Top students will be working to get a strong grasp of the technical skills (such as financial modeling) early. Here are some of the other things that they’ll be doing in the initial weeks/months of b-school:
- Establishing a list of fit questions: even the quickest quant wizard may get a ding if he or she doesn’t fit with the company culture. Use career services resources and Glassdoor to research fit questions other students have received in the past for each of the organizations you’re interested in.
- Starting to research companies: get information online or from alumni, junior employees, and recent graduates from your undergraduate institution.
- Establishing Google alerts: set up alerts for any company you’re interviewing with. This goes above and beyond just keeping up with current events – you want to be 100% up-to-date on anything (good or bad) that is affecting the organization you want to be a part of!
- Following interesting companies: through Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, top students are keeping up with the latest details on the companies they’re interested in. Also explore brokerage reports (available from your career services, friends, or brokerage accounts you may have) on your target companies, and identify key drivers/trends investors are monitoring regarding your future employer(s).
- Exploring Regulatory Authorities: Most industries, such as financial services, energy, healthcare and industrials, are subject to some form of regulation by various government authorities. Identify key regulators that influence companies you are targeting, as they can be unique sources of information that might impress an interview or future boss.