Wall Street Diaries

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Episode 235: How To “Trade Up” To A Better Bank Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

For most people, just getting ANY offer in investment banking is the goal. But for others, merely getting an offer is just the minimum acceptable outcome. What they want instead, is to be at the best bank possible. So say you only end up at a middle market bank for your summer internship. What can you do to leverage that internship into a full-time offer at a bulge bracket or elite boutique bank? And what if you end up at a bank that isn’t your top choice for full-time? At that point is there still anything else you can do to change your luck? Hear me answer these exact questions for one of our students. Long story short, as long as you are determined, you can almost always achieve your ultimate goal! Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep235

Episode 234: Why This Middle Market Bank Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

In our experience, a lot of students struggle with answering “why our bank” if they’re interviewing with a middle market investment bank. After all, the middle market bank often wasn’t their first choice, but they also can’t just say “oh it’s because I didn’t get into a bulge bracket or elite boutique bank.” So what makes a good answer when it comes to answering “why this middle market bank”? The key is to identify key differences between middle market banks and bigger banks, and then highlight why those differences appeal to you. Hear me critique one of our student’s answer for this exact questions, and start thinking about how you can improve your own answer. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep234

Episode 233: How Brandon Went From Big 4 Auditor to Investment Banking and Doubled His Salary Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

Our client Brandon is living proof that it's possible to break into investment banking after college without getting an MBA. He landed two offers from boutique investment banks after less than a year at a Big 4 accounting firm. Not only did he leave a job that was making him completely miserable, he also doubled his salary! Hear him talk about how he was able to take a non-traditional path into investment banking. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep233

Episode 232: How is a SaaS Company Different? Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

If you ever interview with the technology group of an investment bank, or perhaps a buyside firm that invests in technology companies, you’ll probably need to know how SaaS companies works. For those who aren’t familiar, “SaaS” stands for “software as a service” and refers to software companies that charge their customers using a recurring subscription model (as opposed to a one-time upfront fee). Because of how popular this business model has become within the software industry, combined with the uniqueness of its business model from a financial standpoint, it has become a popular interview topic. Here me coach one of our students on the difference between a SaaS company other “normal” companies. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep232

Episode 230: How Claire Broke Into Equity Research After Realizing Investment Banking Wasn’t For Her Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

Our client Claire originally thought she wanted to pursue investment banking, but after networking with various industry professionals and being mentored by an equity research analyst for five weeks, she realized that her true interest was in equity research. Hear how she was able to apply what she learned in WSMM to land her dream equity research position at Citi. She also shares some advice on the difference between the investment banking and equity research recruiting process. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep230

Episode 229: What is Accretion Dilution Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

One of the more advanced technical topics that can come up during interviews is the concept of accretion dilution. This is essentially one of the key metrics that bankers look at anytime they’re working on a M&A transaction. It’s not the only thing that matters in determining whether it’s a good deal, but it is something that shareholders care about. But how do you calculate accretion dilution? What are the different inputs that can affect the outcome? Hear me coach one of my students through this during a mock interview. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep229

Episode 228: How Tyler Went From Being a Non-Target to Successfully Lateraling into IB Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

Our client Tyler started at a community college and transferred to a non-target school, after which he graduated into a role at a small valuation firm. After a year there, he realized he wanted to lateral into investment banking. As a father of a 3-year-old, he didn’t have the ability to quit his job and going the traditional MBA route. So instead, Tyler joined WSMM and accomplished the same thing for a tiny fraction of the cost. Hear how Tyler was able to land an offer from a reputable middle market bank. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep228

Episode 227: Walking Through a LBO Deal Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

Private equity internships are one of the most relevant internships you can do to give your resume a boost for investment banking. If you’ve done one already, congrats! Chances are you probably got to work on 1-2 LBO deals during your internship. But now comes the hard part - how do you talk about that deal experience during the interview? What kind of questions will your interviewer grill you with? Hear me do a mock interview with my student as I grill him on a LBO deal that he worked on. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep227

Episode 226: How Bowen Secured a Top Middle Market Offer Despite Not Being a Part of Any Clubs Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

Our client Bowen studied at a target school but hadn’t joined any of his school’s professional orgs or investment banking clubs. He felt like he was unsure how to secure the job he wanted. After hearing about how other students from his school broke into banking through WSMM, he was convinced this was a viable path for him too. Hear how he landed three different offers before eventually accepting a job at a top middle market bank. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep226

Episode 225: Can't Find Anyone to Network With? Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

Usually we advise our students to network with bankers so that they can get referrals to interviews. But the other benefit is that you can glean talking points from your networking conversations for your actual interview answers. For example - when you’re answering “why are you interested in our bank” - it’s always good to weave in positive things that current employees have said about the bank. But what if you haven’t been able to network with anyone at the firm? What do you do in that scenario? Hear me coach one of my students who had an interview coming up the next day but had this exact same issue. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep225

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