Interviews

Hi all, Earlier this May, I posted a discussion called "Leaving IB Soon, Final Rants". While my original intention was to vent out properly one (last) time, this post ended up getting way more attention than what I expected and I was very surprised to see the discourse it had created on this...

11 Aug 2021

While the odds are this post is relegated to the WSO trash heap-to grace the eyes neither of monkey nor MD-on the off chance my story could be helpful to someone in a similar position as I was a year ago, I wanted to share. The moral of the story: if you're better at math than schmoozing or stuck at...

18 Apr 2021

Aspiring IB SA here. Not looking for consolation here, looking for an honest assessment. Plain and simple, I was not expecting so many banking apps to open this early and I severely procrastinated my review of the important technical components that come up in interviews. I've been cramming in the...

11 Mar 2022

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on this. I'm 1/4 Irish and 3/4 German. I come from a wealthy family, but they wouldn't even pay for braces. My teeth are a bit crooked (almost done invisalign in two months), two small chips due to playing spots, and kind of small due to my genes (parents also...

25 Mar 2020

About a year and a half ago, I posted about getting 20+ interviews and no FT offer (20 Company Interviews Later...No FT Offer looking for Advice). I wish I could say that I quickly got a job after that, but that wasn't the case. I'm going to be very vague about certain details, because I'd like to...

29 Jun 2016

Hey guys, I go to a Canadian target (Queens/Ivey) and have been recruiting for summer 2022. The year is now half way and I have gotten zero interviews from the Canadian Globals and Banks in the USA. I did BMOS my first two years, not sure if that is relevant. I have: - 3.9 GPA - Worked at boutique...

24 Jun 2021

Hey all, Recently completed a DCF case study for an interview, where they provided 5-6 equity research reports on a company, along with historical financials, and asked me to build a model and do up slides explaining if it's a yes/no on investing. I realise it's a pretty standard test, but it was my...

27 May 2022

Is it ever okay to talk about personal issues in interviews if they are relevant to the question and a big part of who you are? One of my greatest strengths is resilience. This is because I've gone through a lot in the last ten years and the last few in particular. When I was 9 I was sexually...

18 Jan 2019

Going to start recruiting soon as a second year analyst in IB M&A. I'm at a boutique, and we mostly do buyside advisory deals. I closed 2 deals recently (~$250mm) as the sole analyst on a 4 person team, so I was the one building the whole model and running diligence, etc. The issue is while I...

12 Dec 2019

The one-way interview is now becoming a standard hiring process. Big companies such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Twitter have started hiring using one-way video interviews. While video interviews are becoming more common, they might become a bit stressful for first-time users. As you might expect,...

01 Dec 2021

So I have a small buyside M&A deal on my resume that I plan to walk through for PE interviews. I completely understand the thesis, rationale, etc. as well as the operating model, which I truly did build. However.....this was a pretty small deal for the size of our client, so the modelling process...

02 Oct 2020

Hi all, I'm currently interviewing for roles and I'm having trouble coming across as genuine when I give my cookie cutter answers. I think its a combination of nerves along with the fact that I'm inexperienced with interviews. Based on your experience, what's the best way to showcase personality yet...

12 Jun 2019

I'll have had my 31st interview next week. Admittedly, 6 were pre-degree and relatively unskilled. If I add each round of interviews to that number, it would probably be around 45 actual interviews. That's well over 100 people that have scrutinised me professionally. Is that a lot? You'd think I'd...

07 May 2021

I know almost everyone would advise not to quit your current job unless you have a firm offer lined up, but I am in a situation where it is very difficult to ask for time off if I want to go for interviews, especially with MBB as one round can take hours. I work for a small company where everyone is...

02 Jan 2019

Been trying to break into IB for about a year now, and I'm trying to get some insight into why it's not happening. I wouldn't say getting interviews has been easy, but I have been able to get some, so clearly my resume/networking is decent at least. I can't say I'm charismatic, but I am generally an...

27 Aug 2020

The following is an interview I conducted with Tyrone Greene, with whom I started chatting when I visited his food truck, The Dark Side of the Moo. He's a former trader of precious metals who has made the leap to leave Wall Street and work for himself, and I think his story will be of tremendous...

