Pre-Interview routine

Obviously this depends greatly on an over the phone vs. in-person, but what does your process consist of? I have taken this opportunity to describe my phone interview strategy:

I hardly ever sleep the night before, because who knows, I may never get this opportunity again. I wake up groggy as all hell, and down a massive cup of coffee. Then I really get things going.

Get the shower going and throw on my guilty pleasures playlist. The songs I jammed this morning are:

End Credits - Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack
Behind these Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
Sk8er Boi - Avril Levine
Fergalicious - Fergie
Promiscuous - Nelly
4 Minutes - Madonna

This is of course all preference. I like to throw on the most absurd songs to calm the nerves and remind myself that if Madonna can save the world in Mod Note (Andy): top 50 posts of 2017, this one ranks #40 (based on # of silver bananas)

 

" if I fuck this up, there's always the Steak and Shake down the road."

Haha +1 SB. No formal phone interviews for me yet. Hopefully that will change soon.

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing, and i am no quite sure that i know that.” Socrates
 

Thank you sir. Just keep grinding my man, it really is that simple. I worked unpaid positions 6 months before I could even entertain the idea of stepping foot in a bank. I know how hard it is and how discouraging the process can be. If you network everywhere and apply to every firm under the sun (especially the smaller regional players), you'll land them!

 

Interview routine:

sometimes I shave

sometimes I do not

thats life

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Night Before: brush up on technicals, mock interview, get a pulse of industry, nail down any specific industry items/ trends.

If I know who's interviewing me, try to learn about them.

Take something to sleep, preferably something with anti-anxiety properties in large dose.

Day of: (Always try to interview as early as possible), review notes, get rates, sp 500/ Dow, selected stocks.

Before interview, listen to pump up playlist, take a confidence booster (stimulant), rehearse answers to behaviorals.

 

It's always a tough battle to figure out how much caffeine/ephedra to take before an interview. Take nothing or too little and you run the risk of your brain feeling slow, but too much and you turn kind of twitchy and anti-social. I have a MBA interview on skype next week so definitely going to try and find the sweet spot.

 
southernstunna:
It's always a tough battle to figure out how much caffeine/ephedra to take before an interview. Take nothing or too little and you run the risk of your brain feeling slow, but too much and you turn kind of twitchy and anti-social. I have a MBA interview on skype next week so definitely going to try and find the sweet spot.

You should know how much caffeine your body can take.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Day/Night before - review technicals, behaviorals, company news, company's Investor Relations, McKinsey/PwC industry insights

Morning of - Drink a lot of water, play some ambient music, check stock and index prices, read some newsletters. Delay eating as long as possible to feel sharper (but eat at least an hour before the interview). Take a cool/cold shower.

30 minutes before Interview - Caffeine+L-Theanine+Ashwaganda

 

I had a patrick bateman-esque ritual back in the day.

If you want some confidence, go LinkedIn search analysts at the firm you're applying to, look at some of the cucks that work there and realize that you can fucking do it.

I actually perform better when my confidence has been crushed so I would do some fucked up shit to make myself feel like a loser right before interviews. I got an offer from every superday I interviewed for SA and FT so goes to show you.

 

HR/mgmt phone screen routine: get woken up after a night of drinking by my phone ringing and proceed to take the call in bed

Once passed the HR/mgmt screen this is what I do...

A couple days before:

  • Homework on my interviewers. Focus on finding content (analyses/videos/ranking) to understand their communication style and cater to that. Personal stuff is secondary. If we both happen to like sport fishing great, but it doesn't add THAT much to an interview

  • Brush up on whatever I suck at, like accounting

  • Put together some semblance of a stock pitch in case they ask (don't offer one up)

The day/night before:

  • Exercise and eat well but don't change it up drastically, try to avoid drinking

  • Briefly review my pitch's valuations at market close to ensure the story is valid

  • Avoid screens before going to bed (I know reading is hard but give it a shot)

  • Get some sleep and never cram. The whole idea here is I like the industry and already casually follow markets

The day of:

  • Wake up, chug water, get the blood flowing with some calisthenics, poop

  • Take a cold ass shower, they absolutely suck at first but it's worth it

  • Eat the normal stuff, caffeinate as needed, skim the news

  • Aim to get there 15 mins early. But, RIGHT before leaving take 10 minutes to zen out

Be like the seaweed

Day before: Rehearse behaviorals and technicals for several hours Day of: Sleep until 2 hours before the interview, eat like a horse 90 minutes before the interview, take a caffeine pill 20 minutes before the interview, cross myself and say a Hail Mary 10 seconds before the interview.

I come from down in the valley, where mister when you're young, they bring you up to do like your daddy done
 

I always always always work out the day of the interview, no matter how early it is. I feel like this, coupled with all the Waka Flocka at the gym, really gets my confidence up, especially if I do some of the heavier olympic lifts that morning.

-"Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance."
 

