This article is a part of a series of articles on Interview Experiences. Check out our blog for more such pieces.
Industry: Investment Banking
Company: Bexley Advisors
Position: Investment Banking Intern
Result: Selected
Setting: Off-campus application
This article is about the interview experience of Anwesha Dash, a St Stephen's college alumna, who was selected to intern at Bexley Advisors for 2 and a half months. She landed this internship through networking and researching opportunities on LinkedIn. Reflecting on the work experience, the candidate says that as a part of her role, she got to do everything that a full-time analyst does, thus making room for an extensive learning experience.
Investment Banking is a special branch of banking services that helps individuals and organizations by providing them with financial consultancy and helping them raise capital, they also help new firms go public by acting as mediators between security issuers and investors. Bexley Advisors is a boutique advisory firm that supports tech/media companies and investors in their early funding rounds.
The article covers various tips on how to land opportunities through LinkedIn, topics related to the recruitment process adopted by the organization, details of the interview, and tips on how to prepare for the interview.
All information and insights have been shared by the above-mentioned candidate.
The candidate secured this internship through LinkedIn, which is a highly effective medium for networking with higher-ups in the industry and keeping an eye out for updates from companies that are actively hiring.
Tips to Get an Internship through LinkedIn
Start with setting up a good profile. Keep in mind to
- Mention all your previous work experiences
- Get some connections on LinkedIn with people you already know
- Have a professional profile picture
- Write a good headline (the one-line description below your name on LinkedIn)
You can look at the job section on LinkedIn. However, there are a lot of companies that are actively hiring but don't post it there, so don't rely just on that.
Be clear with regards to what sectors/industries you want to work in, select the ones that'll give you the kind of experience and exposure that you aspire to receive.
Shortlist Linkedln profiles of people working in senior positions there, i.e. Managing Directors, Vice Presidents, etc., anyone in a mid-senior or entry-level position wouldn't have much influence or knowledge with matters regarding hiring new members.
Send them a connection request with a crisp and concise invite, introducing yourself, and mentioning your objective. In this case, the candidate sent nearly a hundred invites to Senior employees.
You can also contact the HR directors of the companies as they'll most likely be aware of any new openings. Here, the candidate sent about 70 invites.
Keep in mind that most of them will review your profile before getting back to you.
If you have the option to attach your CV or resume anywhere it's suggested you do it as the officials from the company will want to get to know you better before setting up an interview.
It's not common to get an immediate reply from anyone, thus, it is very important to follow up with them and remain patient.
The candidate received responses from a few investment banks and decided to join Bexley advisors. Below are the details of the recruitment process that she faced.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS AT BEXLEY ADVISORS
The recruitment process began with CV submission which was followed by two levels of interviews.
Interviews
There were two rounds of interviews both of which were eliminative, had one-panel member each, and lasted for about 30 to 45 minutes each.
Round I
This round was mostly HR based.
The candidate was asked questions about her future plans, interest to work in this particular industry, and her past experiences.
Investment Banking being a highly research-oriented industry, the interviewer was interested in discerning her research skills.
Round II
This round was conducted by the Managing Director and had predominantly HR based questions which were similar to the ones asked in the first round.
On the technical side, there were questions to gauge the candidate’s familiarity with excel.
In both these rounds, there were only very few finance-related questions.
What was the recruiter looking for?
The recruiters were looking for someone who was:
Familiar with Excel models and PowerPoint.
Willing to put in a considerably long amount of time into research and work.
Preparation
The candidate's preparation for the selection process involved two parts:
Preparing a promising CV / resume and being thorough with everything she had mentioned in it.
Going through current affairs and finance-related topics that an entry-level candidate is likely to be questioned on.
Tips to crack the interview
Be very clear and confident about everything that you write in your CV. Recruiters can pick up anything from it to authenticate.
Notify them regarding the capacity in which you've previously worked, if you feel like they might not be able to grasp it from your CV.
Keep in mind that Investment Banking is not an easy industry to work in. Be ready to dedicate a good amount of time to it.
We thank the candidate for sharing these insights with us that have given us a detailed perspective on both the overall recruitment process and how to crack it.
Stay tuned for more such interview experiences.
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