better get used to it and stop passing the blame.
His job is to weed out the weak...whether it's candidates, clients, pitches...whatever.
Be prepared, be courteous and most of all don't associate someone not being nice to you with them being bad.
It's a surefire way to fail at interviews, jobs and life as a whole.
Absolutely right - some of it is probably him being abrasive but the reality is he's cutting through the BS of everyone and their mother saying "I've been dreaming of this career since i was 2" and trying to really evaluate you. Best advice is to be assertive in what you know, admit what you don't, and never try to BS your way out of anything since most of the time it's obvious or they will know you're BSing.
I totally get your point. As you are saying one should not take it personally and just stay cool. I think that is the way to pass that guy. And my experience is that at least one interview is gonna be in this nature.
This guy was like: Every question he wanted me to answer on time. Like teamwork answers etc. And whatever I said he was like Ive heard that thousand of times before give me something new. All candidates here are passionate about finance, teamplayers and hardworkers bla bla. Give me something new!
WTF should i tell him. Feels like he wanted me to pull of some incredible story like how I saved a village in africa from a forrest fire. You see my point? What do I tell a guy like this to stand out of the crowd??
wow great answers on this thread. fucking pumped for the upcomings and just talked to another asshole who defused when i kept it cool. it helped that an army captain threatened to punch me out because of my haircut and his boss told him to back down.
+1
lol as if the pressure wasn't bad enough.
i use this, generally; helps to remember the trophy and why you're there, who they're looking for. +1
We've dinged guys who double dipped their bread in the oil when we took them to lunch. You are being watched and judged on everything.
You don't double dip. That is just WRONG.
It is what it is. There's nothing you can do about it other than show that you're not going to get rattled. Everybody in the office only has a little bit of time to pick somebody that they are going to need to rely on. They need to know that you're knees dont quake when someone challenges you. I always liked to think of it as a real challenge to my mental toughness. The hottest fire makes the strongest steel.
Best approach is to have a plan for every question you think might get fired at you. And when your answers get shot down, or questioned as if you're the stupidest person they've ever heard from, be sure to be able to regain your composition immediately. Think college basketball: somebody fouls or does something stupid, but then all 5 guys get together and hit the reset button for that guy. You just have to hit your own reset button - and be ready to hit it many times in that interview.
Having a plan will keep you on track. Plan your answers, plan your reactions, and plan your attitude throughout.
Just believe that piece of shit will be fired soon... I m ust say these idiots often work at shitholes
I've met some absolute mofos from elite firms. So sadly many won't... because they're good at what they're paid do.
If an absolute motherfucker VP worked for my firm and helps originate $0.5bn deals constantly i don't care if he/she swears at interns. i'd probably suggest anger management and ask him to calm down to protect the sensitive intellectual capital that might leave
Just sack up. I once had an interview where an MD had my transcript and went through it semester by semester and told me why I couldn't do the job. I listened to it and then when he was done he said, "Hold on a second I need to make a call." After he got back to the interview room a couple minutes later I said, "With all due respect, I disagree with you..." and clawed my way back into the interview making my case and cutting through all of the bullshit. I wound up making it to the next round. It's all about how you carry yourself and respond. They're looking to weed out the people who are intimidated and find the people who aren't scared of the "bad guy in the interview."
just smile and leave it behind. those guys are just screwing with you.
I'd say that you just need to be sure that you're responding to questions with 100% confidence and never let them rattle you. If they start pushing you and you stutter or start talking really fast, they'll just keep pushing. If you show NO sign of them getting to you and just keep answering overconfidently, they lay off and have much more respect for you. That's how I've handled it from my experiences.
Granted I dont interview people that much since most hiring for my job function are post MBA levels and we only hire a few undergrads a year, but I definitely try my best to be a douche-bag in interviews. I am usually a very easygoing person (just my personal opinion I could be wrong), but I am not one in interviews. It is just my personal belief that people reveal the most about themselves (unintentionally) when they are nervous and uncomfortable.
There's nothing better than being interviewed by a tough guy. Just be confident and put on a smile every once in a while when he gets really nasty, which shows that you know it's all a game and that you are not insecure, because you know that they do this with everyone. It's important that you play along, e.g. you state that you too are concerned with everybody giving the same answers, and that it must be due to the fact that everybody reads the same prep books. Then make it clear that your answers are genuine though. This way you will own the interview. It's really important that you show him how big your cojones are.
