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I have an interview scheduled for this Thursday morning with my college's Investments Office: I'd be helping allocate and review the $2.1B endowment portfolio!

I've been preparing/need to prepare like crazy:

1. Reading the school's annual report, reading up on endowment style investing, considering cramming an endowment related book in the next few days
2. Talked to a previous staff person who has worked there before
3. Need to sudy GMAT questions and review Excel use
4. Need to update my optional one-page sample portfolio allocation with a sample manager review in the back
5. Need to finesse my answers to fit questions to practice with highlights on how I fit the office, job role, location, etc., and create questions to ask derived from various relevant articles, office reports, their website, current project etc.
6. Having my fitted charcoal suit ready to go, dress shirt pressed, etc. I'm not sure whether I should cut the top of my hair a bit shorter (2 inches to one inch) to make it less "hip" and more "office person", or maybe just go to a barber and get it professionally done.
7. Need to practice interviewing with other people

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I'm really excited. This job is awesome: I'd get to make a meaningful impact into the life of students, staff, and faculty using a strong support-- money. I'd get to attain my CFA and CAIA designations for free, be in a good position for an MBA, and learn all about a broad selection of asset classes, asset allocation strategies, managers, etc. I'd also get to keep living in my small apartment walking distance from the office and make ~60k for 3 years, or around 230k by the time I'm 26. I really want to make it work!

Anyway, usually before an interview, I get really nervous. But, if I get a flood of validation I feel confident as hell and crush anything in the way. So, I might call on you all for said validation the night before/day of : )

For now, I realize I'm already doing a lot, but do you think anything else might help?

Fucking relax. You got this. You got a full ride scholarship to a first tier school. And you have been preparing enough if you are telling the truth.
Relax, Breathe, and Chill.

Go Zalo

You look so good in that fitted charcoal suit. Damn, dude !

Considering that you went there, your passion for finance/ helping, and the research you've done/are doing, you got this.
You're doing wonderfully and they'd be foolish to let you go.

"Edited 7 times in total"... yeah, the nervousness shows, LOL!

Relax, go in, you'll do well and we're all cheering for ya!

That's great!

Bring a pad of paper and a pen to the interview, but don't get bogged down in it (there's no test at the end and you want to look your interviewer in the eye without being too intense or weird about it). You can write your questions on it and make a few notes on the answers -- it displays preparation, attention to detail and a sense that you care.

Ask obvious questions (like "What is an average work day like here?" and "What is the process you use for analyzing investments?") and don't get too creative or opinionated.

The two questions I always ask of everyone I interview are:

(1) Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

(2) Why do you think you might like to work here?

The purpose of the first question is to see if they would be difficult to work with -- i.e., have a rigid or inflexible personality, seem emotionally unstable, have difficulty communicating a basic narrative, etc.; and to start a conversation on hopefully some commonality.

The purpose of the second is to see if they have done their homework and can see themselves in the job -- I expect interviewees to have done some basic research on what we do and to be able to articulate a genuine interest in something that we do. You'd be surprised how many people just walk in blind and act like the interviewer is supposed to educate them and "find a place" for them. Or say they want to do something that we just don't specialize in.

Be prepared to also answer this question: "Where do you see yourself in three to five years?" Do not say anything about early retirement in response or talk about your personal life -- this is a "career" question. A good answer sounds like: "I'd like to get some work experience at a place like this for a few years where I can learn some skills. I'm also thinking about getting an MBA or a graduate degree, but I'm not sure about that."

Also, find out what the format for the interview(s) will be if you can -- you could be seeing one or more people and you might see them individually or in a group. If you can find out who they are in advance, look them up and see if there is something about them you can ask.

And be sure to turn your phone off and do not take it out during any interview.

Dragline wrote:
Also, find out what the format for the interview(s) will be if you can -- you could be seeing one or more people and you might see them individually or in a group. If you can find out who they are in advance, look them up and see if there is something about them you can ask.

I'll be meeting both with the Manager of Investment Operations and the Portfolio Analyst for 30 minutes, then alone with the Investment Officer for 30 minutes, and finally perform a "Brief Skills Assessment" for the last 30 minutes. I don't know who the skills assessment is with, maybe the CIO x:

"The skills assessment is a very short way for us to gauge candidates’ baseline understanding of investments, basic comfort with excel, and deductive reasoning. Candidates’ interviews with our team are aimed to gauge fit within the office and for the role itself. "

Yes, relax. Most of all they'll be judging if you're someone they want to work with. Their energy is going to mirror yours. Don't stress them out.

