What questions can I expect when interviewing with large brokerage/investment firms?

What questions do firms such as merril, Bear and JP Morgan ask and what do they like to hear in response?

These are some of the questions that I got when I interviewed for an equity analyst position with a large Money Center bank with a large wealth management division (mind you, they were inserted in a conversation, not asked outright):

Name the top 5 companies, as measured by market capitalization.

How has the S&P500 fared, year-to-date? What has returned a higher return, Value or Growth?

What is the current Fed Funds Rate?

What are you currently invested in? If given $1 million, where would you put it?

How do you value a company, comparables, or discounted cash flows?

My advice, be honest and energetic. Know your stuff, because you can bet your bottom dollar that they will!

What is the value of the Dow Jones index today?

If you had $100,000 to invest today, what would you invest in?

Name a news event in today's news, and name a stock that this news event affects and how.

Explain Black Scholes in layman's terms.

I was a broker at Merrill for 15 years...saw a lot of people come and go....

If you are interested in a broker (financial adviser) position, be aware this is a SALES position. They will want to know your sales experience, sales ability, and how you will go about building your book of clients...in other words....do you know or have connections with people who have money?

Really, that's about it......they can teach you the financial stuff. Be personable, and keep eye contact.