VANDERBILT INVESTMENT BANKING Meeting 7: INTERVIEW PREPARATION

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VANDERBILT INVESTMENT BANKINGMeeting 7
INTERVIEW PREPARATION
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Why prepare?

• Know thy enemy and know thyself in a hundred
  battles you will never be in peril. When you are
  ignorant of the enemy but know thyself your
  chances of winning or losing are equal. If
  ignorant of both your enemy and thyself you are
  certain in every battle to be in peril. Sun
  Tzu, Art of War

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What you need to know?

• You - 90 of the Interview is about you
• The Company Answers have to shaped in order to
  fit the needs and culture of the company

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Things that you need to do

• Convey past achievements clearly and succinctly
• Emphasize reasoning to why you want to be an
  investment banker and most importantly why you
  would be a good banker
• Not truly a test of your financial knowledge or
  your resume
• Motivations
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Maturity
• Thoughtfulness
• Study Resume
• Demonstrate Skills through example
• What distinguishes you from other candidates?
• Why you fit well in the company and the job?
• How can you add value?

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Skills

• What you have to show that you have to display in
  the interview
• Confidence
• Enthusiasm
• Analytical Ability
• Quantitative Ability
• Communication Skills
• Attention to Detail
• Multitasking/Ability to juggle priorities
• Success under pressure
• Humility
• Learn/Work Efficiently

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Three Most Important Questions

• Why do you want to be in Investment Banking?
• Not money
• Use your background (i.e. past internships,
  classes, skills)
• Sincerity is key
• Why do you want to work for this bank?
• Research (Past deals, Bloomberg, Wall Street
  Journal)
• Network cite people
• Why did you choose Vanderbilt?
• Not because it was the best school that accepted
  you
• Though humorous, dont cite the amount of hot
  girls on campus
• They want to understand your decision process and
  your values
• Thoughtfulness

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Miscellaneous Dos Donts

• DOS
• Sit up straight
• Sit down only after your interviewer does
• Smile often
• Keep decent eye contact
• Talk clearly, coherently, and intelligently
• DONTS
• Cologne/Perfume
• Bad Eye contact
• Use casual language
• Sloppy appearance
• Stuttering, saying uhhhhhhs or ummmmmms
• Dont use stereotypical, long, or arrogant answers

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Dress

• Men
• Navy/Grey Suit (pinstripes are fine on those
  colors)
• If you only have a black suit, then wear that
• Conservative No tacky colors or designs
• Make sure your suit fits (Fitment is the most
  important part of a suit)
• Shine shoes before interview
• Brands
• Brooks Brothers suits/shirts/ties are a no-risk
  choice
• Zegna, Ferragamo, Hermes items might convey
  arrogance
• Women
• Skirt or Dress
• High Heels
• NO SUIT PANTS
• EVERYONE Bring a leather notebook, pen, notepad

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Questions to ask?

• People like talking about themselves
• What sort of person does well in banking?
• What are a few hurdles that analysts must
  overcome?
• What has made you stay with your company and this
  industry for this long?
• People like talking about their opinions
• Where do you believe the investment banking
  industry will go in ten years?
• Could you describe the best and most difficult
  parts of the last deal youve worked on?
• What industries do you think will see a lot of
  attention from Investment Bankers?

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3 Takeaways

• Will this person be capable of doing the job?
• Can I trust this person with important work?
• Will I be able to work with this person 110 hours
  a week?

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QA/DISCUSSION