"The Pulse" --#49 / Interview with FiveFinance

SA 2025 interview szn is HERE! Don’t fall behind your competition by wasting time tracking applications.

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Recruiting Timeline:

Banking:

Where We’re At:  

• SA 2025: Rabobank, Howden Tiger, Founders Advisors, and Equiteq opened applications this week. So far ~104 banks have opened applications. Please reach out if you’re looking for mock interviews or any coaching!

• FT 2025: Navagant Advisors, Brean Capital, Leerink Partners and others opened up FT 2025 recruiting. There are currently 5 firms recruiting for FT 2025. Given the volume, we will begin tracking FT 2025 openings in all new releases.

SA 2025 Releases:

• Rabobank: Scandanavian bank, food + agriculture focus (SA 2025)

• Howden Tiger: Insurance-focused boutique (SA 2025)

• Founders Advisors: Boutique, Alabama (SA 2025)

• Equiteq: Knowledge economy boutique (SA 2025)

• Fifth Third Bank: Middle-market (SA 2025)

FT 2025 Releases:

• Navagant: Middle-market M&A (FT 2025)

• Howden Tiger: Insurance-focused boutique (FT 2025)

• Founders Advisors: Boutique, Alabama (FT 2025)

• Brean Capital: FIG-focused boutique (FT 2025)

• Leerink Partners: Tech-focused boutique (FT 2025)

See below to gain access to our premium database, updated weekly, which houses the application processes for over 200+ banks/consulting/buyside firms! Gain an edge over everyone else by not having to spend countless hours tracking applications and deadlines.

Consulting:

Where We’re At:

• SA 2025: Twelve SA 2025 applications and a few sophomore programs have been released so far. Bain, BCG, and McKinsey have released their first-round applications. BCG and Bain offer two application deadlines - do everything possible to apply to the first round.

Spring 2024 released apps:

• Bain: Pre-consulting Women's Leadership Summit (Spring 2024 - Closed)

• Cornerstone Research: Sophomore Summit (Spring 2024 - Closed)

SA 2025 released apps:

• KPMG: Advisory Intern, Deal Advisory - Financial Due Diligence (SA 2025)

• PWC: Business Processes Intern (SA 2025 - Closed).

• Curtis & Co: Boutique firm (SA 2025 - Closed)

• Protiviti: Tech Consulting (SA 2025 - Closed)

• RSM: Tech, Risk, and Business Improvement Intern (SA 2025 - Closed)

• Deloitte: Business Technology Solutions Summer Scholar (SA 2025 - Closed)

• Berkeley Research Group: Associate Consultant Intern (SA 2025)

• Oliver Wyman: Summer 2025 Intern (SA 2025)

• Bain: Associate Consultant Intern (SA 2025)

• Cavi Consulting: Consulting Associate Internship (SA 2025)

• McKinsey: Summer Business Analyst (SA 2025)

• BCG: Associate Consultant Intern (SA 2025)

Apply ASAP if you’re interested!

Buyside:

Where We’re At:

SA 2025: KKR Accel and Rudius Partners opened SA 2025 apps this week. So far ~87 buyside shops have opened applications

Released apps:

• KKR Accel: KKR’s middle market platform, looking for PE intern (SA 2025)

• Rudius Partners: Long-only Hedge fund (SA 2025)

Premium Database:

The database is updated weekly and contains 200+ Investment Banking and Consulting internships/full-time positions along with:

• Interview tips for specific companies

• Interview prep material

• Applications and deadlines linked so that you can apply with one click

• Insider information about the application process

• Professionals to network with

• Buyside deadlines, interview prep, and people to network with for the sweatiest of students

We send the updated dataset every week with the latest banking and consulting job postings. We released our 49th update today.

Students we have been helping have already landed roles at Blackstone, Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Jefferies, Citi, and Solomon.

To get access to the database and the weekly updates, you pay a one-time fee of $50 (Venmo ThePulsePrep) that grants you annual access to the updated database (You can enable purchase protection if concerned). If you don’t find our services helpful, we simply ask for feedback on an area we can improve upon and will refund your $50.

This is a small investment for a huge payout when you secure your dream offer!

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Market Update:

Interview with FiveFinance

Quick Macro Snapshot (Up: ^, Down: v, None: <>):

• CPI: 3.5% (March) ^

• PCE: 2.7% (March) ^

• Unemployment: 3.9% (April) ^

• Wage Growth: 3.9% (April) v

• Fed Funds Rate: 5.25% - 5.50% <>

Below is an interview with the creator of FiveFinance, an Instagram-based organization helping students with banking/buyside recruiting via commercial awareness and deal announcements. We have partnered with these guys before and love what they’re doing across the Pond!

We discuss recruiting, helpful interview practices, and the desire to create and manage FiveFinance

1. How does the recruiting process work across the pond? When do you start? What do you need to do? How competitive is it?