More practically, if you have to run at 10/10 to get the job, you'll burn out once you have it.

Understand that someone at your level is being hired for personalty and potential. Nobody cares about your hair.

Focusing that nervous energy to prepare is a good idea. Also remember a big portion of the hiring process is entirely outside of you control. You can't force it. Don't get overly attached to any one opportunity.

For what it's worth, based on the job and the prep you've described, I'd be planning to hire.

Oh, and don't say anything along the lines of "I'd make sooo much money, get free creds, and avoid the hassles of moving." That all suggests as soon as the next best thing comes along, you are out the door. The other reasons you are interested, those are excellent.

Don't eat too much beforehand or too little either. This may seem like a silly tip but you don't want to have to deal with stuff like brain fog, hunger pangs, food comas, or insulin spikes & crashes. If you already eat healthy & low sugar this shouldn't be a problem.

During the interview sit up straight yet be in a comfortable position, confident but not too rigid. Do "power poses" beforehand if you can - search online if you don't know what I'm talking about.

If you're an introvert, behave a little more like an extrovert. I'm not saying act totally different than normal, just that a nervous introvert in an interview is more at risk for seeming like he doesn't have much to say or that he lacks confidence. If you're an extrovert, behave like yourself.

Lastly to try and reduce nervousness, try not to think that this is some magically perfect job - every job has its downsides and you will achieve great things with or without this one. It's great to show enthusiasm during an interview but too much nerves creates a greater risk of bungling answers.

Read and know the Investment Policy Statement, including asset classes, target allocations/ranges, investment responsibilities, etc. Figure out how the IPS is similar/different from the Yale endowment model (Swensen) and how it fits within the modern portfolio theory framework.
Figure out the primary investment managers for each asset class. Do some mock due diligence and be able to discuss current events/developments.
Figure out how asset allocation and performance compare to peer endowments. NACUBO (Common Fund) has an annual survey of endowments.
Review the audited financial statements, especially the notes in the back for required disclosures.
Find out who sits on the Investment Committee and if they have been in the news recently. If you know a member of the committee, ask for a reference.
Show genuine passion during the interview and ASK for the job at the end of it.
Good luck!

mfi wrote: Show genuine passion during the interview and ASK for the job at the end of it.
Good luck!

Yeah, all good points! Also, do you mean literally asking for the job? I'm not sure that's how that works...

Basically... near the end of each interview session you have, you should give a little overall spiel about you'd be good for them, how you want the job, etc. You probably don't say, "can I have the job"? Basically you should show them that you really are interested, and to tell/remind them that they should hire you.

Aside from that, here's an example of how to slam dunk it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlRchqfk2JY

Yes - literally. Figure out who the decision maker is and ask them politely at the end of your conversation. Who would you hire? Someone who is afraid to ask or someone who knows what they want and are not afraid to ask for it?

Of course, I presume that you will put in the time, prepare properly, and demonstrate your preparation and passion during the interview. Asking without proper preparation is not prudent.

Lastly, if you don't get this job, there are plenty of other entry level institutional money management jobs if you are willing to relocate. You have very little downside and a lot of upside!

I think I'll stick to just proudly summarizing why I'm the best for the job, that it's the ideal job for me, and asking what the next steps are in the hiring process. Asking outright sounds like it could make for an awkward encounter at best.

http://www.askamanager.org/2013/12/shou ... rview.html

directly or indirectly, make sure you ask for it...

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/out ... -interview

I don't get the asking for the job thing, why else would you be interviewing if you didn't want the job?

Lucky C wrote: Lastly to try and reduce nervousness, try not to think that this is some magically perfect job - every job has its downsides and you will achieve great things with or without this one. It's great to show enthusiasm during an interview but too much nerves creates a greater risk of bungling answers.

Yeah, I agree with this. There is a good portion of luck in these things and other factors you cannot control, such as the other applicants and their resumes. So just do your best and consider it good practice if the cards don't fall your way. There's really no such thing as a "dream" job, except in your dreams.

Good luck. From what I've gathered about you here I'd say they are getting the better end of the deal.

I've gone so far as to say "I'm interested, can you offer me the job right now?" Of course they said no, process, blah blah. Then in my thank you email, I reiterated my interest. In that particular interview, HR didn't want to hand out the hiring managers email, so I guessed it and emailed him anyway. I got the job. Maybe I would have anyway, but there was little question that if they went out on a limb and made a reasonable offer, I'd accept.

The ideas in that article are much more tactful. It's a good thing to do.