Share some stories about mean questions / behavior. One thing that happened twice to me (same day) is that the interviewer didn't pay attention to me at all in the beginning, but just wrote some messages on his bb and went through some files. It's important that you just continue telling your story...in fact he was listening very closely, interrupting me whenever he heard something interesting...
First ever job interview. Lifeguarding. 14 years-old.
Interviewer: "Have a seat. How old are you?" Me: "14." Him: "Have you ever had sex?" Me: "No." Him: "Hmm. Ever touched a boob?" Me: "Yes." Him: "You're hired."
Lol wtf?
God..... Weird!!!
During the fall of 2001 (the tech crash) I went to a final round in Chicago at one of Blair/Baird. We get to the cocktail hour the night before a Saturday super day. I know a couple of the guys who were analysts from my school. We proceed to get drunk and go out in Chicago after the official happy hour. They proceed to tell me that of the 50 kids brought in for the super day that they are probably going to make one offer. I was the only person from my school that made it out of the 30 on-campus interviews they did. So the next day I crushed my interviews...best I've ever done. They end up hiring the little brother of one of the associates. That's how life tends to work though...
They brought 50 kids to a final round for 1 spot and then just hired the brother of an employee.
I gave you an SB out of sheer pity.
Thanks...it all turned out ok so no sweat.
This has Blair written all over it... lmao I am sorry man that's brutal
Was interviewing for a SA S&T role with a dude from Penn and asked him if he was in the undergrad business school in college. Don't even finish the question and he gets this shit-eating grin like he lives for these moments and blurts out "Chyeah, Wharton, ever heard of it?!"
Was actually kinda funny and he was a good dude. Definitely one of those guys that used to be in a fraternity and still talks to other dudes in the work-place like they're his frat bros.
After being recommended for an interview by an MD:
Interviewer: what groups are you interested in?
Me: answers
Interviewer: pauses, chuckles to herself okay school, but not great, low gpa...if X hadn’t asked my boss to look at your resume, I would’ve thrown it straight in the trash. That’s just not gonna happen.
To be fair to her, I wasn’t the traditional summa from Wharton candidate. But to be fair to me, I had excelled in my choice of field for a first job out of college (I was trying to lateral in at the time), I had the chops for the job and the MD that recommended me knew it and said so, I was over their gpa threshold, and they weren’t a top-tier bank by any means. I know for a fact that they have and do make “subpar” hires all the time.
Pick yourself up and dust yourself off, guys. It was a little painful to be smacked in the face like that over the phone, but it only motivated me more.
Hell yeah, +1 bannana for you. Shes just a hater, and doesnt want to admit that youre a good fit culturally for the bank. Keep on pushin! This might be too much to ask but what kind of bank is this?
I would prefer not to say, other than that it was a MM bank.
Wow, that would've really gotten me down, how did you move on from that? was this common with other people you met too?
I can't speak for others, though I suspect to some extent it is common. As to your other question...
I knew she was right. I appreciated her candor in telling me something I knew deep down to be true, but was uncomfortable hearing - that some people in this industry will always see me as a leper because I only got decent grades from a good school and not summa from Wharton. In a way, being told this truth in such a vicious way was refreshing - after that point I couldn't be made to feel any lower than I did, and that felt empowering.
But I also knew she was wrong. I had excelled in my previous work, and I knew I could again if given the opportunity. Someone much more senior, and with more business acumen than her (from her own institution, nonetheless) knew it as well. Ultimately, I chose to view the experience as a loss for her and her bank to ding me the way they did - for even though I understood their reasoning, I knew that I would have made them proud had they brought me on board.
At the end of the day, you have only one life. Are you going to set your ambitions aside and convince yourself that you are destined to be less than others just because some hack in HR and the narrow minded MD they're working for say so?
Prior to finance, I interviewed for a sales position at a fortune 500 tech conglomerate:
The sales manager walks in 10 minutes late, and I shit you not this dude fires off a finger pistol across the table (auto ding #1). As the finger pistol is discharging he opens with "Heeeeeyyyyy.... [pauses to look my resume]... Keyser!!" (auto ding #2). He offers no handshake and sits down (auto ding #3).
