Equity research, hedge fund, and investment management roles are seeking people who are deeply passionate about the stock market and actively trade their own portfolios or follow market trends closely. Rather than asking for a single stock pitch like in investment banking, interviewers will often ask for 2 or 3 stock pitches, and often times a short pitch as well if the fund is a long-short fund.
In addition, interviewers will expect you to have an opinion on various different sectors and subsectors, as well as the overall market. They will expect you to have an opinion on interest rates, Fed tapering, overheated and undervalued sectors, and the sustainability of market trends both in the short term and the long term.
Interviewers will also probe your investment thesis in significantly greater detail than an investment banking or private equity interview. Thorough knowledge of the industry and its competitors are required, in addition to relative valuation and the factors influencing any discrepancies in relative valuation. Other factors like understanding the quality of management, evaluating the company’s positioning, and performing deep due diligence on their financials and customer base are expected as well.
At Finance Interview Coach, we can make sure you can demonstrate your knowledge about stocks, sectors, and the overall market in the greatest clarity while ensuring that all boxes have been ticked and that there are no weaknesses in your investment thesis. We have worked with and successfully placed professionals in sell-side equity research roles, buy-side equity research roles, public equities teams in pension funds, as well as both medium to large hedge funds.
Prepare for your next equity research or hedge fund interview: our 93% success rate speaks for itself!
- Investment thesis deep dives to ensure all bases are covered
- Performing due diligence on financials, customers, and competitors
- Help with analyzing and building multiple stock pitches, sector pitches, and market opinions
- Short pitches on overvalued stocks or sectors
- Studying macroeconomic factors and forming a short term and long term opinion on sectors and the general market in various geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia
- Assistance with various valuation methodologies such as relative valuation and DCFs while providing strategic rationale for assumptions and discrepancies
- How to demonstrate your passion for investing and the equities market through your story and behavioural answers
One Hour Coaching Session
$235/ Hour
USD
- Long and short stock pitches
- Deep dive and due diligence on investment theses
- Constructing strategic rationale for sector and market opinions
- How to tell your story and demonstrate your passion for the market
Our Coaching Methodology
Investment Thesis Deep Dives
All aspects of investment theses on various long or short stock pitches will be probed, simulating how a portfolio manager would question you in an interview; including the types of questions asked in earnings calls by sell side analysts.
Customized Interview Questions
Fully customized mock interview consistent with the style of the equity research or hedge fund role you are applying to, including questions about sectors trends, valuation, and macroeconomic factors driving these trends. A strong emphasis will also be placed on behavioural questions to ensure that your passion for investing is self-evident.
Feedback
Feedback is provided after each question in order to promote learning and memory retention, and written feedback will be provided as well addressing your strengths and areas for improvement
Our Coaches
Josh Jia, Founder, 10+ Yrs of Experience, Lecturer at UVA
- 10 years of experience
- Principal at Apex Advisory
- Private Equity Analyst at Imperial Capital
- Investment Banking Analyst at BMO, Diversified Group
- Industry experience in headhunting, VC, HF, and ER
- Founded Limestone Capital
- Created 1st finance interview prep course at Queen’s
- Taught course consisting of ~250 slides, six classes, with hundreds of students attending
- Placed 100+ candidates into IB and PE roles
Equity Research, Hedge Fund, and Investment Banking Professional
- 2 years of experience as Equity Research Analyst in Technology group at large bank
- 7 years of experience in hedge funds and investment banking
- Experience teaching and lecturing in classroom environment
- Mentored dozens of professionals to help them secure jobs in equity research and hedge funds
Equity Research, Hedge Fund, and Investment Banking Professional
- Top-ranked Investment Banking & Equity Research VP with 12+ years of experience. Currently a Strategic Finance and FP&A Manager at one of the FANGs
- Have worked on the buyside & sellside, at bulge brackets & boutiques, covered multiple sectors (TMT, Consumer Retail etc.)
