Investment Banking Interview Prep

Investment Banking Internships - Interviewing Time Again

2011-01-10T19:05:00.002-07:00

Investment banking summer internship interviews are in full swing. Now is the time to finalize your interview schedule and get out to Wall Street. Hopefully you have been networking for months now and have all your interviews lined up.For a quick interview refresher take a look at the blog post 'First Things First: The BIG 5'. Remember to have your story prepared, not memorized, know why you

Inside Job: New documentary movie written and directed by Charles Ferguson

2010-11-24T16:11:00.005-07:00

The documentary film Inside Job by Charles Ferguson highlights the financial crisis that has enthralled the United States over the past several years and brought down with it the likes of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. It is a very interesting documentary and one that I highly recommend.Here are two movie clips from Inside Job via MovieClips.com. This is a great website that I highly

Can I Move From Back Office to Front Office at an Investment Bank?

2010-11-24T15:08:00.005-07:00

I read this article from the Wall Street Journal today titled 'Breaking Into the Finance Field' by Elizabeth Garone (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304023804575566080808274148.html?mod=WSJ_Careers_CareerJournal_4) and I thought it was a great reminder about the difficulty candidates face in trying to make the jump from back office to front office work at an investment bank. It

The Sell Side

2010-11-16T20:29:00.007-07:00

So it has been a while since I have written a post. It is good to be back and add another update to the blog. Today I want to write about the 'Buy Side'. During many investment banking interviews, especially as a college junior looking for a summer internship, expect to be asked if you want to work on the 'buy side' or the 'sell side'. This is considered a very basic question and one that if

Scoopbooks: The Recruiting Guide to Investment Banking

2009-07-06T15:01:00.013-06:00

As an objective source of information on investment banking interviews and the associated recruiting process, we endeavor to provide our audience with the information necessary to excel in interviews and land jobs as analysts and associates. After reading Scoopbooks' guide to interviews and the recruiting process, cover-to-cover, I can honestly recommend this guide to every junior-banker hopeful

Investment Banks that are Hiring

2009-06-17T09:52:00.003-06:00

I wanted to post this after coming across it this morning. I've taken it from The Deal:Usually we tell you about the layoffs in the finance industry, but it looks like large and midsize financial services institutions are hiring again. Here are the latest reports and rumors.In the U.S.: * Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS), Barclays plc's (NYSE:BCS) Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse Group (NYSE:

Keeping Current: Key to Interview Success

2009-05-29T10:43:00.017-06:00

My brother was in New York last week and picked up the most recent edition of the Bark Street Journal for our Dachshund Frankie. As you can see he is getting his fill of all the recent news.In the past we have mentioned the importance of keeping up to date with economic and financial news. The three most salient reasons for this, which relate to investment banking interviews, are 1) it will help

100,000 Hits and Counting

2009-05-27T03:26:00.007-06:00

As a blog and organization we have recently passed an important milestone: 100,000 page views. This blog was initially created as a bouncing board for our own thoughts and ideas about finding jobs and successful interviewing skills in investment banking. As students from a non-target recruiting school we endeavored to help uncover this highly esoteric world for ourselves and everyone else that

What IBD Groups Are Hiring?

2009-05-14T09:42:00.011-06:00

The biannual Association for Corporate Growth and Thomson Reuters DealMakers Survey Results were published yesterday. The survey was conducted in April and represents the views of 703 dealmakers around the globe. Most interestingly, the survey presents current market sentiments and forecasts deal activity by industry -- an indication of the likely scope and location of job expansion in investment

List of Investment Banks

2009-05-12T09:25:00.005-06:00

In this difficult economic environment, job seekers must be willing to reach out to every potential employer. Below is a comprehensive list of investment banks and links to their home pages. If you're looking for an internship or full time employment, I recommend you contact human resources and recruiting at as many of these banks as possible. A.G. EdwardsABN AmroAlex. Brown & SonsAllen &

Qualities of a Successful Analyst and Associate

2009-05-09T14:24:00.006-06:00

Recently I contacted an MD in M&A at a bulge bracket investment bank and asked, "What are the qualities of a successful analyst?" He responded with the following short, concise list.1. Attitude2. Attention to Detail3. Team Player While interviewing for a position as an analyst or associate, it is essential for you to demonstrate a great attitude, exceeding attention to detail, and your commitment

Must Read: Investment Banking: Valuation, LBOs and M&A

2009-05-05T11:09:00.014-06:00

I just got my copy of Investment Banking: Valuation, Leveraged Buyouts, and Mergers and Acquisitions-- For anybody and everybody trying to break into investment banking: this is a must read!!! Joshua Rosenbaum and Joshua Pearl, two seasoned bankers, have written this new book as the nuts and bolts instruction guide to valuation, deal making, and deal execution. The authors break down

How Much Do Investment Bankers Make?

