Related: Analysts in Demand in 2011 | How to Get a Job as an Analyst
Goldman Sachs is famous for its grueling interviews that can include questions like: "if you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?" and "How many penguins would it take to surround the North Pole? And give two standard deviations from your answer." Morgan Stanley is rumored to ask probability questions like "You have three children. One's a boy, one's a girl and another is unknown. If you choose one what is the probability of it being a boy?"
At Houlihan Lokey, the Los Angeles-based investment bank, it goes beyond brain teasers. Applicants for analyst positions go on speed dates with the firm's co-CEO and top management.
In the Minneapolis office, where co-CEO Jeffrey Werbalowsky, 54, is based, the firm puts finalists for the firm's analyst jobs through "super Saturday."
It starts with a dinner the night before -- to see how the candidates interact in a social environment with alcohol.
The next morning, they're served lox and bagels and then given a series of trivia questions like:
Which historical ruler presided over the largest span of the earth by area?
Who is the all-time Major League RBI single-season leader?
What river in the U.S. generates the most hydroelectric power?
What rock album holds the record for longest consecutive time in the top 100 bestselling list?
What is the biggest quarterly loss ever reported by an American public company?
After the trivia round, they take a one-hour test that a covers a variety of financial topics. These two rounds help determine the candidates' ability to interact in a fast-paced environment.
Then the fun begins.
Applicants undergo twenty-minute on-on-ones with the office's senior employees that are like "speed dating," Werbalowsky said.
On his "dates," Werbalowsky prefers to ask applicants out-of-the-box questions that reveal what type of thinkers they are. For example: "You're the emperor of the world. Congratulations. Explain your new world order." Or: "Someone comes to you with a cold fusion reactor which basically creates energy out of tap water. Give me your business and marketing plans for this invention and any other thoughts you have on how to proceed."
"We're trying to find the perfect candidate who has interpersonal and financial skills," Werbalowsky said. "Someone who we would like to work with and someone who would be successful."
Houlihan has 144 analysts globally, six of whom work in the Minneapolis office. There are 800 employees at the company in total.
Write to Julie Steinberg
Related: Analysts in Demand in 2011 | How to Get a Job as an Analyst