13 Apr 2014

So I had a rly good final round with case study with the partners. Reception was very positive: they asked abt when I expected comp, when I would be able to start, and if I was talking to other shops. They said they were hiring for 2-3 jr positions, and that they expect start date to be within a...

01 Feb 2018

Another 100+ Questions Added...Now Over 500+: We've sifted through 2 THOUSAND+ more questions submitted to the WSO Company Database this past year to make the IB Prep Pack even more killer. We've picked out another 100 questions based on new trends to bring the grand total to a whopping 500+...

23 May 2015

Afternoon, monkeys. I've got the first of a two part interview for you today with Certified User Nefarious. Nefarious works in Strategy at a major Fortune 500 Aerospace & Defense company. While I know many of your are focused on banking and private equity, I think everyone can benefit from hearing...

30 Nov 2012

Hello all. I am currently a 3rd year analyst and recruiting for private equity positions. On my resume, I have 2 deals listed. The first is rather small (

27 Jan 2021

A few weeks ago, my father set up a meeting for me with his bosses boss. This guy basically runs wealth. This guy was brought out of retirement, in his mid-50's, to help a friend of his rebuild the WM division at the BB where my old man works. After a few minutes with him, he basically flat out said...

28 Oct 2011

I'll bet you have a cute little folder with your school's name embossed on it, filled with copies of your resume and some business cards you collected from a few information sessions that never yielded any fruit. I'll also bet you've got a nice Men's Warehouse suit picked out with some conservative...

20 Sep 2012

Hello, I graduated college four years ago with with a 3.3 from a top 40 school. I had MO internships in school, and took a job as an energy market analyst out of college. While in college, I had no problem getting a job once I was selected for an interview. Counting my full-time offer and two...

21 Feb 2018

Hi folks, I have upcoming interviews with a market neutral L/S fund, and would appreciate you sharing your experience for such interviews (being the interviewee or interviewer) on what kinds of questions are typically asked and what are you top mental criteria for filtering candidates. I come from a...

31 Oct 2020

Interviewed with large public tech Ecommerce company. Made it past the HR screener. A week later she follows up through the jobvite program and asks for times I can interview this week with the team. I got the email 5 hours after she sent it through jobvite bc that software sucks. I emailed her back...

16 Sep 2020

One thing that a lot of students falter with during interviews is the trading idea. Im writing this post to help some of the monkeys currently preparing for interviews realize that what they are spewing out as trading ideas are instead sales pitches, and they should be presenting a trading plan to...

28 Dec 2010

Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster. I wanted to ask you guys your opinion on whether or not I should bring up during my interview that I was kicked out of my fraternity for hazing pledges too much. I mean, in my defense there isn't really a guideline to what TOO MUCH is, but I guess when...

29 Jul 2016

Every year around this time, some young monkeys hop on the forums and start moaning about how bad this year is for recruiting. You guys think it's bad? You ain't seen bad unless you've seen 2001, 2008, or 2009. But nevertheless, your auntie has good news. I recruited all last week, and let me tell...

19 Sep 2012

Hi, my dilemma is the following: I joined a commodities trading firm (oil & gas) just three months ago in Switzerland. Had to move from London, which was quite a big move. The salary is really good, the job is challenging and seems to be interesting so far (I'm a trading assistant, fresh graduate),...

22 Jun 2021

WSO is happy to announce a new partnership with Jared Dillian, former head ETF trader at Lehman, author of Street Freak and The Daily Dirtnap. WSO readers qualify for a $100 discount from Jared's daily market newsletter...just email [email protected] and mention "WSO Monkey Discount." You can...

14 Jan 2013

Mod note: Click here to see all of our q&a's and interviews For all the talk of private equity and hedge funds as exit opps here on WSO, one interesting route that often goes overlooked is the non-profit path. Too often non-profit and charitable work gets lumped into one of two camps: Something for...

23 Jul 2013

I need some advice. I'm a recent graduate from a nontarget looking for FT roles. About me: sub 3.5 overall GPA, Over 3.5 finance GPA. Was in school's honors program for finance majors. Did some IM work. Received school's highest honors for finance majors. FO IB experience at top MM bank in strongest...

20 Jun 2014

mod (Andy) note: "Blast from the past - Best of Eddie" - This one is originally from December 2010. If there's an old post from Eddie you'd like to see up again shoot me a message. I have a feeling this is going to spark some controversy, but a new study conducted by Ben Gurion University shows that...