- Been on the hiring committee for Intern, Analyst, Associate & VP recruitment; and have insights into how hiring decisions are made
- Mentored 115+ professionals & helped them secure jobs in Banking, Research, S&T, HFs, & Strategic Finance / FP&A over the last 12 years, through resume & cover letter reviews, mock interviews, and career coaching
- Ivy-league graduate with 100% scholarship throughout
Corporate Banking and Private Debt Professional
- 4 years of experience
-
2nd year Corporate Banking Associate in BMO’s Power, Utilities & Infrastructure Group (promoted in July 2020)
- Prior to joining the Power, Utilities & Infrastructure Group, spent 2 years in BMO’s Project Finance Group
-
Focused on P&U and infrastructure
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Investment management and trading experience at OPSEU Pension Trust as an Analyst in Investment Strategy & Macro Research, Portfolio Construction
- Previously an Analyst in Scotiabank’s Financial Institutions Group
- Previously an Analyst at RBC
- Deeply passionate about credit
Manager of Investor Relations and Corporate Finance
- 5 years of experience as Manager of Investor Relations and Corporate Finance
- 2 years of experience as Investment Banking Analyst
- 8 years of coaching and resume review experience
Karl-Joseph Assaf (IB, PE, VC, Hedge Fund Coach)
- 13 years of experience in the financial services industry (Hedge Funds, Nat Res IB, FP&A)
- 3 years of IB (M&A) experience at Barclays in Nat Res
- 5 years of investing at Blackstone
- 5 years of investing at multi-billion hedge fund
- 1 yr as interim CFO of a growth agtech start-up
- Mentored 50+ people spanning students (undergrad + MBA)
- Interviewed 100+ candidates ranging from junior bankers to associate / VP-level investors
Our Placements
What our clients are saying:
Thanks to Josh, I landed a job at a top investment bank after my first Superday, despite having zero related experience. I first met him through group training at a target MBA program, where his expertise and excitement for coaching immediately stood out, and I decided to work with him one-on-one. His ability to simplify complex concepts was crucial to my success. During our multiple one-on-one sessions, Josh went above and beyond—dedicating time at odd hours and using a teaching style that helped me not only master the technical steps but also understand the intuition behind each answer. This personalized approach gave me the confidence to excel in my interviews. I couldn’t have done it without his commitment and patient guidance. If you’re serious about breaking into investment banking, working with Josh is a game changer.
Sophia Menick, Investment Banking Summer Associate at Evercore
Josh greatly assisted me in preparing for my Bain, BCG and McKinsey interviews. He helped to curate interviews that developed my weaknesses and helped me to identify my strengths. His cases were through, creative and challenging. Our cases were broadly focused at first but Josh was able to identify the places I needed to improve in order to advance. Josh's feedback was an asset to my improvement in the case interview circuit. He's an intelligent and highly driven finance professional who greatly assisted in achieving my interview goals and I'm confident he can do the same for you.
Management Consulting Professional
Josh has been invaluable in helping me improve my financial modeling skills and sharpen my understanding of material details in private equity transactions. Josh is a great teacher and is able to effectively communicate and pass on his experience and knowledge gained as an investment banker and private equity professional. Josh does not only teach the basics but can readily break down and simplify complex industry concepts. Josh was not only great in teaching the technical aspects of the job but also helped to develop my strategy to succeed in interviews. Overall, I am Josh has been outstanding in helping me transition from a non-traditional background in corporate law to finance.
Investment Banking Associate
Joshua Jia is probably one of the most knowledgeable and hardworking professionals you will ever meet. He has immense industry experience and also significant knowledge of the finance industry in general. I have benefited immensely through Josh’s help throughout the job searching and recruiting process in the finance industry and have landed a number of sought after roles. I hope that you will be able to benefit from this as well. Josh’s help will not only open doors for now, it will also open doors for your future career opportunities. The investment is well worthwhile.
Corporate Finance Professional
Josh is a leader in interview preparation and career development. Josh was instrumental in helping me land a job at a leading global investment bank in NYC. Josh continues to be a source of guidance and mentorship as I progress through my career. I highly recommend working with Josh to secure your next job in the financial industry.
