Interviewing at Wedbush Securities? You’ve come to the right place. Landing a job at this prestigious investment bank is competitive, but going in prepared can help set you apart. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the top 10 most common Wedbush interview questions along with sample answers to help you craft winning responses.
Overview of Wedbush Securities
Founded in 1955, Wedbush Securities is a leading investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. The company has over 900 employees and provides services including investment banking, equity research, institutional sales and trading, prime brokerage, and more. Wedbush is known for its expertise in industries like technology, consumer, healthcare, and aerospace & defense.
Why Interviews at Wedbush are Challenging
Wedbush interviews are notoriously difficult for several reasons:
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Very technical questions – You’ll need in-depth knowledge of financial modeling, accounting, valuation, stock pitch, technical analysis, and markets. Brush up on your finance skills.
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Rigorous behavioral questions – They’ll assess your motivation, leadership, teamwork, communication skills, and ability to handle high pressure.
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Case studies – wedding real-world business challenges with financial analysis. Demonstrate strategic thinking.
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Extensive networking – The recruiting process relies heavily on employee referrals, Tap into your network,
With preparation and practice, you can tackle these challenges head on. Let’s look at the top 10 Wedbush Securities interview questions and answers
The Top 10 Wedbush Securities Interview Questions and Answers
1. “Walk me through your resume”
This is commonly the very first question in an interview. Be prepared to discuss your background high level, then highlight your most relevant experiences.
Sample Answer:
“I’m currently in my final year at UC Berkeley pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. In terms of work experience, I interned at Morgan Stanley last summer in their Technology Investment Banking group. There, I assisted senior bankers on live deals including IPOs, M&A, and debt financings for tech clients. I also have leadership experience from serving as President of the UC Berkeley Finance Society. Through organizing speaker panels and networking events, I strengthened my project management abilities. In terms of technical skills, I’m proficient in financial modeling, comparable company analysis, DCFs, trading comps, and leveraged buyouts. I also have a strong foundation in Excel, Powerpoint and financial statement analysis from coursework. These experienes make me an excellent fit for Wedbush’s Technology Investment Banking team. I’m passionate about technology and excited by the opportunity to start my career at Wedbush.”
2. “Why do you want to work at Wedbush Securities?”
The interviewer wants to gauge your passion for their firm. Do your research and highlight specific reasons you’re interested.
Sample Answer:
“I’m extremely interested in Wedbush for several reasons:
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Your middle-market focus aligns well with my interests – I want to work closely with clients and have high impact at this stage of my career.
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Your technology expertise presents great learning opportunities in an industry I’m passionate about.
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The firm’s entrepreneurial, merit-based culture appeals to me – I want the ability to take on responsibility early and advance quickly based on performance.
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Wedbush’s 60+ year track record of success shows me that this is a firm with lasting values that cares about clients and employees for the long-term.
In terms of my career goals, I hope to eventually become a senior technology banker advising high-growth companies. Wedbush would give me the strong foundation necessary to reach that goal. This opportunity is an excellent fit with my interests, skills, and aspirations.”
3. “Walk me through a DCF analysis”
DCF valuation modeling is at the heart of investment banking. Convey your modeling expertise step-by-step.
Sample Answer:
“Of course, happy to walk through a DCF:
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The first step is gathering historical financial data on the company and projecting future performance
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Next, we forecast revenue growth based on drivers like industry outlook, market share, pricing, etc.
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Then we project expenses line-by-line off the income statement based on revenue and margins
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We also forecast the balance sheet and cash flows
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A key part is projecting working capital and capital expenditures based on revenue growth
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We then discount future free cash flows to firm at the WACC to derive a valuation range
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We use different scenarios and sensivities to stress test the assumptions
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Finally, we compare the DCF range to market comps for reasonability and use it to recommend an investment decision to clients
The key is understanding the operational drivers of the business and core modeling best practices. I’m very comfortable building 3-statement projections and detailed DCF models from scratch.”
4. “How would you value a technology company?”
Show your expertise in tech valuation methods beyond just DCFs.
Sample Answer:
“Valuing high-growth technology companies requires using several methodologies:
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Discounted Cash Flow Analysis – Projecting revenue, expenses, working capital and CapEx. Technology companies require close forecasting of marginal costs at scale.
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Precedent Transactions – Looking at valuation multiples from comparable tech M&A deals. This helps benchmark value.
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Trading Comparables – Comparing P/E, EV/Revenue, EV/EBITDA multiples to public peers. Adjusting for growth.
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Pre-IPO Comparables – Reviewing private financing rounds to assess valuations investors are willing to pay.
