Job hunting for me has been a tough quest for me. After months of vigorous searching, I finally landed an interview for an entry level securities analyst position for the MBS market at a big reputable firm. I will be interviewing with 2 hiring managers. I have been thoroughly preparing for this interview to the best of my ability and I wanted to get some insights from some of the experienced folks on this forum. For this kind of position, do you think it would be more behavioral or technical? Would they ask me about the current market situation to see if I am well informed? I also want to know what would be the best approach when sending a thank you letter. I am thinking of a hand written letter for personal touch, then email. Do you think a hand written letter may appear unprofessional? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
A short email the same day or the next day is sufficient.
Ain’t no thang by a chicken wang.
I’ve had my fair share of interviews…the most important thing is to turn it less into an interview and more into a conversation.
Just had my round of phone interview yesterday. PRE is right, really try to turn the interview into a conversation. Also prepare a list of thoughtful questions to show that you are interested and have done the homework. Since it’s an entry level position, the interview will probably lean toward the behavior side. Just try not to get thrown off-course by a brain twister or questions of that sort. Good luck
When I was out there interviewing for my first jobs, I created a list of 25 or so questions they could ask and then crafted ideal answers to each. It REALLY helped me. The risk is that you’ll sound too rehearsed, so be cognizant of that. Also, I would thoroughly research the company and try to find recent articles on them, know some facts about the company, know the big names to know, etc. I’ve always followed up with a short email same day or next day. Make sure you get a card from everyone you interview with (or at least their name/email) and thank them all.
PRE Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’ve had my fair share of interviews…the most > important thing is to turn it less into an > interview and more into a conversation. PRE I agree with you 100% on the basis that you are interviewing with the managing director/SVP or other senior. If it is a general HR interview, be prepared for some standard interview questions
Thanks you all for the insights. So I’m assuming that I should forgo the hand written thank you letter. My thought about it was that they’ll receive it within minutes and it shows a genuine interest.
Why would they care about a hand written thank you letter? They want you to make money for them.
I always send physical thank you letters. Maybe it doesn’t correlate at all with how much money you make them, but it does tend to make you stick in peoples’ minds more than an email, and if yourposition involves client contact, I think it may indicate positive people skills. I don’t know how much it helps, but it has to be better than an email, unless delivery time is an issue (if they indicate they will make a decision in the next 48 hours or so).
From the other side of the fence, I remember a few of my co-workers getting psyched about some candidates in the past who sent physical thank you letters. I think it’s overrated, but can’t hurt.
showtyme Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Job hunting for me has been a tough quest for me. > After months of vigorous searching, I finally > landed an interview for an entry level securities > analyst position for the MBS market at a big > reputable firm. I will be interviewing with 2 > hiring managers. I have been thoroughly preparing > for this interview to the best of my ability and I > wanted to get some insights from some of the > experienced folks on this forum. Since housing market may drag the general economy in recession, be prepared to talk about the recent interest rate cut; what is a sub-prime/prime/alt-A mortgage; what roles Fannie & Freddie play in the market; what’s an MBS/CPR/SMM; don’t know if they will ask you about OAS, but if you are CFA II candidate, be ready to talk about relative value, given MBS. Chance favors the prepared mind!! Good Luck.
I don’t know if this info is over the top, but I am taking a persuasive communication course at the moment, and my professor recommends this: A physical letter is much more memorable than an electronic. In some cases they may miss the email completely- At least when something is handed to them, they generally find it more interesting and take a look. Paragraph I. -Connect with the firm, position, team. -Be specific about something that appealed to you (enthusiastic team, high energy of workplace, etc) Paragraph II. -Comment on a positive that came up during the interview and express on how something in your past (internship, experience, knowledge from specific class) plays into that positive. Paragraph III. -Address any perceived shortcoming by pointing out what extraordinary measures you are willing to take to correct them. (Sale classes, starting CFA program, etc) Paragraph IV. -Retain responsibility for next step - But never say: “Feel free to contact me.” Take the initiative and offer to contact their office to request another meeting. I realize some of this is bells and whistles and may be more suitable for other areas of business rather than finance, but just figured I’d lay it out. Good luck, show
You should think from the perspective of the interviewer. If I am the interviewer, of course I will give a slight plus to the guy who gave me nice hand written thank you letter. But this will only be used as a tiebreaker. If someone else is obviously better during the interview, this thank-you-letter guy will still be rejected. So the conclusion is, do it if you can but keep in mind it won’t make a big difference.
I’m with ymc. I don’t think it’s more than a marginally better thing to do vs. email. In fact, if I’m hiring, I put zero stock in it.
What if it was written in calligraphy?
Nib, actually, that would be cool and I would put stock in that (however, I couldn’t speak for any other non-weird hiring managers). 