We respect your privacy. If you're new here, please click here to get my FREE page investment banking recruiting guide - plus, get weekly updates so that you can break into investment banking. It was a Wednesday night, and I was staring at the email I had just received from a bulge bracket bank. Since I was from a complete non-target school, this would be one of my few chances to interview at a top bank — and I was up against people with a lot more resources and experienced mentors at their disposal.

Oh, and then there was the fact that I only had one week to prepare. And unlike with networking , you can actually improve your odds quite a bit at the last minute with solid interview prep.

Brian has already laid out in detail how to walk through your resume in finance interviews , using this 5-step outline:. Focus on behaviors i. I also set up a training session for the account representatives with a professor who discussed competitive selling strategies. Then, the stock dipped below that point, but your colleague told you that the stock was going to go back up. What would you do? These questions are more about knowing what you do in each group and how different desks differ rather than coming up with earth-shattering insights.

Top 30 UNIX command Interview Questions asked in Investment Banks

But be sure to express your openness to anywhere in the firm that you can learn the most — this is especially important if your interviewer is in equities, but you know you want to do fixed income. They will probably ask if you prefer sales or trading, and once again, you just need a well-reasoned-out answer:.

I did everything imaginable, from recording myself to sketching out my answers to doing mock interviews with older classmates and friends who had been through the recruiting process. And you should never give scripted answers because they sound very artificial — rely on outlines rather than pure memorization, and try to change up the details of what you say each time.

By the time my real interviews started, I already knew what I had to pay attention to and where I might screw up. You should be wearing a dark suit, with a modest shirt and tie combo.

Questions you'll be asked at a trading interview with a bank

You should even shine your shoes. It will help you look and feel like a million bucks. During my interviews I was constantly smiling, and my interviewers always mentioned my enthusiasm in their comments to me. Confidence is also important: With a phone interview, I recommend standing up while on the phone to convey confidence. Having possible questions and answers in front of you sketched out, not word-for-word will also help. Before all my interviews, I would stand in front of a mirror and pump myself up, tell myself that I was a great candidate and so on yes, I made sure that no one else was watching — it sounds stupid, but it worked very well on a subconscious level.

This mostly applies when you are answering technical questions and you get something very detailed. When the interview comes to a close, the interviewer will ask if you have any questions for them. Questions need to differentiate you from other candidates, so be thoughtful about what you ask and get the interviewer talking for as long as possible. The close is all about expressing to the interviewer your enthusiasm for the job — and making sure they know that you are the right fit. I know that for x,y,z reasons I will be a good fit, and will do whatever it takes to add value to your team.

Top 36 trade interview questions with answers pdf

I can honestly say, and this is really only true of your firm, that if given an offer, I will accept on the spot. You should only do this if you are willing to back your words with actions , but it worked very well for me. Without going into great detail — the thank you note is a must and it should be sent via email within 24 hours of your interview. Tell them you look forward to hearing from their firm and are excited for the opportunity to work with them in the near future. It never hurts to send a short follow-up note, especially if you want to remind them of something specific.

Just make sure you do it quickly. Finally, maintaining low expectations walking into an interview can help you a lot. In his spare time, he enjoys memorizing obscure Excel functions, editing resumes, obsessing over TV shows, traveling like a drug dealer, and defeating Sauron.

I get an interview for a Sales Trader position on Equity Derivatives in a bank graduate level , and would like to know the 5 most common technical questions you would think about? Just to have an idea. Take a look at the major categories here: For equity derivatives, they could easily ask about options, Black-Scholes, different strategies involving options, and so on. I just had my super day for a sales and trading position at a middle market firm. Anyways, I happen to know one of the executive directors at this firm and I think he has been able to help me out a lot through this process so far.

He has some influence, but less than the interviewers do. You should definitely follow up with him and thank him again and maybe see if he knows how the process went. Do you know what these are about? Any specific tips for the final round interview with department head? Is that more general and fitness-oriented?