Investment Banking Associate at Global Investment Bank in NYC
Josh greatly assisted me in preparing for my interviews in both investment banking and corporate development. He provided me with practical, actionable advice drawn from his experience interviewing with numerous employers that helped me overcome my weaknesses, highlight my strengths and tailor my message to the employer in question. He was incredibly patient with me as I went through the interview process and was very helpful throughout. If you're looking for someone to transform your interview skills, there is no better person than Josh.
Corporate Development Professional at Multinational Corporation
Josh has been a phenomenal mentor of mine since I was in first-year university. His extensive experience in investment banking and private equity made him the perfect interview prep coach, especially since he has gone through the recruiting process himself. In addition, he has a knack for giving intuitive explanations for financial concepts, ensuring that I fully understood the theory as opposed to simply memorizing the answers to a list of interview questions. His friendly disposition also made him a pleasure to interact with. In the end, I was able to secure an investment analyst position on the buy-side upon graduation. I definitely would not have been able to get there without his help, so many thanks to Josh for helping me jumpstart my career!
Investment Analyst at Leading Investment Management Firm
Josh’s personal advice were essential for me when I was looking for a job. His experiences and expertise in the finance industry allowed him to teach me some of the most practical and useful financial concepts. Moreover, Josh international experiences also helped me to explore different opportunities in regions like China and Hong Kong. Josh was very attentive throughout the whole process. He helped to improve my resume tremendously by cutting out the unnecessary materials and highlighting personal strength. Most importantly, his deep understanding of interviewers’ intentions was what really helped me. By the end of my sessions with Josh, I was not only able to receive job offers, I also gained knowledge about the industry which I believe that will able to benefit me for a lifetime.
Private Equity Associate
Josh was incredibly helpful when it came to prepping for interviews. Whether he was giving me advice technical or behavioural questions, everything he helped me with was instrumental in helping me get a job in investment banking, and then in private equity. If your goal is to break into the industry, there’s no one I would trust more than him!
Private Equity Associate
Alex and Josh are both great mentors and were a crucial component of my career development early on, and the guidance they provided me on financial modeling and LBO modeling gave me a step up in both recruiting and work. They are both extremely competent with regards to teaching financial concepts for individuals both new and familiar with finance, and are always happy to share honest advice. They are both genuinely care about your success and I would recommend them to anyone interested in developing the necessary skills to pursuing a career in finance early on.
Investment Analyst at Highbridge Capital
I just wanted to take the time to thank and give much-deserved credit to Alexander. My resume review could not have gone better. Alexander was thorough and asked all the right questions in order to capture all of my highlights. He took the time to fully understand my story and position it in the best way on my resume. His knowledge of the Finance industry was evident in his suggestions which I would have never thought of. He also took the time to answer any miscellaneous questions I had in detail. The process was outstanding all around. I would definitely work with him again and recommend this service to anyone looking to transform their resume.
Sr. Finance Manager, ABB Optical Group (Florida)
Alex did a great job on my resume review. He was encouraging and offered perspective that increased my confidence with the job search. I was changing industries and was concerned I wouldn’t be able to break into investment banking, but through his encouragement and help I was able to get an investment banking analyst position within a few weeks. I received many compliments on my resume through the job search which played a huge part in me receiving the offer. I would recommend Alex’s service for any student or professional wanting to get into investment banking.
Investment Banking Analyst, Agentis (Vancouver)
Alexander was immensely helpful in getting my resume ready for my recent career search. He was extremely thoughtful, attentive, and helpful throughout our interaction. With his help I have been able to secure interviews with firms that I would not have been able to prior to him helping me refine my resume.
Analyst (Originations), White Oak Global Advisors (San Francisco)
My experience with Alexander has been more than pleasant. Alex was prompt, courteous and professional. He took the time to talk to me to truly understand my work experience and my skills. He reformatted my resume, condensed it down to 1 page while preserving the essence. He also helped me with my interview skills, potential areas I could improve on. I have received several interviews from high caliber organizations, and I attribute it all to Alexander's help.
