Baird Investment Banker / M&a Analyst interviews, decoded.

After submitting my application, I had an initial phone interview with two bankers, which was a bit surprising for a first round. They asked both technical and competency questions, so you really need to know your stuff to handle the more challenging technical ones. The competency questions were pretty standard, like asking why I was interested in Baird and IBD, and for examples of specific experiences.

Spent months networking and schmoozing with at least 5 senior people to even get an interview. Then it was a super quick 30-minute meet to see if you're the absolute best. Honestly, not sure how they can tell in that time. They seemed really proud and acted like tough guys to put on some pressure, but it was pretty obvious what they were doing. I guess it was behavioral.

I applied online by submitting my resume and cover letter. There was a pretty long wait before I heard back, and then I had a phone interview with two senior analysts. It was a pretty thorough interview that covered business sense, technical skills, and my motivation.