Wall Street Diaries

Latest Episodes:

Episode 171: Most Common Technical Interview Questions May 09, 2022

Show notes

What are the most common technical topics that get asked about in interviews? This question is especially important if you’re behind on your interview prep and you don’t have time to learn everything. In case you didn’t know, some topics actually do show up a lot more than others. You want to try to prioritize those topics first in your studying. Watch me answer this question for one of my students. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep171

Episode 170: Do I Have to Network Before I Apply May 05, 2022

Show notes

One of the most common questions I get asked is “Sam, do I have to network first before I apply to a firm, or can I apply first and then network?” This question comes up because oftentimes, students get caught off guard by how early the recruiting process is starting, and haven’t done any networking yet up to that point. So does the order of which you do first really matter? Hear me explain this to one of my students, so that you can maximize your chances of getting interviews. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep170

Episode 169: How Chan Went From a Liberal Arts Background to Landing an Offer at a BulgeBracket May 04, 2022

Show notes

Our client Chan was a liberal arts student who didn’t have much of a finance background. He thought he had a solid shot at breaking into investment banking, but joined WSMM sophomore year because he didn’t want to just break in -- he wanted to break into the best groups at the best banks. Hear how he was able to do exactly that within just 4 months of joining the program, ultimately receiving an offer from one of the top groups at GS/MS/JPM. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep169

Episode 168: Front Office vs. Middle Office vs. Back Office May 03, 2022

Show notes

Sometimes students get confused about the difference between the “front office” roles at an investment bank versus the “middle office” or “back office” roles. Other times, they know there’s a difference, but are wondering if it’s possible to lateral from a middle or back office role to a front office role. If you don’t know the answer to the above questions, it’s important that you learn it so that you don’t go down the wrong path. Hear me walk a student through the difference between each one, and whether it’s a viable way to break into investment banking. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep168

Episode 163: How Pavan Landed a Guggenheim Offer as a Masters in Finance From a Non-Target School Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

Our client Pavan studied at a small non-target school called Case Western. He realised that he wanted to get into banking towards the end of freshman year, but couldn’t get any interviews. During senior year, after realizing his own strategies weren’t working and that time was running out, he joined WSMM. Hear how he was able to secure an offer at an elite boutique despite his extremely late start with recruiting and being from a non-target school. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep163

Episode 162: How to Sanity Check Your DCF Apr 18, 2022

Show notes

When you do a discounted cash flow, you can get a wide range of outcomes. Depending on what you assume for your revenue growth rate, margin assumptions, and other factors like working capital and capex, your valuation could be much higher or lower. So how do you know if the valuation range you arrive at is at least in the correct ballpark? Hear me coach my student through how this is done. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep162

Episode 161: How to Talk About Your Internship Experience Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

Aside from “tell me about yourself”, “why investment banking”, and “why our bank”, the next most likely question you’ll get during interviews is “walk me through this internship experience on your resume”. In other words, you need to know how to discuss every single experience you have listed on your resume (because you never know which one the interviewer will ask about)… And you need to do it in just the right amount of details. But this is easier said than done… and a lot of students do a poor job with it. Hear me coach this student on how to improve this answer. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep161

Episode 160: ELEVATE Program Session 3 Diversity Program Recruiting Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

In this session, we discuss the importance of diversity programs and strategize on how Ximena can take advantage of these additional recruiting channels as a Latina student. We also game plan on all the things she needs to start doing in order to be prepared for the diversity recruiting process. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep160

Episode 156: How to Figure Out a Company’s KPIs Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

To really understand whether a business is doing well, you need to first figure out what KPIs to look at. “KPI” stands for “key performance indicators” and these are usually leading indicators that will help you forecast your revenue and expenses ahead of time. This is a more advanced topic but it can come up in interviews, especially if you get a case study question. Hear me coaching one of my students on how to figure out the right KPIs for a business. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep156

Episode 155: What to Do If Your Internship is BS Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

A lot of times students take on internships to get more relevant experience, only to find that they are not getting much in terms of real responsibilities. This is problematic because the student then has trouble writing about the internship on their resume… And even if they make up some fake bullet points, they get exposed during the interview when they can’t speak to the internship intelligently. Listen to this podcast where I coach a student who’s in this exact situation. I give him some ideas on how to get the most out of this experience. Book a Virtual Coffee Chat with an Upperclassmen Who Secured an Offer: wallstmastermind.com/apply?utm_source=podcastep155

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