Analyst (Data Performance & Risk), Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund Board (Edmonton)
It was 8 months before graduation that I decided to pursue a career in finance. Having worked in completely irrelevant fields, I was lost and I didn't have any guidance or exposure to the whole finance scene and struggled in figuring out how to break into finance. I knew speaking with people like Alexander who knew ins and outs of recruiting process was one of the things I could do, so I actively sought mentorship opportunities, and I stumbled upon a chance to speak with Alexander. After speaking with him and doing a mock interview, I learned exactly what I lacked in, and what strengths I have, and what direction I should take on to maximize my chances of breaking into the industry. Alexander has been tremendously helpful with my recruiting, and offered invaluable advice that played a critical role in landing interviews with reputable firms for investment banking, equity research and private equity roles. What I really appreciated was that he was very real and gave advice that were actionable in the very limited timeframe I was given. Alexander is currently mentoring me and I truly feel that having a mentorship opportunity with Alexander will help anyone aspiring to be in finance to set out a clear plan that he or she can execute on.
Private Equity Analyst, Red Oak Succession Partners (Toronto)
I had the pleasure of working with Alexander when he conducted a resume review session with me prior to the beginning of the recruiting season. One of the things that stood out to me about the session was how thorough Alexander was with his feedback. My resume was not riddled with too many errors, but Alexander provided constructive feedback for almost every line of my resume. Not only was he able to give feedback on the resume itself but also he provided his thoughts about how he felt my resume was as it relates to the roles that I intended to apply for. I'm currently in the process of recruiting and now feel more confident about my resume and have begun to receive interview opportunities for the roles that I intended to apply for.
Student, Baruch College
Alex recently helped me with my resume. The process began with a bunch of pertinent questions which formed a starting point for the review and then continued with revisions based on subsequent questions I had following the first draft. The resume looks significantly better than what I had before this process. I also learned that I was leaving off things that were perfectly good to be on the resume and stay there. Additionally, Alex was kind enough to take the time to answer some other questions I had, given his experience in the field. Overall, the process was seamless and informative and I highly recommend it if you are at all uncertain about your resume.
Senior Financial Analyst, Avenue M Advisors (Los Angeles)
Alex has the ability to hone in on specific aspects of your resume and make them shine. After a phone call and a couple pass-throughs with him, the difference in my resume is night and day. Always friendly and receptive, Alex has managed to make me impressed with my own resume. I’m heading into recruiting season more confident than ever and looking forward to staying in touch with Alex.
Marketing Manager, Xiaomi (Beijing)
Alexander provided superior service in helping me revise and critique my resume. Throughout the resume review process Alexander provided thorough and concise feedback to ensure my resume was of the highest quality to present to employers. Overall, the resume review service offered by Alexander was very professional and highly recommended!
Loan Associate, State Street (Boston)
From the moment Alexander Banh and I connected he was very professional and quick to respond to me. He offered to review my resume and give it a professional update so that I would attract more potential employers to my profile. He did a superb job with sending me a thorough questionnaire to learn more about me and my previous work experience which thus led to him generating a very polished resume for me. The process took less than a week and I was very pleased with his work. After he was done working on my resume I immediately starting filling out applications for finance positions that I was interested in. I received many call backs and in person interviews, which led me to receiving a full time job in corporate finance for a company that I love working for. I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without his help. Thank you again Alexander, and I look forward to working with you in the future.
Wealth Mgmt. Branch Analyst, Morgan Stanley (Atlanta)
Schedule Your Call Now!
Call Structure
After understanding your goals and background, we will provide a tough, realistic mock interview simulating how a portfolio manager would probe every aspect of an investment thesis. We will also test your ability to provide several stock pitches, sector opinions, and macroeconomic stances. Finally, strong emphasis shall be placed on how you tell your story and whether you are demonstrating your passion for investing to the most effective degree.
Furthermore, we will test you from a list of curated questions that have been asked in real hedge fund and equity research interviews.
Feedback is provided after each question in order to promote learning and memory retention. Concise, written feedback will be provided at the end addressing your strengths and areas for improvement.