He then cracks some grease ball joke about our cross-town college rivalry. I asked him what university he went to and he wasn't associated with either school... (auto ding #4)
Keep in mind we're only 2min into the interview.
I ask him about growth potential at the company; he tells me there are two tracks: "Field sales and marketing... but marketing is for p#ussies, so let's be honest you'll go into field sales." (auto ding #5)
He clears his throat and tells me how much money he made last year (auto ding #6), it was to the tune of $150k+ (auto ding #7). He then says verbatim, "You seem like a go-getter, I could see you making twice that much when you're in my position." (auto ding #8).
He then proceeded to lie about the position, the salary, the responsibilities, his position, and went full Glengarry Glen Ross with some diatribe about "Closers, Hard-Hitters, and Deal Makers."
After leaving the interview, I emailed the recruiter and told them our interests were misaligned.
How did you know he was lying about everything?
Before interviews, I try to (but don't always succeed at) talking to other people at the company in the same position. Nothing he said matched what I heard from others: comp, job responsibilities, titles, trajectory etc.
I lost it at the finger guns lol.
Honestly, what provokes people to EVER do that?
I had a headhunter here on this forum tell me I couldn't be a trader. I didn't have the skillset, two months later I got the trader role.
I had a headhunter tell me like 9 months ago there was just “no way” I could transition from Big 4 into IB, dude kept sending me like fund accounting roles. I basically told the guy to f*ck off, and now I start my job in IB in two days.
Honestly, most recruiters don't know jack shit about their openings, especially internal ones
Honestly, most recruiters don't know jack shit about their openings, especially internal ones
That’s what headhunters say when they don’t have IB clients. Nothing personal.
Hell yeah! +sb
Going through a headhunter and interviewing with a PE firm for an associate position. Several phone screens, a weekend case study, super day, then a video interview with the head partner of the fund. By all indications from HH and group director, I was the guy. A couple weeks of radio silence go by and then I get a call saying they meant to look for a VP level position, not an associate. I was floored.
Ended up getting contacted by said HH again for the same role and politely declined.
Another gem was a MD at a BB telling me to my face that my undergrad school was "a fucking joke."
Wow, that's brutal.
I had a head honcho in my sphere literally call me a rookie bitch.
What school lmfao? cannot believe some people are that pretentious
I had an interview with a EB this past recruitment cycle that was scheduled last minute because of an error from our OCR. The analyst had just picked up his dry cleaning and the plastic was crinkling super loud making it almost impossible to hear. He asked a question, but I couldn't hear so I asked him to repeat the question and he said no.
What is the best way to approach this?
I didn't get a 2nd round so I'm assuming I answered wrong but I just asked if he had any other questions for me
Approx 2004 had an interview with Citadel for Operations. I didn't want to be in Operations but I DID want to be at Citadel. I was interviewing with one of the managers and the senior manager (might have been Head of Operations) poked his head in the door, made eye contact with me for 3 seconds, silently shook his head 'no' and walked away.
Hilarious. Can't tell if he was trying to play head games with you or what, but just hilarious.
Clipping fingernails. That was pleasant.
MM S&T Interview in the US
1) I was at a superday and literally 3/5 of the interviewers laugh at me as I give my bullish argument on WTI crude (it was $45 at the time so jokes on them). Also, 2/5 of the interviewers commented on my non target school (state university). One of them even says, "wow, we don't even look at your school, good job getting in front of us". The same interviewer also asked me derivative questions...on specific convexity, delta neutral, and other Greek specific strategies. Worst part? I asked the other interviewers if they got that treatment...none of them said yes. I actually found out that same interviewer was the one who fought against me getting hired that year.
MBS Desk for a Bank in London
2) Interviewer was late for EVERY interview, including the superday by an average of 20 minutes. One time, in the middle of the interview, he left for 30 minutes. Just goes, "oh brb" and leaves. Asks me to do a model on the spot and then doesn't even listen to my assumptions fully, just waving it off after HE ASKED me to fully explain. Strings me along after 10 interviews, a pitch deck, and a model later finishes me by saying, "yea sorry, we would rather recruit locally".
