Boutique IB on the spot case study HALP!!!!
I have an upcoming on the spot case study for a small boutique on the west coast (US). This is an entry level analyst position (I graduated undergrad last month) and the case study is the 1st round interview. This is a pen, paper & calculator case study. I will be given a hypothetical company’s financial statements to make relevant observations using basic financial concepts.
Any recommendations on how to prepare for this? The case study is up to 1.5 hours long. The firm specializes in the following areas: Merger & Acquisition Advisory Business Valuations, Fairness & Financial Opinions corporate finance ESOP Formation & Valuation Financial Reporting & Tax Compliance Distressed Situations
obviously, fall recruiting did not go well for me, so i am willing to do whatever it takes to nail this.
background on me: transferred to semi target, interned at a small consulting shop last summer
Thanks! love this forum
@6221_analyst", my guess is that you get the three financial statements (maybe even just the IS and BS) and some vague company information. I would build a basic projection model and a DCF. All of this is possible with pen and paper. You can then make some notes of what you can infer from the financial (e.g. "I noticed that A/R was dropping as sales were increasing...") and some questions to ask (e.g. "I noticed that this company is relatively young, so I ramped up CapEx before leveling it off in my model..."). No one is going to tell you to come up with a list of questions, so this will be key to setting yourself apart from other interviewees. It shows that you care and were actively thinking.
Practice the building a projection model, a DCF, and a cash flow statement. Good luck.
thanks for the swift response @Sil !
I forgot to mention the case study will have a set of questions that I will answer. I asked if it would have a specific objective (financing scenarios/M&A/typical case study) and they told me it would be more general/open ended.
any other feedback is greatly appreciated!
Might 'halp' if you spelled correctly. Presentation is everything.
@Ebolamonkey I did that on purpose. I will use proper spelling in the future.
Wait, hold up. Now I am curious. Why would you spell help as halp?
I've just seen it spelled that way on the internet before. Thought it might grab some attention. urban dictionary: HALP 1) Help. 2) Favorite word of Code Zero, used when he is in distress. *1) HALP! How do I surf the net!? *
Interview Case Study - Final round at boutique IB (Originally Posted: 03/18/2010)
I've got a final round tomorrow at a boutique IB with modeling case study and writing exercise. Do you think I will be expected to forecast the balance sheets in addition to I/S and debt schedules? If anyone can shed some light on the writing exercise would be great too (i.e., just writing on a personal topic or analyzing a company?). Thanks!
Since its a boutique no one can say anything for sure, but case studies I have had generally just see whether you can read financial statements, as well as test your creativity. After asking you questions based on the past few years' statements (such as "did the company pay dividend in 2003?"), they might ask you about why their profit is declining but revenues increasing and ask what you can do about it (answers not on the statements).
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