VANDERBILT INVESTMENT BANKING Meeting 8: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

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VANDERBILT INVESTMENT BANKINGMeeting 8
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
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Preparation

• Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to
  victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise
  before defeat. Sun Tzu, Art of War

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Types of Questions

• SELF-AWAREMENT
• CAPACITY
• INTERPERSONAL
• COMMITMENT
• TECHNICAL

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SELF-AWAREMENT

• Describe motivations decisions
• Understand others perception of you
• Be thoughtful and honest
• Understand your limitations and vulnerabilities
• How to prepare?
• Predict, prepare, and practice
• Be honest, but emphasize the positive
• Not a Real World confession, dont discuss
  politics, religion, relationships, etc.
• Examples
• Can you tell me about yourself?
• Describe your last internship or job
• Why did you choose Vanderbilt?
• Why did you choose your major?
• What do you enjoy outside of class?
• How would your friends describe you?
• What did you like about your internship?
• Name me three weaknesses

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CAPACITY

• Ability to learn quickly, work efficiently, to
  work long hours, have attention to detail,
  multi-task
• How to prepare?
• Context, project, outcome
• Imply through example, do not state directly
• Examples
• Tell me about a time when you had exhibit
  _______________?
• Quantitative
• Overcome a weakness
• Analytical
• Leadership
• Motivation
• Juggle many things at once
• Etc.
• Whats the greatest challenge youve faced to
  date? How did you overcome it?
• Judging from your coursework, you dont seem to
  have taken too many number-oriented classes. How
  can you convince me youre comfortable with
  numbers?

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INTERPERSONAL

• Tests your soft skills
• Leadership, teamwork, people person, handle
  criticism
• How to prepare?
• Highlight team-based components on your resume
• Dont brag
• Examples
• Describe a time when you received criticism? How
  did you react?
• Tell me a situation where you were on a team, in
  which everyone else did not get along with your
  plan? How did you overcome these differences?
• How do you characterize your leadership style?
• Describe an occasion when you had persuaded
  someone to do something they didnt want to do?

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COMMITMENT

• Motivation to do the work
• Desire to work for ABC bank versus XYZ bank
• Ability to show a credible and thoughtful answer
• How to prepare?
• Know why you want to be a bankernot moneynot
  prestige
• Examine your resume and transcript for
  inconsistencies
• Research and networking help tremendously
• Examples
• Why do you want to be an investment banker?
• What other banks are you interviewing with?
• What other companies are you interviewing with?
• If youre given offers at multiple firms, how
  will you choose among them?
• Where do you see yourself in five or so years?
• In which group (product/industry or branch) do
  you see yourself? Why?

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TECHNICAL

• Shows familiarity with financial concepts
• Valuation, Corporate Finance, Financial Markets,
  Economics, and Accounting
• Understand your limitations and vulnerabilities
• How to prepare?
• Answers should be succinct
• Concepts gt Formulas
• Examples
• How do you calculate a companys Free Cash Flow?
• The Hot Dog Question
• Describe what is Beta, and how do you unlever it?
• What is Weighted Average Cost of Capital, and how
  is it calculated?
• What is the Capital Asset Pricing Model?
• What is the value of a basis point?
• Name me a few ways to value a company?
• What are the pitfalls in those valuation methods?

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QA/DISCUSSION