Also got tossed around for a BB S&T positions in HK, then some convertible bond desk in Singapore after they learned I couldn't speak mandarin or fluent Japanese...after I made it painfully obvious I couldn't from the beginning...
Unreal - so many dickheads in this business and I swear half of them try to get kids to do work for them for free via bogus interviews
Interviewed at a consultancy, got on well with one of the candidates at the dinner the previous evening and grabbed a beer after the final round.
Both good backgrounds, but he went to top top tier, I went to a mid-tier uni (but one that the consultency admittedly recruits and hires from).
We recount our final interviews, they are identical except I get a ad-libbed brainteaser, which was incredibly poorly explained (the structure was tweaked every time I asked for clarification) and felt like a complete afterthought.
Further bit of investigation implied (albeit small sample size) that non top tier candidates didn't have a brainteaser, given we were all engineers/math majors it seemed unnecessary at best.
Got the phone call the next day, great interview, no negative feedback over two days other than 'took too long to complete the brainteaser'.
Caveat - it's a small consultancy and they run potential hires past all consultants at a review day and I may or may not have slept with one of the senior consultants recent ex-girlfriends.
Who knows.
1) Cleared 3 rounds at an MM for a Sales role in Hong Kong. Last round with the Boss of the whole thing. Gave him a Skype call and the moment it connects I can see his disinterested face come up.
Was pretty sure even before the interview started that it was over.
2) Cleared technical rounds for a Financial Engineer role at a big AM. Last round with HR where they just asked for my information. Got dinged.
Did you forget your name?
I wish that was the case. At least then I could rationalize it :D.
When they don't show up and/or aren't ready on time.
My time is equally as valuable as theirs. 5 minutes after the scheduled time and I'm gone.
Once interviewed with a buy-side firm. During the second phone interview with an associate, he called me 10 mins late. Halfway during the call, he said he have some shit to do at work and need to reschedule the phone interview. We both agree to do so later that afternoon. Once again, this mofo called me 5 mins late and the first thing he said was 'I'm sorry, can we schedule the call to tomorrow?" Tomorrow comes and he called 5 mins late again.
Now onto the superday, one of the associates literally told me to give him a couple mins to review my resume while I am sitting right across from him. In the latter half of the superday after meeting with other interviewers, I had to do a stock pitch and then answer their questions. Seeing that associate on his phone while I was answering questions, I just said fuck it and that I ain't gonna take this shit anymore and walked out. Of course, I did so knowing that I have an offer on the table but also know I have the other interviews lined up.
Many years ago I Interviewed at an elite boutique - the founder comes in at the end of the superday and asks me why I went to the business school i attended in a very asshole manner (it’s a very well known school and top program just not liked by extremely conservative people I guess?) I knew my school was ranked way above his own business school or undergrad so I began to sense he had been rejected from the school. I have a top engineering undergrad degree as well so i dont even claim my bschool much ever or care about such things.
Anyhow, I answered the question politely and he asked again, “but I still don’t understand, why go there? Why not go somewhere like XYZ? “ XYZ was his shitty business school. So finally I was like well it’s worked out well thus far and I have offers from several firms - XYZ wouldn’t have the same recruiting etc. He got so pissed, and then asked so what are you going to do when you don’t get this job? I said -well I I’m sure I’ll be okay and continue down my path.
We both mutually agreed to end it there - the guy sees me at conferences to this day and is still a dick which I find comical.
What an insecure prick...
I love it when idiots try to justify why their school was better than yours etc. Its so pathetic and childish..
I'm always confused how assholes like that get anywhere in life, one might argue perhaps they aren't nearly as far as they could be, but still - this is the sort of attitude one might expect to hear from an angry child.
Was seeking an internship for Junior year summer in college. Drove 2 hours in traffic to another city to make the interview - show up 5-10 minutes early with freshly laundered suit and multiple copies of resume in hand.
I wait for 15-20 minutes until head of office (a family connection) comes out to greet me. He arrogantly motions me to come into his office. The interview had been set up by his assistant and I had not communicated with him directly in any way.
Him - "So XXXX, why are you here? The only reason I took this meeting is because I know XXXX. I only have 10 minutes so please hurry."
