Former IB analyst helping students get into IB

Hi All,

I'm a former Investment Banking intern, grad and analyst. I quit my job at the end of last year to take a little break (I earned it).

While I'm away, I'll be tweaking an IB learning bundle I've put together. I'd love some feedback on whether you think that's a concept people would go for at your universities. It's basically a basic financial modelling course that teaches lots of key concepts as you build it.

I helped assess applications for internship positions while I was at my ex-employer. I was fascinated to see what the decision process was like after all the time I spent in your shoes when I was applying! I'd be more than happy to give feedback on the sorts of thing you're including on your CVs / competency based assessments if you'd like.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Cheers

Reply 1

Aussie Dude ._.

What fascinated you about the decision process? I think everyone would appreciate it if you could demystify the process a bit :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 2

GetAhead

It was fascinating because I myself used to trawl through forums like TSR trying to find out what it was like, what the criteria for selection were, and how to stand out!

There were a few structured questions that we had to ask the candidates. The rest was pretty much flexible to discuss things on each candidate's CV, and it really struck me how similarly excellent most of those were. It really is tough to stand out.

More often than not, the ones who went through had done just one or two thoughtful things to show they had gone the extra mile. Things like sports, societies etc. are all very well, but everyone has those. The candidates needed something a bit extra than that on the day so the chat actually went somewhere, which I'm sure you knew already.

You probably want some examples...

My best candidate was someone who invested in the markets a bit, he really understood how to analyse company statements and performance already and really stood out. Understanding that sort of stuff really is above and beyond, but it shows there are things you can do to make sure you stand out.

I'm happy for people to PM me for a rough benchmark of where they're at compared with the general populous of applicants I interviewed, if that's helpful.

There was also one guy who had found someone on LinkedIn and mentioned he'd exchanged emails with them about the team they were in, the grad scheme etc. Anyway, he name-dropped him in the interview and it turned out I knew the bloke he was talking about! He was on the Markets scheme and we did some training together. That was good initiative. I suppose a bit lucky that I knew the guy so could be confident he wasn't bullsh*tting, but you earn your own luck, so they say.

Oh, and there was one of those abstract questions at the end - estimate how many yellow taxi cabs in NYC, that sort of thing. I think one of them was 'estimate how many cyclists commute in London on an average weekday'. It's just about approaching the problem with a clear head and logic. If people asked me for the population of London nicely then I gave them that as a starting point. I liked the ones who bounced ideas off me every now and then to check they were on the right track.

The (reassuring) truth to it, in my experience, is that there is very much a human element to the assessment. I was purely on interviews (not group exercises or such like) which the candidates had not prepared for. After two interviews, the other assessors would meet in a room to calibrate the last two candidates we interviewed. You'd then explain the case for each of your candidates, and we'd work out who we were putting through from the group.

There was no limit to the number of people we could put through on the day. I think it was in January/February time but can't remember for sure. I get the impression some places were held back so they don't all go in the October/November rush.

General advice - relax, be yourself, don't guess what the interviewer is looking for. Sell yourself as best you can, and if you don't get it - ask for feedback. Not because by some miracle they will reverse the decision due to you being so good at obtaining feedback like you said in your competency assessment, but because it's a actually very useful thing to get.

Hope that helps

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3

surfmonkey

Thanks for trying to give back. I was just wondering, what make your "IB learning bundle" better / more useful / higher value than WSO's or BIWS? Just asking here. Cheers!

Reply 4

GetAhead

First of all, thanks to everyone for the PMs. Hope you're finding the advice valuable. It's great fun helping you guys out first and foremost, and if I raise awareness for my website at the same time it's a bonus.

I won't comment on the learning bundle too much here, as I'd rather just help everyone with general queries. There are details on the Get Ahead Modelling website.

But since you asked publicly...

Most importantly, you don't need to pay hundreds of pounds/dollars for this sort of thing before you get there. That's how much the equivalent courses are elsewhere. You'll get taught it all anyway on a grad scheme so it's simply not worth the money. Mine is cheap as chips, because I'm just a random ex-Investment Banker trying to give a bit back. The primary purpose is to help people in the same position that I was in, and if I break-even then great.

All the concepts I was taught in my initial IB training (c. 1 month) on financial modelling are in the course. Plus more. The extra stuff are quirks that I picked up whilst modelling on live deals which I think would help make the whole experience more realistic. Things like where to get the information, creating replicas of real-world information sources etc. There isn't anything in the others' that isn't in mine.

If anyone wants to know more then send me a PM / via the website.

Keep the general queries coming! There are lots of rumours that need to be quashed it seems.

P.S I'm on New York time at the moment

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 5

Hody421

Original post by GetAhead

Top tips to get past the HR tickers?

Does trading with your own money with real portfolio management techniques enhance your application?

What's it like? What kind of tasks did you have to do on a daily basis?

Reply 6

GetAhead

Original post by Hody421

Hey

Thanks for the message.

re: Trading. If you want to be a trader, then it would indeed show you know a bit about it already. On the other hand you obviously risk losing your capital or worse. If you're interested in doing that, search youtube videos of talks by Anton Kreil (ex-GS trader) who used to flip IPOs in the .com boom whilst at university.

I wouldn't personally recommend starting it up just for the sake applying for a role somewhere else. Better to learn the ropes on the company credit card with proper training first.

re: HR and daily tasks, check out the blog on Get Ahead Modelling - a couple of posts on there that talk about those (HR & A Day in the life). Send me a PM if there's anything else in particular you want to know.