So it's not recommended to try figuring it out on the fly? Something like: "I don't know the answer, but my guess is..." or "I'm not clear on this concept, maybe if you explain this and that to me, I might be able to come up with an answer"

 

My advice is to over-study, cover all your bases and be confident during the interview. In this market environment, a misstep can easily cost you the job.

 

It depends on which business you want to apply for. Do you want to go in markets, just know everything about equity and/or debt underwriting and stock/debt markets in general. Do you want to go in M&A, just know everything about accounting and valuations. Accounting is very important from my point of view. If you want to go for sales, trading or research, other skills are required. Be more specific, based on this story you can study anything. Begin with vault guides.

 

What about for a research interview? Anything specific to study?

"Give me guys that are poor, smart, and hungry. And no feelings." - Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street"

"Give me guys that are poor, smart, and hungry. And no feelings." - Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in "Wall Street"
 
capexzel:
#dinged!

na, if you really really don't know. humbly tell them you don't know and you will find the answer and get back to them tonight by email :)

Disagree on the email, it serves no purpose. The point of the interview is to see if you are prepared. Anyone can go home and look up the answer if they know the question already.

MM IB -> Corporate Development -> Strategic Finance
 

to be honest man, if this is for an SA position, there is no excuse for not knowing the answer. nobody is going to ask you about technical analysis or other craziness, so you should know the vault guide to finance interviews backwards and forwards.

 

Honestly it depends on the situation, if it's a technical question you don't know but feel comfortable that you can walk through some relevant thought process i would do that. More likely than not they won't ask anything crazy, like closer121 said know the guides and in most cases you are okay. I had a 2nd round and what the analysts told me in advanced was the director comes in and asks you easy questions that keep getting harder until you corner in up to a question that you just don't know and have to say so. It's hard admitting defeat, but sometimes its not a lack of prep or knowledge its something they want to see you can do, and not guess an answer to a question that you should know they know the right answer to. If the question is like something i had with a different director, which was what comp is used for financials, and why, try to think of the current write-downs as an example. It was a though process question because he really knew i had no experience and he even helped me with the comp.

 

As people have already iterated, never bullshit. Bankers can pick up on bullshit quicker then anyone on this planet.

I believe the best way to answer the questions is to say something like...

'I don't know the answer to that, but based on what I do know (about the subject) I would draw this conclusion.'

 

a lot of times people will ask you stuff that you will not know just to see how you handle yourself. If you are unsure of an answer stay calm and think out loud through the process. Showing that you are calm under stress is very important. Its not always about getting the question right. Never bullshit an answer. If you have absolutely no idea be honest.

 

Best thing is to admit you don't know, but don't make excuses. The banker will think you will always make excuses in the future and everyone hates that. Tell them you will research that as soon as you get out of the interview, then actually go home and research it and send them an answer. That will show that you want to learn and will do what's necessary to understand. This will make them more confident of having you on a team in the future.

 

Try to say that you have encountered something like the question and answered it in xxx manner, but had never considered/come across this before. Ask them how to do it. In an interview I got asked something I didn't know, showed interest and asked for the answer, was told it and as I was walking out of the door before I turned, was told to repeat what he said to me. So make sure you pay attention!

But, as everyone said, no bullshit!

 

I am going to have to disagree as the ability to bullshit effectively is one of the most significant attributes of a successful banker. Of course, when bullshitting you must demonstrate at least some semblance of understanding. I have been in meetings where some of our bankers will admit that a topic is out of their purview but they almost always feel inclined to bullshit and we expect and love that about them.

Obviously, in an interview it is more acceptable to claim ignorance as you are not expected to be well-versed in all of the valuation techniques and the key is that you demonstrate composure while providing a concise response. Like everyone said, your thought process is almost always more important than your actual response in these types of interviews.

Good luck.

 

To some lucky people it has. Maybe the interviewer cares or doesn't, giving it a shot won't hurt. plus it's not like i'm going googling the answer and copy pasting. Showing you actually get it works. And maybe half of the time it doesn't work, but why not right?

Oh sorry forgot to mention, when you don't know the answer (cause come on, you can't possibly know everything, if your interviewer is an ass and throws you a complete curveball) you can also go the 'I don't know BUT this is how I go by answering it" 90% of the time if you think hard you'd probably get it right.

 

[quote=capexzel]plus it's not like i'm going googling the answer and copy pasting. /quote]

There's no way to show that you aren't Googling it is my point. I can't see how it would help but everyone can do it their way.

MM IB -> Corporate Development -> Strategic Finance
 

If it's one of those brainteaser-type questions, just think out loud instead of just saying "I don't know." It's fine if you don't know it, but it looks better if they see you trying to solve it.

Metal. Music. Life. www.headofmetal.com
 

When in interviews, more often than not its more about how you handle yourself and the interview rather than knowing the correct answer.

For Technicals: If you don't know the answer off the bat, say "I'm not 100% sure, but ...." and talk about things that you do know about the particular subject. If at the end you don't get it right, ask them to explain it to you.

Ex: Question-Walk me through an LBO analysis. Answer- I wasn't exposed to LBO analysis in my last internship or coursework so I'm not 100% positive, but from what I have learned on my own, you first need to think about how the deal will be financed and create a table of the sources and uses of the money involved in the transaction.....

For Brainteasers: If you don't know how to answer it, think about it for a few seconds...its better to think for a few than blurt out a completely bogus answer. Then say, "What first comes to mind is....." and start walking through whats going on in your head and try to figure it out by talking it out. They want to see how you think and problem solve. If you don't get it right, ask them to explain it to you.

No excuses for not being able to answer fit questions....that just goes for preparation and you

XX
 

Don't try to guess if you have no clue, if you know essential stuff, but forgot some details - tell them what you know. Better not to answer 1 out of 10 questions, then to wreck your interview by trying to guess the answer.

 
Best Response

The correct response is: "I apologize, but I do not know the answer to that question."

In IB, you will frequently be asked questions that you do not know the answer to. For example, in due diligence, potential buyers will relay most questions directly to the analyst, but often times, the analyst simply does not know the answer to these questions and must relay them to management. Imagine if a potential buyers asked you why EBITDA increases by 11% in Year 3 of the projections, but historically has never grown by more than 4% per year and you BSed your way through that answer. That would be absolutely terrible and embarrassing for you, your bank, and your client. This makes the ability to admit ignorance an important trait for an analyst (and pretty much any professional).

 

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