Me - "I attend XXXX majoring in finance, CRE is my passion, looking for an internship for this summer..."
Him - "We don't have any position open right now - best of luck/nice to meet you."
Well I had a VP answer a 5 - 10 minute phone call during a one on one....
Had a phone interview once. The interviewer did not even say Hi or anything. Just stated asking about what is the current number of the S&P. I was like wait let me tell you a little bit about myself. The person is like sure and went straight to asking stupid questions like S&P current number, dow....
MD walks in
So you got a 3.5 at a non-target school, am I just wasting my time with a fuck up right now?
I had already completed two rounds of interviews and a three-hour excel test, weeks earlier.
Well, was he?
He was singing a different tune, 30 minutes later.
Shitty, no name boutique in NYC. Haven't closed a single deal in years, primary focus was PIPEs, RDOs, and CMPOs. Senior bankers are washed-up from the other lower middle market ECM shops on the street
I was hired out of school as a unpaid intern - with the promise of a salary following getting my FINRA licenses - this was the agreement following the interview and the terms of condition of employment - I was not the only one here btw
Passed my license exams within 2-3 months. CEO walks in and gives us the runaround as to how he can't pay us and encourages us to "get on the phones" as first-year fucking analysts to source deals in order to sustain ourselves.
They basically function as an intern mill - with ZERO intention of ever paying their employees. They continue to operate (idk how or why the PE fund who owns them continues to invest money in them) to this day.
They prey on recent college graduates as well - because they know they're stuck there for at least 6-7 months ( I got out in 10) because they don't have the ability to quickly lateral
"Are you Jewish?"
I don't believe it's legal to ask that...
Real estate family offices don't exactly have thorough HR departments....
"What, you can't tell?"
To that you should respond:
"Yeah, I'm circumsized, let me show you!!!"
Mid - 90s I was the interviewer, hiring a consultant tech writer for an institutional derivatives department.
My first responder arrived with his shirt untucked and his resume written in pencil on a piece of notebook paper.
Seriously? You're telling me you write and print books for a living but you couldn't get that one page resume into a word processor?
Sheesh. I sent him to a temp agency.
I did a massive job search last year (mid-career, strong tech background) and I ran into two scenarios that were very frustrating:
The no-shows. I had SO MANY missed interviews. Either its an initial call after an email or its the first time you're talking to your future boss/team after speaking with HR and they miss it. At first I just thought it was bad companies/recruiters. But it happened more than just a handful of times, most companies just can't keep their shit straight
The unrealistic offer. I had a company bring me in for multiple panel interviews. I built repoire with everyone, crushed the fit interviews and in the technical interviews I was whiteboarding projects, basically set out my first year's worth of work with them, etc. And in the final interview of the day (after being there multiple hours, mind you) they proceeded to offer me about half of what my experience would dictate. The hiring manager told me they knew this, but it was what their budget would allow for the position. A whole day of interviews, wasting my time, when you knew you couldn't afford me. I was so pissed afterwards.
All that work and frustration ended up in a great VP role at a BB so it all worked out in the long run.
Had a 3 on 1 interview at an IB and one of the dude kept looking at his finger nails, picking at them, biting them, and out of nowhere asking if I was talking to their top competing bank. I know it's all part of the process and was probably done purposefully but still, lol
Had a final round interview with a bank in London.
The first interviewer was really nice, crushed the questions, all was going well.
Second interviewer comes 15 minutes late (interview slots were 45 minutes), he asked me to talk about my background because he hadn't read my CV (openly admitted it). Then questions me on my background, through all of which he's checking his Apple Watch for emails and then suddenly gets up and says 'I have to take this'. I smile and wait, 15 minutes later he comes back in and says that I should read book xyz to brush up on my econ and then promptly leaves the room for my next interviewer.
