Preparing for Investment Banking Interviews

Best Resources to aid the preparation of applications as well as being ready for a Summer Internship in Investment Banking

1. Resources to Prepare for Corporate Finance Interviews
   • Overview of Corporate Finance Internships
   • What you should be able to talk about from the Financial Times
   • Samples questions that you should prepare for
   • Preparing for Interviews and working in Corporate Finance and M&A
   • 28 Questions asked at Corporate Finance Interviews
2. Resources to Prepare for Markets Interviews (Sales, Trading, Research & Structuring)
   • Overview of Equities Research
   • Overview of Fixed Income Derivatives & Equities
   • Overview of Sales
   • What you should be able to talk about from the Financial Times
   • Sample questions that you should expect in an interview
3. Resources to Prepare for Asset Management and Private Wealth Management Interviews
   • Introduction to Asset Management and Private Wealth Management Internships
   • Sample questions that you should expect in an interview
4. Guides to doing practice interviews with your peers/ mock interviews (highly recommended)
   • Guidance for the case study section of the interview
   • Feedback form to use for peer-to-peer Mock interviews (let this guide your interview preparation & practice)
5. An Online Comprehensive Financial Glossary for when you are reading about finance-related matters and need assistance on the term
   • http://www.investorwords.com/
   • http://www.investopedia.com
6. Online assessment practices (numeracy, verbal reasoning, case studies) that are similar to the ones that SEO and investment banks frequently require as part of the candidate screening process
   • E-financial Careers – three practice numeracy tests
   • Practice Numeracy Tests
   • More on Numeracy Tests
   • McKinsey’s Online Practice Case Study
7. A resource on etiquette for calling professional (HR and SEO) offices and/or leaving messages
8. A resource on making the most of mentors and networks
9. Books & Websites

• VAULT Guide to Finance Interviews by D. Bhatawedekhar, Dan Jacobson, and the Vault Staff
• Vault Career Guide to Investment Banking by Tom Lott, Derek Loosvelt and the Staff of Vault
• These are the BEST BOOKS AVAILABLE for preparing for interviews, as well as to prepare you to succeed in the industry. You can buy them or you can hunt around on the internet and find some of the files in a downloadable format.
• Also see Vault.com – from this site, from many universities, you can download these books. You can also get them from Amazon.com
• Heard on the Street by Timothy Falcon Crack. Section A of this book contains brainteasers that are frequently used in interviews.
• Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies by Tom Copeland, et al, John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Dictionary on Finance and Investment Terms, Barron’s Financial Guides
• Bond Markets, Analysis and Strategies by Frank J Fabozzi (Longman Higher Education) – predominantly for Fixed Income interns
• http://www.wetfeet.com- This is another website similar to Vault that publishes guides it also includes articles on certain industries such as investment management and investment banking, in addition to compact career profiles. Finally, this website also mentions additional resources students can use to learn more (websites, organisations, etc.)
• Wall Street Journal's Guide to Money and Investing by Kenneth and Virginia Morris - a good resource for those coming from arts majors especially. While it is focused on "Wall Street", it gives a great overview of the basics of asset classes (applicable to anyone interested in finance) and explains a number of basic macroeconomic concepts that could also be a great refresher for students
• http://www.economist.com/ It is a really good idea for students to read the Economist regularly to have a good understanding of what is happening all over the world
• http://www.ft.com/home/uk Read this every day for weeks/months leading up to their assessments.
• http://www.bloomberg.com In lieu of a Bloomberg terminal which you will more than likely not have access to, you can at least be familiar with the data service. Bloomberg.com is another good resource for up-to-date markets information