Equity Research Interview Prep
Our 93% Success Rate Speaks For Itself
Equity research 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.
Our coaching sessions will cover the following:
- Build a through investment thesis which ensures all bases are covered
- Perform due diligence on financials, customers, and competitors
- Analyze and create multiple stock/sector pitches, and market opinions
- Learn to create short pitches on overvalued stocks or sectors
- Understand macroeconomic factors and form short term and long term opinions 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
- Demonstrate your passion for investing and the equities market through your story and behavioral answers
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 and public equities teams in pension funds.
Equity Research Coaching Packages
| Coaching sessions are customized to your needs. Any materials reviewed during the sessions will be sent to you (financial models / templates, slide decks, case studies) | |
Includes 3 hours of coaching, all materials from the above packages, as well as:
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Includes 5 hours of coaching, all materials from the above packages, as well as:
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Includes 8 hours of coaching, all materials from the above packages, as well as:
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Includes 10 hours of coaching, all materials from the above packages, as well as:
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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 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, Partner
- Corporate Development
- Finance Resume Review
- Financial Modelling Coaching
- Investment Banking
- Investor Relations
- Private Equity
- Venture Capital
- 8 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
Stella Zhang
Coach
- Investment Banking
- Private Equity
- 6+ years of experience in investment banking and private equity
- Investment Banking Associate at Goldman Sachs Industrials Group, New York
- Experience including public M&A, IPO, financing, and strategic advisory
- Member of on-campus recruiting team at Northwestern University Kellogg School of management
- Private Equity Associate at a middle-market infrastructure fund in New York
- Sector focus including energy transition, circular economy, and sustainable agriculture
- Structured equity, non-dilutive capital solutions
- Coach at Kellogg School of Management’s Investment Banking and Capital Markets Club, mentored 20+ MBA students on interview preps, case studies, and networking techniques throughout investment banking recruiting
Karl-Joseph Assaf
Coach
- Hedge Fund
- Investment Banking
- Private Equity
- Venture Capital
- 13 years of experience in the financial services industry (IB, PE, Growth Equity, VC, Hedge Fund, Start-Up C-Suite).
- 3 years of investment banking (M&A) experience at Barclays Capital.
- 5 years of private and public markets investing at Blackstone across industry, capital structure, and asset classes.
- 5 years of private and public markets equity investing at a hedge fund backed by one of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneur.
- 1 year as interim CFO of a growth stage agtech start-up; right-hand man of the founder.
- Mentored 50+ people spanning students (undergrad + MBA) looking to break into IB and young professionals looking to move from the sell-side to the buy-side.
- Interviewed 100+ candidates, ranging from junior bankers to associate / VP level investors and business executives for some of my portfolio companies.
- What can I help with? CV Review, Secure Interviews, Pass Interviews, Negotiate Compensation, Career Promotion / Transition.
- Endeavors to build a community of like-minded financial services professionals of all ages to promote support and knowledge sharing.
Rolan Naiman
Coach
- Commercial Banking
- Corporate Banking
- Distressed Debt
- Private Debt
- 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
- 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
Industry Partnert
Manager of Strategic Finance and FP&A at FAANG
- Equity Research
- Fintech
- FP&A
- Hedge Fund
- 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
Industry Partner
Investment Banking Professional
- Equity Research
- Fintech
- FP&A
- Hedge Fund
- 2+ years of experience covering TMT and M&A at a top Bulge Bracket in New York
- 1+ year of experience at a Growth Equity fund
- Have helped lead Intern and Analyst recruitment; have insights into the interview processes at numerous firms
- Experience teaching and lecturing in classroom environment
- Mentored numerous professionals and helped them secure jobs in Investment Banking, Growth Equity, and Private Equity
- Ivy-league graduate with 100% scholarship throughout
Industry Partner
Manager of Investor Relations and Corporate Finance
- Corporate Finance
- Investment Banking
- Investor Relations
- 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
Industry Partner
Tech Group at Large Bank
- Equity Research
- Hedge Fund
- Investment Banking
- 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
Schedule Your Consultation 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 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.