The third interviewer walks in, blank stare, sits across from me, again asks for my background, which I talk about. Then he asks me how much I know about CF, I talk about my modules etc., he said he fell in love with CF because he took one module during his final year at a second rate university and then preceded to tell me that my second year modules at a target university are not sufficient for the role / up to his standard. He also asked me how I would invest £1mil and I respond with the generic split of stocks and bonds and gave examples. Then he grilled me on why I didn't include any real estate, I reply that a split of £1mil is too small to really make any significant investment, he then gets really mad and said that I should have included it regardless of the number. The questions from then onwards were pissy until he asked me where else I applied. I said I currently had two offers, he asked about the chances of me accepting an offer from them (obviously I said yes I would). He looks at me and says 'great!'. He walks me out of the building without saying a word. Didn't hear back from HR for two weeks, where they said the second interviewer wanted to set up a call to interview again. I took great satisfaction with telling HR that I have accepted an offer elsewhere.
No wonder the CF division of that bank is a mess.
Had a phone interview with a very young, lean PWM firm (
One time an MD for a valuation shop asked if I had any questions. I asked what his favorite part of his job was. He looked me dead in the eyes and said “the money”.
Another time I was at a recruiting event that a private equity consultant company was presenting at. I think it was Marsh. The speaker (who wasn’t actually in PE) was talking down to everyone saying how you had to have an Ivy League background and do IB first to break into PE. Someone asks how to break into IB and he starts talking shit about IB and how terrible it is. He then recommended reading monkey business, and says reading it is the equivliant of “seeing that hot girl at the bar take a shit”. Unreal situation to drop that analogy but I cant really disagree
The amount of people getting big-leagued for lack of prestige in finance blows my mind. I didn't think it was this real hahaha
Interview at a CRE mortgage bank. All the big guys are in there besides the head guy. He finally walks in mid interview and starts to tell the most sexist/republican based story about something that happened recently. The story consisted of him being very sexist at a restaurant to the point that the females excused themselves from the dinner. Mid story, he thinks its so funny and is laughing to himself. He proceeds to say "So what are your political views, even though i shouldn't be asking you that"
4 come to mind..
candidate gets wasted at dinner and passes out at table. We had to carry him to his cab. No offer
exp candidate from a supermajor(valero, shell, exxon) who was fired from his prior role. We asked why? he didnt say. next day i called a friend at said firm. he was fired for stealing peoples lunches. it was so weird we passed on hiring him..guy is still in industry
best line - "you do see i have a 4.0"
best reply to a question about the strength of a relationship = "i smoke weed with him weekly"
energy trading can be a clown show at times
The interviewer asked my age, lucky for them they offered me the job and I accepted.
Are they not allowed to ask that? Kid at Jefferies asked me that yesterday for a FT interview
It is illegal in the state of New York, which I am assuming the interview took place. The only question they could ask is if you are over the age of 18. You could potentially have a case if they do not hire you if you claim they discriminated based on age. It would be a much stronger case if there were other Jeffries employees present that could be subpoenaed to testify that the kid did in fact ask your age.
Interview for summer internship after Junior year:
"So why have you only had 2 internships through your junior year of college? Before I began my Junior year internship I had completed 9 internships already."
...
Also, this exact interview was during September 2017. He asked me to pitch a stock and I pitched bitcoin saying it should see growth over the next few months. I said how the finite supply gives opportunity for demand to get a piece of it to skyrocket and that increased awareness and availability of resources for cryptos has grown. I know it's not a great stock to pitch but I wanted to be outside of the box and found it interesting. The dude scoffed at the idea and cut me off mid pitch. I think it was priced at like $4,000 at the time and we all know it peaked at $19k eventually. smh
So he asked for a stock pitch, and you didn't give him a stock pitch. On top of that, you gave him a pitch for bitcoin, an "investment" most serious investors consider to be a scam. I don't blame him for cutting you off.
What do you mean I didn't give him a stock pitch? My single sentence I wrote wasn't everything I said lol. And yeah I guess most serious investors consider it a scam but the price quadrupled.
Anyways my point was that he asked me for a stock that I think there is an opportunity of growth or to make money in, I chose bitcoin and told him why and he basically cut me short and disagreed with me.
There are 4 semesters in college before junior year. So you're telling me this guy completed an internship every semester (4) plus an internship during each summer (2) plus an internship during each winter (2) and then an internship before even starting college? I have a hard time believing he did 9 internships...
Was in a competitive group looking for a return offer at BB. Made pretty solid relationships and got to know everyone on the team pretty well. Last day of internship, HR brought me into a room and said we will not extend and offer and asked for my key card (all in a matter of 20 seconds). Never heard from anyone on the team or got any feedback. Gotta love wall street.