06 Oct 2012

Folks, There comes a time in every job when you hear angels sing (or demons shriek) in the background and you have an epiphany. This is when you know whether you would stay with your current employer for the rest of your life OR that you want to move on to other opportunities. My epiphany today was...

19 Sep 2014

Hey guys, I've been at my consulting firm (more like staff-aug) for nearly three years now and I honestly hate it. I've been applying and got some interviews, but didn't walk away with any offers. I got another rejection email yesterday at a firm that I thought I had and it really broke me down. The...

29 Nov 2016

I was recently interviewing for an entry level analyst position through on-campus recruiting and felt like couple firms were profiling due to my race. As i digged a little deeper, i realized that some of the boutiques (Greenhill, GCA Savvian, Evercore, and Moelis) hardly had any blacks, indians and...

25 Sep 2012

Hello monkeys, I'm currently interviewing to make a lateral industry move, from an mature private company into the start-up/tech space. While the nature of my work will still be corporate finance I'd like to get a feel for what I need to prepare for that is expected in tech startups versus a late...

17 Nov 2021

Do you tell people that you are powerful...or do you show them? The most important communication you make each day doesn't depend on what you say as much as it how you appear when you say it. Even the brightest minds can fail to reach success if they have horrible nonverbal communication. Unless...

16 May 2012

I'm heading into my third year of post-secondary at a target business-school (undergrad), and wasn't too sure when recruiting starts

14 Jun 2021

Was reading that for RX interviews I should know waterfalls. Wanted to see what that is. Does that just mean that I should have a solid grasp on capital structure? If so, any sources available? Thanks

06 Aug 2019

I'm three years out of school looking to break into IB with solid accounting/corporate finance experience. I've been building out my network over the past few months and things are going well. I have solid contacts at 10 or so firms in my city and I'm confident that I would be able to get an...

02 Dec 2020

Hi WSO, I am in a bit of a pickle as HR from a NY office of a foreign corporate banking group (think Scotiabank-esque) apparently had all my messages confirming my interest and availability to interview for my superday round go to their spam folder, and only reached out to me half a month later to...

13 Nov 2020

Hi all, Wanted to gauge the community on what are some of the hardest brain teasers they've been asked in interviews. If anyone has gotten any tough ones from banks on the east coast, would love to grab those here too. Cheers

10 Jun 2019

I had an interview with a BB (Not NY) yesterday and was invited for a superday this Friday. The banker that I interviewed with was adamant about only wanting to invite kids that would cancel first round interviews to come interview. I don't know if I have to cancel any of my interviews yet, it...

01 Feb 2012

Hi all, I saw this post from Dealbook this morning (link inside the post). Nothing really new here compared to years past. How is everyone doing managing their interview schedules? I'm very curious to hear how people negotiate positions that won't be starting until summer 2016 as well. Any success...

11 Feb 2015

Fellow Primates, As interview season kicks into full swing, we want our WSO members to be as prepared as possible. With the help of experienced finance professionals, Wall Street Oasis has built a selection of guides to help you succeed throughout the job application process. With 11 now available,...

12 Feb 2011

As summer creeps up slowly, many students are still trying to find themselves an internship. There are many questions that I find students (like myself, when I'm not binge watching shows in between breaks or dreading the term GPA) asking their friends and upper years who have been through finance...

25 Feb 2017

I have a pretty humble upbringing (immigrant, parents were blue collar workers, etc.) and that is where I draw a lot of my hunger and resourcefulness from. Should I lead with this in my interviews or is that a little too much? I can also bring it up for the answer to a lot of qualitative questions...

01 Mar 2018

Hi, Really interested in DCM, thinking Northern Europe. What are some ways to prepare for entry level trainee/intern interviews. Apart from technicals, which news events should be focused on: Thinking: * ECB/BOE Issuances * Major Corporate Issuances * Being aware of base Interest Rates * Impact of...

28 May 2020

In response to the popularity of the WallStreetOasis.com Technical interview guide, it is our pleasure to present the official WallStreetOasis.com Behavioral Interview Guide! Our guide is different than all the rest because of the sample responses. Nearly every question contained in the guide has a...

21 Jan 2009