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Leveraged Buyout – Modeling an LBO to see potential exit value. Key is estimating future cash generation.
No one method is perfect. It’s ideal to build a model flexibile enough to use various methodologies for a holistic view. Weight should be placed on DCF and market comps. Precedent deals also hold significance for M&A. The art is blending these approaches.”
5. “Tell me about a time you disagreed with your team”
This behavioral question tests your conflict resolution skills. Share a story highlighting empathy, listening, and compromise.
Sample Answer:
“During a corporate finance project in my investing club, we were valuing a leading electric vehicle maker as a potential investment. When forecasting market share, several members projected very aggressive, exponential growth.
I appreciated their enthusiasm but felt those projections diverged too far from industry data and competitors’ outlooks. I approached the situation by asking team members to walk me through their underlying assumptions and data sources. I made sure to listen carefully rather than dismissing their views outright.
Next, I politely shared my perspective, using market research reports to back my points. Rather than force my opinion, I tried to find common ground. We had a thoughtful debate about the right growth rates.
Ultimately, we agreed reasonable growth likely fell between the two extremes. Through open communication and compromise, we arrived at balanced projections. The experience demonstrated the importance of managing dissent constructively and not letting egos get in the way.”
6. “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
This classic question is still common. Be honest about a minor weakness and emphasize strengths relevant to the role.
Sample Answer:
“In terms of strengths, I’m highly analytical – I enjoy breaking down complex problems and exercising strong financial modeling skills to drive insights. I’m also a very hard worker – I thrive on tackling challenges and am committed to delivering high-quality work.
Additionally, I communicate well – I can clearly explain detailed financial analysis and tailor my style to the audience. In terms of weaknesses, I tend to focus narrowly when problem-solving rather than soliciting diverse viewpoints. However, I’ve improved dramatically by deliberately gathering broader perspectives from teammates.
Overall, I believe my diligence, modeling expertise and communication abilities make me well prepared for the rigor and client interactions inherent in investment banking roles here.”
7. “Why should we hire you?”
Summarize your top qualifications and skills that make you an excellent fit.
Sample Answer:
“There are a few key reasons you should strongly consider me for this position:
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I have directly relevant internship experience at Morgan Stanley within Technology Investment Banking that provided me exposure to deals across M&A, equity and debt financing.
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I’m passionate about technology. I actively follow industry trends, news and innovation. This motivation will translate to high-quality work.
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I possess the technical skills necessary to excel. I’m highly proficient in Excel, financial modeling, DCF, trading comps, precedent transactions, LBO modeling and more.
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Soft skills like work ethic, attention to detail, communication abilities and teamwork are ingrained in me. I take pride in producing exceptional deliverables.
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Leadership experience from finance clubs demonstrates my project management strengths.
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I’ve extensively networked and developed relationships in this industry, including connecting with bankers at Wedbush.
Overall, I have the finance skills, technology interest, professional polish and networking foundation necessary to thrive in this role and ad
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Based on the Interview Insights at this company, the Interview Experience is a score between 1 star (very bad) and 5 stars (very good).
The number in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the mean of all these scores. If you move your mouse over the different parts of the doughnut, you’ll see exactly how each score was calculated.
The title percentile score is based on an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates that is applied to the whole Company Database. This is done to account for companies that don’t have many interview insights. For easy explanation, when a business gets more reviews, the belief in its “true score” grows. This makes it move closer to its own simple average and away from the overall average of the dataset. 4.
Based on the Interview Insights at this company, the Interview Difficulty is a score that goes from “very difficult” (red) to “very easy” (green).
The number in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the mean of all these scores. The higher the number, the more difficult the interviews on average. This doughnut has different parts that, when you move your mouse over them, show you the 20% breakdown of each score given.
The title percentile score is based on an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates that is applied to the whole Company Database. This is done to account for companies that don’t have many interview insights. That is, as a business learns more, it becomes more sure of a “true score,” which moves it closer to its own simple average and away from the overall average of the data set. 2. 6.
Based on reviews at this company, the 20% of interns getting full-time offers chart is meant to give you a good idea of how the company hires people.
The number in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the mean of all these scores. This doughnut has different parts that, when you move your mouse over them, show you the 20% breakdown of each score given.
It uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates to account for companies that don’t have many reviews, which is how the percentile score in the title is found. To put it simply, when a business gets more reviews, the “true score” becomes more likely to be accurate. This makes it move closer to the simple company average and away from the average of all the data. 0%.
Securities Interview Questions
FAQ
Why work at Wedbush?
Why should I hire you?
What is the best answer for “Tell me about yourself”?
