Investment Banking Recruiting Secrets of the Top 1%

Networking is one of the most important things you can do to get investment banking interviews. Without referrals from your networking contacts, you will get very few interviews. One of the best ways to stand out during a networking chat is to ask intelligent questions that show you’ve done your homework. After all, if you just ask the same cookie cutter questions that everyone else is asking, the...

Our student Kevin had been dreaming of IB for 15 years before joining WSMM. In between, he tried entrepreneurship, worked in ministry, served in the Army, got a Masters in Finance, and worked at a state prison. Unable to break into IB, he decided to join WSMM during his MBA program at Florida A&M. Hear how he landed multiple bulge bracket offers with our help despite not having any prior finance w...

One of the technical concepts that trips up many students is the difference between capital expenditures and operating expenses. It’s not as complicated as you think though - once you understand the difference it’s really quite simple. Listen as I explain what they are to one of our students. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_sour...

Our client Alex originally came to us as a senior from a non-target after failing to secure an investment banking summer internship. We helped him go from a middle office internship to a full-time middle market private equity offer, which was an amazing outcome. However, his offer got rescinded when COVID-19 hit. Hear how Alex used WSMM to recruit for a second time, and this time around ended up w...

One of the most common questions that you will get asked during an interview is “tell me about yourself.” Do well on this question, make a good first impression, and the rest of your interview becomes much easier. The opposite is also true. Watch how I help this student craft his answer to this question in a way that will make him stand out against students who are seemingly more qualified on pape...

We are seeing more and more interviewers today ask “multi-step” three statement questions to really test a candidate’s knowledge. Watch me walk this student through an example of this type of question in this video. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep86

Our client Andy had all the typical resources at his disposal (interview guides, finance clubs, etc.). He joined WSMM after realizing how those resources really weren't enough to stand out. Hear him talk about how WSMM helped him secure interviews with almost every bank he applied to, get multiple superdays, and even confidently turn down a private equity offer before eventually getting an offer a...

One of the most common technical interview topics is valuation. Because everything you do in banking revolves around it. Watch how I explained these pros and cons to one of our students recently. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep84

Are you an underclassman who is interested in getting into investment banking? Watch me explain what types of things to focus on right now to take advantage of that early start in the recruiting process. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep83

One of the technical concepts that trips up a lot of candidates is the mid-year convention in a DCF. You not only need to know what it is, and how it works… But the tricky part is how to explain it in a concise and articulate manner to your interviewer (this is where most people mess up). It’s really not that hard though! Watch as I explain this concept to a student step by step. Schedule a free s...

One of the most common questions asked during full time recruiting is talking about a deal or pitch that you got to work on. However, what if you feel like you didn’t actually do that much? Check out how I was able to help this student turn his minimal role on the pitch to something he can talk about and be proud of during his interview. Schedule a virtual coffee chat at: wallstmastermind.com/appl...

One of the more advanced topics in investment banking technical interviews involves doing M&A math… also known as “accretion / dilution.” I recently did a mock interview with one of our students where we went over this exact topic, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for you to learn how to answer this question as well. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_...

Valuation is one of the four major topics you’ll get tested on in investment banking interviews (the other three are accounting, M&A, and LBO). It might even be the most important topic, because everything you do in investment banking revolves around valuation in one way or another. If you’re not well versed on how valuation multiples work yet, check out this short episode to learn this very impor...

Full transcript here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Lf3PWakIdcZnaYmGbP6vHOHsiphoqJor Our client Paolo is a perfect story of perseverance and resilience. After trying to recruit for investment banking unsuccessfully from a non-target school back in college, he went back to business school to reapply for summer associate positions. After not seeing much success initially, hear him talk about how...

One question that we see a lot of students struggle with during interviews is “pitch me a stock you like.” The reason why this question can be tricky is because it’s very open-ended, and you can’t really just memorize the “right” answer. A student of mine recently asked me how to answer this question, and I thought I’d share my tips with you too. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermi...

Our client Kelly studied at a top target school and was actually pretty qualified for investment banking. Although he knew he could probably get into banking by himself, he didn’t want just any bank; he wanted to be at one of the top groups in a top bank. To do that, he knew the resources at school weren’t enough to help him stand out. Hear what he did with WSMM to help him land offers from two of...

Selin discovered investment banking during sophomore year, but wasn't sure if she was good enough to break into such a competitive field. Despite some help from the finance club members, she got rejected from all of her applications. Hear how joining WSMM helped her secure a sophomore summer internship from Deutsche Bank, followed by a junior summer internship from Goldman Sachs' TMT group. To see...

If you’re just starting to network with investment bankers, one of the most intimidating parts of the process is probably figuring out what to talk about during the conversation. I recently answered this question for one of my students where we talked about exactly how to do this. If you’ve been having trouble with this, this podcast is for you. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermin...

Some of you probably have seen a recommendations section on Linkedin where past coworkers/connections can vouch for you. But is it really necessary for recruiting? Will recruiters actually look seriously at your recommendations? Check out what I said about the importance of recommendations and how to go about getting them. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=...

Are you from a non-target school that has very few alumni working in investment banking? When networking, what can you do aside from just reaching out to alumni from your school? Check out my response from a recent Q&A I did. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep72

Full transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GukUSOgfyPRZsMT40r7eE1q8xDG4KiLW/view?usp=sharing Our client Bradley is a rising junior who has already secured offers from banks like Perella Weinberg, Citi, and Evercore. As of this interview, he's also been fast-tracked to superday interviews with Goldman Sachs (both NYC and SF). Hear him talk about how he went from a bioengineering major w...

Are there different technical concepts for different investment banking groups? Depending on what group it is, there may or may not be some extra technical concepts that you’ll have to learn. Listen to this short podcast to learn which groups require extra preparation on your part, so that you don’t get caught off guard. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=po...

Wondering what to do if you want to break into investment banking but don’t have relevant finance experience? This is a common question that a lot of students have, you’re not alone. Listen to this podcast where I talk about what you can do if you’re currently in this situation. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep68

Someone recently asked me what is the best way to follow up with bankers after the initial networking call. If you’ve also been having a lot of networking conversations but most of it is not leading to anything, this may be the missing piece of the puzzle for you. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep67

I recently got asked this question during an AMA, and I wanted to share because a lot of you are probably wondering the same thing. The answer is it really depends on what type of bank you’re aiming for. Check out this short audio to learn more about the recruiting timeline. Schedule a free strategy session at: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep66