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Learn MoreBlue Chip Career - Guide to Finance and Consulting Interviews
Blue Chip Career - Guide to Finance and Consulting Interviews
This course is comprised of videos with Blue Chip Career mentors walking through frequently asked finance, consulting an
Created byChris Carey
Last updated 9/2011
English
Course content
4 sections • 49 lectures • 2h 26m total length
- Do You Have Any Questions For Me?2:03
The interview's almost over, and the recruiter has turned things over to you. But when he or she asks if you have any questions, what should you say? Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady outlines what a recruiter is looking for with the "question question" and offers advice on how you should answer.
- Have You Ever Had to Convince Teammates to Work on a Project They Weren't Thrilled About?2:48
Good at leading teams? This question is a chance to prove it. Blue Chip Career mentor Dominique Gagnon explains how you should answer - and suggests how you can spin your response to sound like an ideal candidate.
- How Do You React To Pressure?1:46
Can you deal with pressure? You'll have to, if you're to succeed in a high-stress banking or consulting position. Blue Chip Career mentor John D.C. Miles describes how you should show that you can handle pressure in an interview.
- What Is Your Greatest Weakness?2:22
Think you don't have any weaknesses? You're wrong - and if you can't think of an intelligent answer to this common interview question, you risk making a poor impression on your interviewer. Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris explains how you should structure your answer to turn one (or more) of your weaknesses into a positive. (And saying you work too hard or care too much doesn't count.)
- Where Do You See Yourself in 2 to 5 Years?1:38
Where DO you see yourself in a few years? If you're like most people, you haven't the faintest idea. But there is a right way of answering this question - and Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady explains it.
- Do You Consider Yourself A Competitive Person?2:33
Do you have a competitive nature? Can an interviewee be TOO competitive? Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris talks about how you should address your competitiveness (or lack thereof) in an interview.
- How Do You Prioritize When Working On Multiple Projects?1:24
Whether multitasking comes naturally to you or not, you'll need to prioritize your work if you want to succeed in the professional world. Blue Chip Career mentor Dominique Gagnon explains how to answer this question on priorities.
- How Would Other People Describe You?2:08
Whether you're good at abstract thinking or not, you may well have to answer this question in an interview. Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris explains what a recruiter is looking for when asking about others' perceptions of you and describes how you should answer.
- Have You Ever Disagreed With A Company Policy?2:36
Ever butted heads with a boss or been stymied by a certain workplace rule? You're certainly not alone. But when asked these types of questions in an interview, there are good and not-so-good ways of responding. Blue Chip Career mentor Dominique Gagnon explains what you should do.
- What Would a Team Member Most Criticize About You?2:25
This question is a variation on the "weaknesses question," but it also takes your performance on teams into account. Answer incorrectly and you risk seeming hubristic or incapable of being a team player - but Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris details how you should respond to put your contributions in the best possible light.
- Why Do You Want to Work at My Firm?3:34
Why do you want to work for one firm and not another? Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris explains how you can structure your response to bring your skills and experiences to the fore - and make yourself stand out in a crowded field of candidates.
- Have You Ever Had An Issue With A Boss?3:19
It's only natural to have had disagreements with a superior at work - but the real question is, did you handle the situation in a mature and professional manner? Blue Chip Career mentor Dominique Gagnon details how you should describe past workplace conflicts.
- If You Were Any Type of Animal, What Would You Be?1:52
Not all interview questions are five-by-five: Sometimes you'll have to think outside the box. Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris walks through this unconventional question and offers some tips for responding intelligently.
- If You Know Your Boss Is Wrong, How Would You Handle It?2:30
Telling a boss that he or she is wrong can be tricky. Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris explains how you should approach this hypothetical interview question.
- What Decisions Do You Find Most Difficult to Make?2:10
Which workplace decisions are the toughest? Blue Chip Career mentor John D.C. Miles explains how you should frame your answer to this commonly asked interview question.
- Interviewing Tip - Limit Your Exposure0:47
In an interview, you don't want to start talking about something you aren't entirely comfortable discussing. Blue Chip Career mentor David Pilger explains the importance of staying focused and limiting your exposure to unfamiliar conversation topics.
- How Is CAPM Calculated?4:00
The capital asset pricing model is a cornerstone of modern financial theory, and you'll have to know how the model works if you want to do well in a banking interview. Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady describes how you should explain CAPM to a recruiter.
- Walk Me Through A DCF4:32
Discounted cash flow is one of the building blocks of finance, and you'll need to knwo how to explain it concisely if you hope to ace a banking interview. Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady describes what you should - and shouldn't - say in talking about DCF.
- How Would You Go About Finding Beta? How and Why Would You Unlever a Beta?2:49
Beta - a measure of an asset's sensitivity to market risk - is essential in financial modeling. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains why beta is important and walks through the process of finding - and unlevering - beta for a hypothetical asset.
- DCF, Trading Multiples, Transaction Multiples - Which Provides The Highest Valuation?3:18
Know the three main valuation types? If you want to be prepared for banking interviews, you'll have to. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains and distinguishes between the three valuation metrics.
- What Drives Companies to Pursue Mergers and Acquisitions?2:03
What spurs M&A transactions? With 2011 on track to be one of the biggest years ever for corporate deals, this question is particularly salient. Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady explains the question in simple terms and lays out how you should respond.
- If You Can 't Value A Company Using DCF Or Multiples, How Would You Establish Its Value?3:08
Valuation questions are a time-honored fixture of banking interviews, and you'll need to be familiar with a handful of different valuation metrics if you hope to perform well. Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady explains the three major valuation types and lays out a strategy for describing them.
- Does the Price of a Call Option Increase When the Time to Expiration Increases?4:36
Can you talk at length about calls, puts and other, more complex derivatives? You'll have to, if you want to ace an investment-banking interview. Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris details how you should answer this common question about calls and expiry dates.
- What Is an LBO, and Why Does a Company Add Leverage to the Capital Table?2:06
The 1980s may have been the golden era of leveraged buyouts, but they're still common in the corporate world. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains why LBOs take place and dispenses tips for explaining why a firm would take on debt.
- What Major Factors Affect the Yield of a Corporate Bond?2:51
Bonds might not be sexy, but they're one of the main ways companies fund their operations. And, if you want to nail a banking interview, you'll need to know how the bond market works. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains bonds and describes how you should talk about bond yields.
- Why Do Out-Of-The-Money Options Often Have Higher Implied Volatility than At-The-Money Options?4:42
How much do you know about implied volatility? Strike prices? The derivatives market? This question tests your knowledge of all of those items and assesses your fitness for working in finance. Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris details how you should answer.
- You Have Two Bonds with Identical Coupons And Maturities. Which One Do You Buy and Why?3:37
What do you know about bonds and corporate finance? This question tests your knowledge and encourages you to think on your feet. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains the key differences between supermarkets and tech firms and describes how you should respond.
- Why Are People Worried About Inflation?3:09
What's the big deal about inflation? You could get asked that question in a banking interview, so you should be prepared to answer. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal walks through the basics of inflation and details how you can frame a winning answer.
- If You Had Two Companies With The Same Capital Structure, Which Company Would You Invest In?3:12
You've got two fundamentally similar companies, and you can invest in just one. How do you choose? Blue Chip Career mentor Enoch Minn explains how you should structure your response.
- How Would One Analyze A Bond To Determine Its Ideal Risk-Adjusted Return?4:22
Bonds may not be terribly exciting, but you'll have to know how they work if you want to land an entry-level banking job. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains why bond analysis is an important skill and runs through the process of calculating target risk-adjusted return.
- What Would You Do With Excess Cash On The Balance Sheet?3:01
Excess cash sounds like a good problem for a company to have, but knowing how to put that cash to good use can be a challenge. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains how you should answer when presented with the excess-cash question.
- How Do You Calculate EPS, And Why Is It Important?3:23
Earnings per share are an important metric of a firm's profitability. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains how EPS is calculated and walks through how you should explain it in an interview.
- How Do Credit Agreements And Senior Indentures Differ - And Why Are They So Important?3:55
Knowing the difference between credit agreements and senior indentures can enable you to ace your banking interviews. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal discusses the two debt instuments in detail and describes why they're important valuation tools.
- Why Would A Company Issue Debt Instead Of Equity?2:10
Both debt and equity are important components of firms' financing strategies, but the former can sometimes be preferable. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains when that's the case and offers suggestions on answering the debt-vs.-equity question.
- How Would You Calculate A Firm's WACC, And What Do You Do With It?7:28
Weighted average cost of capital is a linchpin of modern financial theory, and you'll need to know it back to front if you want to succeed in your banking interviews. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal details why WACC is important and concisely explains how it's calculated.
- What Are Some Common Anti-Takeover Tactics?4:00
Corporate takeovers are a regular occurrence - and tactics to thwart takeovers are just as common. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal explains a few common anti-takeover tactics and details how you should discuss them in an interview.
- Which Is More Accretive - A Stock-Based Deal Or A Cash-Based One?1:19
When asked whether a stock-based or a cash-based deal is more accretive, what do you say? Blue Chip Career mentor David Pilger explains how you should answer.
- Walk Me Through Your Resume1:58
"Walk me through your resume." Seems like a simple request - but it's all too easy to get tripped up when answering this common interview question. Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady walks YOU through a resume walk-through and offers pointers for responding fluidly.
- If You Could Invest in Anything, in any Market, What Would it Be?5:43
How much do you know about investing? This question aims to probe into your understanding of the investing world on both a micro and a macro level. Blue Chip Career mentor Charlie Trisiripisal details how you should answer and explains what kind of response a recruiter is looking for.
- Describe Three of Your Strengths and Three of Your Weaknesses2:25
Ever been asked the "strengths and weaknesses" question in a job interview? Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady discusses the question, offering strategies for avoiding common pitfalls and detailing how you you can respond intelligently.
- Have You Ever Done Any Trading On Your Own?2:52
Are you an accomplished trader or a rank newbie in the markets? Blue Chip Career mentor Scott Morris walks you through this common interview question and lays out how you should answer.
- Why Do You Think You'd Make a Successful Investment Banker?2:26
Are you 100 percent certain you'd make a good investment banker? Recruiters ask this question to try to call your bluff - but with the help of Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady, you'll be able to answer like a seasoned pro.
- What Skills Do You Think an Investment Banker Should Possess?2:27
What should an investment banker be able to do well? It's a pretty fundamental question - but it could trip you up in an i-banking interview if you're not prepared. Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady explains what i-banking is all about and gives strategies for nailing your answer.
- In Which Investment Banking Department Do You Want To Work (and Why)?3:15
There are many areas of investment banking in which a person can work - each with a unique culture and a different required skill set. Blue Chip Career mentor Joe El-Rady lays out some of the essential differences between i-banking departments and offers tips on how you should answer when asked to pick a favorite.
- Guidelines For Preparing For A Consulting Interview 3:40
Getting ready for a consulting interview? Blue Chip Career mentor Dave Traugott walks you through the process and offers tips that can help you succeed.
- How To Demonstrate Structured Thinking In A Consulting Interview2:20
Showing that you're capable of thinking through problems in a logical manner is a great way to stand out from other applicants - and in consulting interviews, it's particularly important. Blue Chip Career mentor Dave Traugott explains why structured thinking is vital to success in consulting and details the steps you should take to demonstrate that you're a clearheaded thinker.
- How To Handle The Quantitative Section Of A Case Interview3:17
You might not be a strong left-brain thinker, but you'll have to do well on the quantitative part of your case interviews if you want to make consulting recruiters' shortlists. Blue Chip Career mentor Dave Traugott - himself a veteran of the consulting industry - walks through the quantitative section of a case interview and describes what you need to do to knock it out of the park.
- What To Say When Asked About Fit In A Consulting Interview3:20
How you fit in a given firm's culture is a reliable predictor of your success with that firm. Blue Chip Career mentor Dave Traugottdetails how you can position yourself as an applicant who fits well into the firm at which you want to work.
- An Intangible Key To Success In Consulting3:13
Consulting isn't always cut-and-dried - you need to know how (and when) to think differently about a problem. Blue Chip Career mentor Dave Traugott explains the importance of pivoting and being openminded to consulting success.
Description
This course is comprised of videos with Blue Chip Career mentors walking through frequently asked finance, consulting and behavioral/leadership interview questions. We'll be building out this guide throughout the fall to help students and young professionals prepare for their interviews.