I live in a city dominated by the oil and gas industry, and the bank I am applying to focuses on natural gas. I was wondering how best to convey parts 4 and 5 of my story? I am a third year undergraduate engineering student. I have experience as an engineering intern at a large, prestigious operations company, however, I do not enjoy doing technical work.

You can approximatively think it on the interval 7.

How much the last math problem is easy and the second too. I talked to a professor and he said that the last one is praised on trading floors is a perfect choice for that. What do you think? Is saying that you enjoy communicating a good distinguish-er and have speech and leadership experiences?

Is saying you love the markets and observing market movements a great way to get attention? When it comes to interests, I have the following: Weightlifting, Yoga, Swimming and Astronomy and Physics… Does that sound fine.. I actually learning about black hole theory and physics and quantitative field equations.

I am an undergraduate student studying engineering and I am trying to get a summer internship in London. I currently have a mock trading account but for some reasons it is losing money.

Do you think I should mention the existence of the account? The answers to the walk me through your resume question seem more tailored towards trading. What would a good response be for 4 — 5 of that question for someone looking to go into sales? Just say that you enjoy interacting with clients and helping investors generate solid returns by providing them insight stock suggestions.

Jagdeesh Hi Brian, I really liked your article and I guess you should be the right person to answer my question. I was working as Equity Derivatives analyst for 5 years. Then I shifted my role to consulting. Now I am looking to re-enter the industry. How can I go do it? You may also find the below useful: I was given an interview about a month ago by the same firm for a position on a different desk — it was an interview for a few desks.

That interview had its fair share of fit questions, technical questions, brain teasers. I feel I did well, and connected with the individuals since they shared common points with me, but did not land the offer. This interview — sec lending — was strangely very relaxed. It was not serious at all. There were no technical questions and no fit questions. I dropped a few names and we joked about those people a bit. It was sort of like just a regular conversation with no test questions….

This interview confuses me! I was the last to be interviewed before the long weekend so it may be that they already found a candidate or could it be because they pulled up my previous interviews notes? I am unsure if I should delay accepting an offer at a mid-size firm for a few days to see their decision. I would definitely not turn down an offer at a mid-market firm just to wait and see on this one if it comes to that.

Great article as always. I just finished up my freshman year of college, and was wondering where I would actually have a chance of getting an internship next summer I joined a capital markets group at my school, read the WSJ, and have my own mock trading account.

Is there anything else I should be doing to prepare for an internship next summer? I do not have any real financial experience on my resume, like a past internship, etc.

Yep this is true. For roles which involve taking risks i. How should I convey on my resume that I am an athlete despite the fact I no longer compete competitively in college? Sports are still a very big part of my life, although they are now just for fun, but I feel like this is not portrayed at all on my resume given the current format. Do banks only care about varsity collegiate achievements in athletics or would it be wise to list my high school achievements?

My Tennis team won State all 4 year that I played and was ranked in the Top 5 in the Northeast. Any time I have ever brought this up at work or in an interview it has been quite a conversation starter, so I feel like it might be beneficial to list on my resume… but then again it was in high school and now I am a Junior in college.

You can list your HS achievements at the bottom of your resume if you want and have enough space. However, if sports are still a big part of your life and you want to illustrate that you can do so using our aforementioned suggestion. Especially the part about after interview questions, I dropped the first two you listed in an interview today and got great responses.

There is nothing else to say than that this post is pure gold. Best blog i have ever read. I am currently a Summer Analyst for a MM firm in Equity Research and worked last summer as an Institutional Equity Sales intern at a regional BB. Will i be able to show an interest in both Sales AND Trading or will it be more beneficial to pigeonhole myself and only express interest in Sales to land offers?

Questions you'll be asked at a trading interview with a bank

I am interested in both. Fine article, really appreciate it.

I just have a question about getting an internship in US. I can work in Canada with my work visa but I have no idea how it works out in US. Is working visa required for people outside of the country to work as intern? Yes, a work visa is required for internships, which makes it tougher for you… but most large banks will sponsor you if they like you enough. Thank you for the insights. Your email address will not be published.

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