First question - "You go to (state school, non - target), did you not get in anywhere else?" The interviewer went to Baruch I think....
Not me but a friend of mine was asked if she was single in an interview, the interviewer wrote his personal cell number on the back of his business card.
Quia illum ducimus voluptatem tenetur. Et neque reprehenderit voluptatibus rem corrupti pariatur. Porro dolorum nobis culpa excepturi soluta.
Soluta consequatur ad et eveniet optio sit. Illum quod aut rerum voluptatem esse ducimus. Perferendis ea et facere commodi autem non.
In voluptas facere enim. Et facere natus aut. Expedita aut minima dicta ducimus adipisci quidem doloribus eum.
Ex ipsam porro quasi harum. Non est ex nemo et quidem. Suscipit amet sint cupiditate possimus sit quaerat facere officiis. Est ut iste aut rem. Et non sed nesciunt excepturi ratione.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Excepturi rerum corporis ut deleniti saepe possimus. Vitae neque velit dolorum dolor sapiente. Aliquam et nulla quaerat saepe. Quaerat debitis possimus magnam fuga. Alias officiis quae modi fugiat. Et quidem cum at quidem qui. Earum dolor nihil veniam non aliquam.
Inventore ipsam consequatur accusantium accusantium. Illo iste iste rerum veritatis quia recusandae. Dolore necessitatibus dolores molestiae. Maiores laborum non voluptas quibusdam aut rem voluptatem minus. A ipsam harum repellendus qui molestiae alias. Omnis ut dignissimos minus unde molestias eligendi.
Et minus enim voluptatem asperiores. Libero neque pariatur voluptate exercitationem exercitationem. Modi nostrum dolorem voluptatem qui nulla eos. Dolore tempore provident expedita.
Quae nesciunt asperiores quibusdam autem aut eius. Distinctio voluptas et quia doloremque voluptatum. Ex hic non tenetur nulla neque facilis fugiat.
Tenetur unde ipsam saepe voluptatum dicta. Consequatur deserunt omnis fuga. Facere consequatur in saepe ipsam nemo. Assumenda molestias reprehenderit dolorem distinctio est architecto rem.
Perspiciatis nemo omnis quia sit labore. Est sit eveniet suscipit et voluptate.
Velit consequatur hic amet ipsa. Voluptas natus dolore voluptates eos. Repellendus non aliquam et assumenda et. Eligendi qui repudiandae harum ipsum deleniti aspernatur officiis. Et a autem fuga quis. Omnis architecto aliquid et.
Quisquam ullam et quia voluptates. Debitis deleniti impedit molestiae et esse. Error dolore laborum et est debitis. Voluptate quasi non quidem perspiciatis voluptas. Tempora pariatur veritatis ratione rerum aliquid.
Aperiam cum est adipisci sapiente. Mollitia enim aut et quae. Sint facere harum facilis consequuntur. Voluptas nam ut dolor sed.
Eius sed atque accusamus quo cupiditate. Quia laborum et ullam officia. Magni cupiditate ea fuga consectetur sunt ratione incidunt quaerat. Officia quam magnam ut sint ducimus aut id. Mollitia et ea qui non fuga aliquid. Vitae non nulla assumenda aperiam velit animi ut.
Placeat aut qui ea temporibus nihil ipsam quam. Facilis doloremque commodi pariatur. Labore quis adipisci fugit.
Quos recusandae cum aspernatur possimus aut. Aut voluptate ipsum voluptatem eligendi itaque. Enim et ipsa earum quia sint.
Illo quis ipsam ipsum nemo vitae impedit. Et veritatis sed voluptatem vero autem nihil rerum. Veritatis deleniti sit facere quam culpa odio. Atque velit consequatur vitae illo rerum et numquam.
Fugiat asperiores et rerum et nulla voluptatem illo enim. Quos modi doloribus reprehenderit quo. Eos impedit ut quod optio ut.
Sint nihil eum tenetur ut dolorum ut. Et possimus cupiditate est accusantium. Numquam maiores officia rem quas sit autem.
Quaerat sed ut in enim molestiae. Sed qui asperiores quia.