FREE Interview prep guide
Level up your Corporate Finance interview game
Give yourself the upper hand
Our approach gives you a behind-the-scenes view of what matters to an interviewer and how to tick all the right boxes.
Know what to expect
Eliminate surprises on interview day. The Playbook takes you through the typical interview process including common questions and how best to prepare.
Maximum results, minimum time
We have distilled down the key points from our experience of being on both sides of the interview table to give you all you need and none of what you don’t.
What our readers are saying
"Overall the playbook's strongest point is that it is condensed. I have seen similar products that are over 250 pages filled with incredibly complex terms that will most likely go over a students head. The playbook hits a nice intersection of complete and comprehensive knowledge."
Matt
The Playbook is in an easy-to-read format and I found that the “Key Message” sections really helps to emphasise important areas to focus on for your interview preparation... I would recommend this book for anyone looking to secure an internship or graduate role within corporate finance or financial services."
Ben
What's covered?
All this, for free? Yes!
01
Interview Structure
An overview of what you can expect on interview day
Highlights:
- Typical interview stages and how they might vary
- Other potential areas of the evaluation process to be aware of
02
The Interviewer Mindset
The interviewer has their own internal checklist. Get the behind-the-scenes view to understand what they are looking for.
Highlights:
- Avoiding common red flags interviewers watch for
- Understand what skills and attributes to emphasise during the interview
- Education
- Experience
- Qualifications
- Interests / hobbies
- Career motivations
03
Talking about yourself
How to craft a story around your CV that showcases your experience and abilities in the best light
Highlights:
- Answering the "Tell me about yourself" question
- How to articulate your interest and career motivations
- Considerations if moving from audit to Corporate Finance
04
Competency Questions
How to structure answers to highlight your strengths and role-specific attributes
Highlights:
- Common competency questions
- STAR framework to structuring answers
- Example answers for both graduates and experienced candidates
05
Technical Questions
We review the key technical areas an interviewer looks for to ensure you have the skills and aptitude for the role
Highlights:
- How to research and talk about transactions
- Explore the transaction process from both buy and sell-side perspectives
- Valuation approaches and impacts of Corporate Finance work on purchase price
06
Commercial Questions
Stand out from the rest by demonstrating that you see the “bigger picture”
Highlights:
- Breakdown of the key macroeconomic factors to focus on
- How macro factors impact business profitablility and M&A activity
- Curated sources for you to stay up to date with macro and M&A trends
- Team and structure
- Learning and development
- Role-specific questions
07
Questions for the interviewer
A bank of questions to give you ideas for further discussion either during or at the end of the interview.
Extras to give you the edge
Included with the Playbook are several templates and worksheets to help you prepare for interview day.
Deal tearsheet template
A fillable worksheet to guide you on what what information you should collect about a transaction – a completed tearsheet will give you all your talking points around that deal in one place.
Role research workbook
Cover all your bases – Once you have this workbook completed you will have everything you need to know about the firm and the team you intend to join on a couple of pages.
Linkedin outreach template
Having contacts at the firm you are applying to is a great source of research for your interview. We include a simple guide to making these valuable connections online.
Interview readiness checklist
Our goal is to ensure no surprises for you on interview day. Use our final checklist to ensure you are interview ready.
Get your free copy now
Never be unprepared for a Corporate Finance interview again
- 60 page playbook, instant download
- 4 extra guides and workbooks
- Created by Corporate Finance practitioners with Big 4 experience
- Free for personal use
Questions?
We’ve got answers
Anyone who feels unprepared for a Corporate Finance interview. Primarily, this will benefit new entrants to Corporate Finance, and we focus specifically on two groups:
1) Interns and graduates starting out in their Corporate Finance career.
2) Qualified professionals making a switch into Corporate Finance.
We have designed the Playbook to be a quick and actionable guide!
It follows the typical interview format, and focuses only on core topics so that your time is spent on the right areas that will make the difference during your interview. We expect it would take 2 – 3 days to to read the Playbook and carry out the necessary preparation and research (i.e. background reading, researching the role, and relevant transactions).
After working through the Playbook you will be best prepared for your interviews, which will enable you to stand out from other candidates.
The Playbook focuses on the interview aspect of the recruitment process. Due to how wide-ranging case studies can be we have not discussed approaches in the Playbook.
Meet the team
We are Corporate Finance professionals with experience practising in global accountancy firms across M&A, Valuations, Transaction Support and Financial Modelling. We are focussed on helping aspiring professionals start and grow their careers in Corporate Finance practice.
