Investment management Interview
I recently interviewed with an investment management firm based on the west coast. They are a traditional stock&bond money manager with more than 2 decades of outperforming their respective benchmarks. Although they also offer some leveraged/alternative funds, they are primarily fixed income, with equity funds growing as well.
My impressions: The job is not so much technical, but “fit with the company culture.” Bottom line - They have to like you. We had a chat about California, Southern vs Northern, UCLA/USC, etc.
Some introductory (1st round) questions:
1. Circumference of the Earth? (Use time zones, known distances/speeds)
2. Square root of 0.9? (Use the fact that sqrt of numbers < 1 increase, and sqrt of 1 is 1)
3. How many pennies fit inside this cup? (Use approximation of a roll of pennies from the bank is 50c worth, or 50 pennies)
4. Explain the concept of a linear equation in layman’s terms, as to your grandma.
5. Where have you visited recently? (London) What is the currency? (pound) Exchange rate? ($1.97) If I buy something in pounds how much is it in dollars?
There were more, but I cannot remember them anymore.