2009-05-02T14:04:00.007-06:00

During the history of this blog we have never discussed investment banking salaries in detail. We have alluded to the fact that bankers are well compensated but how well?There is no easy formula for determining banker compensation. At the analyst and associate level, for whom this blog is targeted, compensation is relatively similar across the board. Boutiques and bulge bracket investment banks

US News 2010 MBA Rankings Leaked

2009-04-18T23:17:00.005-06:00

Saw some interesting news which I thought our readership would enjoy. These rankings won't be coming out officially for awhile but here are the 2010 US News top 28 MBA programs.Current rank [Previous rank] School Name (Rating) [Previous Rating]1 [1] Harvard (100) [100]2 [1] Stanford (99) [100]3 [4] Northwestern (93) [93]3 [3] Penn (93) [95]5 [4] MIT (92) [93]6 [4] Chicago (91) [93]7 [7] Berkeley

Business Week Blog: First Jobs - For Young Professionals

2009-03-16T00:05:00.004-06:00

I'm always on the look out for new resources and want to pass along this new blog I found on Business Week called First Jobs. It is a blog dedicated to young entry-level professionals. It has a few interesting posts, of which I have listed below. To learn more check out their site.Layoff Coaching 101College Grads Facing Worst Hiring Climate Since 2002Dressing to Impress: More Important Than

Creativity In Times of Crisis!!

2009-03-13T18:57:00.003-06:00

This is a funny video, so I hope you like it! Keep working hard to get the job you want and think outside the box. If you have a goal to get a job in banking then create an action plan to help you get there and then stick to it! Do not be afraid to take alternative paths to get there. Make it happen!Enjoy!

Full-time Jobs & Internships

2009-03-06T13:19:00.005-07:00

With U.S. unemployment at its highest in 25 years, it is going to be a difficult and competitive hunt for your next full-time job or internship. Investment banks are under heavey scrutiny and reform and the credit markets are frozen. Businesses in all areas of our economy have been and are being effected. Right now, more than ever, you need to be proactive in your networking and take full

Private Equity Prep - Advanced Financial Modeling Skills For College Students

2009-02-25T18:53:00.007-07:00

As our subscriber base has grown to include readers worldwide, this blog post is specifically for all of our local subscribers in Utah. There is finally a training course similar to Training the Street, Deal Maven, Investment Banking Insitiute etc... for students in the Salt Lake Valley. This is a new program now being offered in Salt Lake City and Provo by Private Equity Prep (PEP) (http://

Methods to Calculate Discount Rates - DCF

2009-01-20T09:58:00.005-07:00

Discounted Cash Flow Analysis can be broken down into three sections:1. Forecast free cash flows for a given period (5 to 10 years generally, and depending on the industry)2. Discount free cash flows using some discount rate3. Calculate the Net Present ValueA question you will probably encounter during interviews will be: What discount rate should you use when performing a DCF?According to Wet

What are League Tables?

2008-12-01T08:30:00.003-07:00

As we have discussed in the past, when interviewing with an investment bank you should be prepared to answer the question: Why this bank?There are several elements to answering this questions effectively. You will definitely want to talk about the "Culture" of the bank. This is when you tell your interviewers what their perspective of the institution is. Speak with analysts at the bank to get an

Hot Keys: What's a Mouse For?

2008-11-30T15:10:00.007-07:00

A friend of mine recently interviewed with a boutique investment bank and a section of the interview included a 1 hour financial modeling exercise. How well prepared are you to build, format, and forecast the income statement of a public company? Do you know the keyboard shortcuts necessary to complete this task in under an hour?During my internship this summer, the full-time analysts explained

How do the Financial Statements Flow Together?

2008-11-19T21:22:00.012-07:00

Understanding how the three core financial statements interplay is fundamental to your success in investment banking interviews. Below is a brief description of the three statements and how they connect to one another. Following the explanation you will find a few sample interview questions.Income StatementNet income--the bottom line--flows from the Income Statement to Retained Earnings on the

Overcoming Toubled Times

2008-11-13T10:04:00.008-07:00

This is a question someone left on an earlier post. We love seeing your questions and comments; we're happy to help answer any questions our readers have.From Anonymous:I would love to hear your thoughts on how to survive if looking for a finance job now... let's face it... if you are beginning the journey in i banking right now... there are a ton of more qualified people to take your spot. What

What's Your Pain Tolerance?

2008-10-30T09:24:00.006-06:00

How committed to working in the investment banking division are you?I've been searching around the internet looking for other investment banking resources to share with you and I came across the email below. The email was written on a Sunday morning, apparently after an all-nighter, by a analyst in the Healthcare group of a bulge bracket in New York.Warning: Read at your own risk - you might find

Interview Question: Why Investment Banking?

2008-10-20T23:11:00.014-06:00

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