About Swiss Finance Institute

Would you recommend Swiss Finance Institute to people who are interested in investment banking or corporate finance?

I think that this program is essential for people who are interested in breaking into the industry. To be honest, most people have neither the knowledge nor the skills that they need to get an investment banking job before attending a program like this. You really don’t realize how little you know about the industry until you’ve spent even a day or two in an SFA classroom. The instructors quickly cleared up any misconceptions that I had with their honest, in-depth insights into what investment banking really involves. With regards to getting a job in the industry, the difference between the way that I would have gone into the interview process before SFA compared with the way that I would do things now is like night and day. There is absolutely no comparison between my level of knowledge, skills and industry savvy now and the level of those things before I stepped into an SFA classroom.

In the previous question, you make mention of the interview process. How did Swiss Finance Institute assist you with your job search skills?

SFA faculty members devote a significant amount of time to providing students with the knowledge and skills they will need to get a foot in the door of the industry. In addition to help with resumes, such as the best format to use and the best way to get yourself noticed on paper, SFA provides individual mock interviews for every student in the investment banking program. The interviews are invaluable, as they give you a really good idea of the types of questions that real recruiters will ask, as well as the types of answers that they are looking for. It really gives people a chance to polish their answers and improve on their weaknesses before going into the real thing. The program as a whole equips you with the knowledge you need to really stand out when answering more substantive interview questions about the industry – it’s great when you realize that you really do know what people are talking about!

- Gaurav Joshi, Merrill Lynch