19 Comments
 

It's almost as if someone read my mind and figured out my dream career path, and made a programme out of it.

I applied, and I'm going to my 2nd round interview next week. So excited! :-)

 
chubbybunnylooks great except it lacks in prestige. Noone will know what NBIM is lol

It is true that NBIM isn't the most prestigious of funds, it doesn't pay the highest salaries either(CEO 800 000 USD/y). However, as it is in all essence a Scandinavian fund it will provide you with quite good work/life balance as you climb the ladder. But it seems like you need to be Norwegian if you want to attain the highest ranks. http://www.nbim.no/en/About-us/nbim-organisation/Leader-group/

The fund is quite known in Scandinavia and Northern Europe but not as much overseas. The fund manages approx 550 billion USD.

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired you quit when the gorilla is tired" -Robert Strauss
 

NBIM is a branch of the Bank of Norway (NBIM=Norges Bank Investment Management for those who didn't know), and is managing one of the world's largest funds: The Norwegian Government Pension Fund (or what it's also called; the Norwegian oil fund). So, well-known outside Europe or not, I would say it seems like it's a really good programme.

 
Best Response
lifesgreatmystery also norway has hot girls :)

Haha. Thanks.

Okay, but seriously - I would say trainee positions (given it's in a good company) are much more valuable than just an analyst position for graduates, as they're actually built to make great leaders and they put so much resources into training you. Not to mention, there are only a few trainees hired every year (in NIMB I believe it's 10), so obviously they can focus more on each person than a company that hires 100 graduates or more every year.

I really like this program because you get the opportunity to move around so much - starting in Oslo for one year, then going to NY, London, Shanghai or Singapore for one year before you get to possibly move again before you get a sponsored MBA from a top Business School in either Europe or the U.S. It's in other words a great opportunity to get international experience.

 

I'm definitely applying for this program when the time comes.

Due to the size of the fund I would reckon that the year spent doing I-banking will probably be at a BB firm.

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired you quit when the gorilla is tired" -Robert Strauss
 

thanks OP. i'm not that hung up on prestige but this looks like an AWESOME program. seems like straight out of college thing though, and i'm almost 2 years deep in f500 finance.

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
 
crownMiss A, how were the interviews like?

First there was a phone interview, which was pretty standard. Then there were two assessment tests to do at home, one verbal and one numerical. They were also pretty straight forward. Third step in the process was a day at the assessment center - the original plan was to start off with taking a numerical assessment test again on one of their computers (to make sure you didn't cheat when doing it at home), before a group case solving and presentation with the other 4 candidates who were there for the interview that day, before individual interviews and feedback on the assessment tests.

The day at the assessment center did not go exactly as they planned, though: They had some technical problems, so we spent almost two hours or so waiting for someone to fix the computers we were taking the tests on. There wasn't enough time to take them by the time we were done - we had to move on to the group case.

As the assessment test obviously, for some reason, was very important, and as we were short on time, they prioritized that we took it rather than having one-to-one interviews. So instead of the one-to-one interviews we were "interviewed" just after our case presentations, i.e. in front of all the other candidates who were there, with all the executives including the CEO in the room. That part of it kind of felt like the elimintation process in an episode of the apprentice, where Slyngstad (the CEO) would be Trump. Hah. It was kind of intimidating.

Also, in case you find it interesting to know, all the other candidates had a masters degree - one even had a phd. I was the only one with only a BSc (This is not suprising, though, as it's more common than not to get an MSc before you start working in Europe).

 

Ha, The Apprentice part sounds a bit intimidating. How did it go and did they give you any feeback (send me a message if you don't want to give away too much)? Did you get any more info about the program that you cant read on their website?

 

Well, I didn't get it - but honestly I didn't really deserve it as I had barely been preparing myself for the interview (kind of stupid of me, as it would have been a really great program to be accepted to). Will most likely apply again next year, or possibly the year after if I decide to get an MSc in Finance.

So, the part of the case that I was going to present (it was randomly chosen) was really the worst part to present since it was so little to say about it. And during the case "solving" phase, the discussions, I guess I didn't focus on the right things and maybe even had too little knowledge compared to the other candidates - as I said they all had a master's degree or higher whereas I don't. Also, before applying I had the impression that they wouldn't even consider you if you didn't have a master's degree (which is common for good jobs in Norway and some other places in Europe), so I am quite satisfied that I made it as far as I did.

I think my chances would have been a lot better if I had gotten the one-to-one interview that we didn't get because they found the re-testing more important, but oh well. Now I know more what to expect next time I apply.

 

Aut asperiores quo inventore eveniet temporibus aut. Suscipit soluta alias dolores fugit a vero et. Quidem ducimus voluptatem quaerat voluptates excepturi voluptatem dolores. Qui sequi voluptatem praesentium molestiae consequatur. Est odio voluptatibus et nihil quidem veritatis qui. Laudantium molestias impedit et et alias quo.

Ut aspernatur illum tempora consequatur beatae animi. Sed architecto maxime autem necessitatibus fugiat. Nobis nobis suscipit est et non. Nisi quas et dolor provident doloribus asperiores ullam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
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...”