Goldman Sachs interview on Monday, tips?

[Hong Jong Fuey]

1. Brush up on valuation techniques - DCF, trading comps, WACC, CAPM, enterprise value, etc. Depending on the position - expect the standard "how do you value a company?" question.
2. As someone said above, know why you want the position and why you want to work at GS. Stress the ability to assume lots of responsibility early in your career, continuous learning experiences, transaction experience, etc. I would hold off on mentioning the charitable side of GS as it may seemed canned. Giving/partaking in a charity is a prerequisite for partners at GS, but certainty not analysts. Most analysts I knew at GS were chained to their desks for 2 years and didnt have time for much outside work.
3. Know a little about current events. Be able to speak a little about subprime mess, credit crisis, how Bernanke just called an end to recession, trading levels, Fed stimulus, etc. No one expects you to be an expert on this stuff, but know enough to sound like you read the paper.
4. I wouldnt waste your time on brainteasers. You are more likely to get something like: How many tennis balls are in the United States vs. some silly question about how many times an elf runs over piano keys.

Good luck

[Åsgard]

Fuck that noise /\, start growin' some horns; hopefully yer sacrococcygeal teratoma is more prominent than most. Oh, and if you've ever been down in
Green Gables hawking them tables, ferget it.

[stalefish3169]

Try and review as much from school or where ever related to the position. At least get the rust off in case there are technical questions you don't get tounge tied. Go through some brain teasers, just in case someone wants to torture you with one or two of those.

Google the people in the group (recruiter should know some names) to see if you can find out anything about them. Do the same for the business unit (Goldman equities, Goldman rates, whatever). Look up Goldman stories in the financial press (financial times, economist, etc.). Try to come up with one or two at least halfway intelligent questions you can ask them about their business specifically. If you have any particular areas of expertise that might set you apart that didn't come up in their questions, use one of yours to to open this area to discussion.

Answer questions without blathering. If you don't know the answer to something, admit it rather than doing a bunch of hand waving. If you haven't done many interviews, if possible, get someone to do a 'mock interview' of you. Doesn't have to be a Goldman style interview, just has to put you under some pressure and get your head into the situation.

It will serve you well to listen to this advice. WCF3 took separate heli trips to Haines and Valdez last year. And, I think he just got back from Las Leñas too. The guy obviously knows how to get paid!