Im a 2nd year analysts so routine may be different. Ountiled below:

  • Wake up
  • Take a shower
  • Get dressed
  • Ensure my socks match my underwear (this is key)

  • Make as many buyer / client / internal MD calls as possible. I think this helps me by a) reminding me to talk in a confident manner, and b) through calling buyers / clients / MDs I get a lot of random questions which help me “think on my feet,” obviously necessary for an interview

  • 25min before: listen to my “pump up” song (dreams and nightmears by Meek Mill)

  • Take a 10 min walk without my phone to completely clear my mind

  • get to meeting early(ish) to ensure I am going into correct place

  • Relax for 5-10min until meeting (or call) starts

  • Kill it.

  • Mention (politely) to hiring manager initial compensation outlined in the offer (or discussion) doesn’t quite cut it

 

usually a line of snow does the trick. not too much, not too little. also, a line of adderall can, in truth, be much better, since it makes it easier to grasp your thoughts and also increases confidence a good deal.

 

After taking a shit, showering and dressing as sharp as possible, I go through my mental preparation.

I wanna get into that "beast mode". I was an athlete for most of my life and I always do the same process when I'm about to face any challenge, and after that, I really feel like I'm the most confident guy on the room. What goes through my mind is pretty similar to what mike tyson describes in this video:

 

Im very similar. I wake up super early. Take an ICE COLD shower to get the juices flowing. Bump my HS football/lax pre-game track list to get my confidence through the roof. Sit on the subway and get mentally prepared. Walk over to the building blasting Kanye's Blood on the Leaves (the trumpet/horns get me going). I walk into the building feeling like the biggest BSD in NYC.

 

Haha - gross, but comical.

In all honesty, there are no secret tips or tricks to relax before an interview. You just have to find your confidence, and remember that if they didn't have an interest in you, you wouldn't have gotten the interview, especially in this market. Try taking your mind off of it - read a book, or a magazine on your way, make sure you know your stuff, and, again, confidence.

IBanker www.BankonBanking.com [email protected] Articles, News, Advice and More Break Into Investment Banking

 

"ive heard that suppose to help ppl relax but does it actually work?"

From a physiological standpoint, yes. Releases endorphins, lowers your heart rate (post self-copulation), and eases stress/tension.

From a pleasure standpoint, definitely.

 
drexelalum11:
the answer is obvious if you're a dude, but what about for chicks?

Good question... I wouldn't think excessive cuddling would be a good interview tactic... then again?

Jack: They’re all former investment bankers who were laid off from that economic crisis that Nancy Pelosi caused. They have zero real world skills, but God they work hard. -30 Rock
 

You're about to interview for one of the biggest opportunities of your life, and you're asking about relaxing? Shit son, you better re-read that days WSJ while listening to CNBC, Bloomberg, or FBN, in the background. Thumb through your finance and accounting text books too if you can.

But seriously, jerk it.

 
PowerMonkey:
This works especially well for a phone interview, just take a shot of jack and have a beer on hand. For an interview you'll need to brush your teeth afterwards.

Agree. For a phone interview I take a shot or two to calm my nerves, it actually works. In person, best thing you can do is know everything you need to know, there is nothing better to calm the nerves than confidence. Know your technical stuff, go over common fit questions, and come off as personable not a robot.

 
PowerMonkey:
This works especially well for a phone interview, just take a shot of jack and have a beer on hand. For an interview you'll need to brush your teeth afterwards.

Although a small amount of alcohol would definitely help become more sociable and relaxed, I feel like you run the risk of screwing up your technical questions (includes being too slow). Please let me know if you were joking.

 

You can always take a xanax.

But personally, a little nerves are a good thing. Its a delicate balance. It keeps you sharp. If you're 150% prepared, you should feel slightly nervous and very confident.

Its when you start feeling too comfortable that you do/say stupid things and feel overly confident so you deviate from everything you reviewed while preparing.

 

Solid advice. Point 4 is the most important. Rejection allows you to reflect where you went wrong and to ensure that you don't make the same mistake twice! The more interviews you do, the better you get at doing them.

 

During OCR the three things that helped me the most were hitting the gym, meditating (Headspace app is legit), and getting good sleep. Also make sure to keep your diet good.

Other than that, no matter how stressed you are, you need to not show it during the interviews. Just take a step back, be relaxed, and realize you've done everything you can do to prepare. Now all you have to do is have a good conversation with the person across from you. Something you've certainly done a bunch of times before.

 

As noted above exercise. Try to practice different questions and get the best clear and concise answers. One thing I did as well is have a napkin or tissue in my pocket. This way you can get your hands a little less clammy before you shake any hands.

Only two sources I trust, Glenn Beck and singing woodland creatures.
 

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_a…

This video helped me out alot especially during interviewing etc

Stress is your body preparing you for an important event, recognize that and embrace it. Your nervous because you have a big opportunity, acknowledge the stress and use it to prepare for the opportunity.

 

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