• For the UK, most internships open at the end of the summer of your sophomore year. Rolling apps, the earlier you apply the better your odds. Stage 1: CV. Stage 2: application tests–cognitive tests (pymetrics, etc) Stage 3: Hirevues Stage 4: telephone interview Stage 5: superday. I interviewed at HSBC, Lazard, Ares, and Barings. Technicals, commercial awareness (can be found on: FiveFinance), and motivational questions, essentially behaviorals, all make up any given interview

• I did the classic prep of using the guides and meeting with peers for technical prep. However, I just made up my answers during behavioral responses lmao. I believe behaviorals are more about how you can respond vs. the content contained. At the Superday, you have a task to complete (I had a salespitch at Lazard). During another interview, I completed a group task running an investment proposal. Ares had an excel test for their interview process (highly uncommon at the summer analyst level). Anyways, live assessments or case studies whatever you want to call them–are very common in the UK summer analyst interview process

2. What brought you to the world of finance? –outside of money and prestige

• Ah, I don’t know then! Personally suited–quite good at maths, very personal, good with communication. I don’t have a burning passion for it, but it is certainly a solid career

3. If you could do anything, what would you do?

• Professional football (soccer) player. Played competitively on an international scale

4. Where will you be working post-grad? What will the role entail?

• Post-grad not confirmed yet. Will be at Barings in the global infrastructure debt team for summer 2024. A few main routes to go down for the internship. I could have gone the ultra-client facing, investor relations and sales route. Or the asset management side of the house. And global infrastructure debt needed an intern which sits on the asset management side

5. When interviewing, are behaviorals or technicals more important? Is it ok to get a technical question wrong?

• Overall, not too much about right vs. wrong for technicals. I believe it is more important to come across as likeable, knowledgeable, and humble. If I didn’t know a tech, my go-to response was:  “I’m going to do my best to answer, but never worked in finance before so please correct me if I’m going down the wrong path.” It is OK to get a tech wrong. There is no need to hang your head if you get a question wrong. Just move forward

6. What was the biggest mistake you made during an interview? How did you learn from it?

• One time, I completely botched a technical about recent deals at the firm–still made it to the next round. Essentially, I had no idea what companies were in the firm’s portfolio or what transactions they recently advised on. Because of this, I created FiveFinance to help others with commercial awareness

• On a side note, I did something really class during one of my interviews which I want to share with others. It was your standard interview, I joined 5 mins before the call, but then no one came. 10 mins later- still getting ghosted. Finally, after 25 mins someone joined. My interviewer was so impressed that I stayed on the call. Had I just left, I would not have gotten that recognition and may not have the job I have today. The little things can really carry your distance during an interview

7. Why/how did you end up on the buyside?

• Two reasons: 1. I think buyside has a better cultural fit for me and makes more sense as a business model. Everyone is fighting on the same team. On the sell side, there are some agency costs 2. WLB is much better. Sell side is a grind. I’m not afraid of hard work, but just getting beat to death on mundane tasks is brutal

8. If you could tell your younger self 1 piece of advice, what would it be?

• A lot of people chase money. At the end of the day, your job is your livelihood. If you just do it for money, it won’t be fulfilling. You’ve got to enjoy yourself. Still, I’d prefer to be rich AND happy

9. Did you have any mentors who helped you?

• Didn’t have any mentors per se. But had older students who looked at the CV. Went to the university in a different city and didn’t really know anyone. Attacked the interview process pretty blind   

10. What inspired you to create FiveFinance? Why don’t you do it full-time?

• I wanted something on my CV. Got 0 Spring Weeks and knew I needed something to stand out. Creating FiveFinance forced me to pay attention to the markets and what financial institutions are doing within those same markets. Going through the interview process, it was so helpful having that commercial awareness and I was able to impress interviewers because of that. We deliver this through our Instagram and Newsletter. I don’t do it full-time because Five isn’t at the stage where it can be pursued full-time. I likely won’t pursue it full-time in general, but always want to keep it up on the side.

Disclosure: Nothing written here is financial advice or should be used for investment decisions.

 Shoot Yo Shot

The only person keeping tabs on you is yourself. Do you think Kobe ever hesitated before shooting his shot? Fuck no!

Wide open, 1 on 1, double teamed, triple teamed, the motherfucker let it fly.

Sure, the SA 2025 banking/buyside recruiting season is flying by, but that doesn’t mean you should sit on the bench. Get out there and shoot your shot.

Send that DM, schedule that call, double-text that analyst, submit that application, TAKE ACTION. You might be 0/95 on jobs thus far, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be 0/96. The only way you will know is by taking that chance.

This is the stage where most give up and switch to consulting or throw in the towel entirely until FT 2025 recruiting. However, that doesn’t mean you should quit. If you want to work in banking or on the buyside you need to give it your all—no matter how exhausting.

Shoot your shot, your future self will be glad you did. 

Going Forward:

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Students we coached for SA 2025 have received offers at Goldman, JP Morgan, Evercore, and many other firms. Roughly 85% of those coached received offers last year!

Please reach out to us with any questions about recruiting or if you’re interested in meeting the team! ([email protected])

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“The Pulse” #49