How to Get an Equity Research Analyst Job: A Guide to Starting a Career in Asset Management

For anyone approaching the Equity Research World for the first time, the task of sorting through the jargon and figuring out the organizational structure of the industry can be daunting. What is the difference between the buy side and the sell side? What does an Equity Research Analyst actually do? What to expect and how to prepare for an interview? These questions and many more are thoroughly answered by Gillian D. Elcock. Her clarification of the jargon is very helpful for recent graduates, as well as for those who what to switch industries. Although the book is geared more towards the buy side, it is just as useful for the sell side. The most useful part of the book however, is the demystification of the interviewing process. Elcock goes to great length to make sure the reader understands what the interviewing process is, what is expected, what to expect and how to succeed. In a highly competitive industry like this, there is no room for error, and intensive preparation is key for success. But how should one prepare? The author gives great tips and examples for how to anticipate difficult questions like brain teasers, how prepare for the "stock of the day" type questions and how to not be caught by surprise by the different rounds of interviews and the demands of each. While there are couple of books out there on Equity Research methodologies and valuation techniques, none is so practical and applied to the basic process of getting a job. The book offers insight without which it is hard to see how one might break through the glass wall. For anyone thinking about getting into Equity Research, this should be the first book to pick up.

Touched on a lot of information on the macro level that I wasn't aware of. Required reading for those who want to start in the business and have no real outside training.

Great book! If you are looking for details (on say, how to do a detailed valuation, etc), you are not going to find it here. What this books does is that it gives you a good overview of the industry, with a bias towards the buy-side. The advice given, in my opinion, can be applied to the sell-side as well. As someone who is looking to change careers, I found this especially useful.

I purchased this book because I am in the process of changing career path and move into equity research. I found "How to Get an Equity Research Analyst Job" to be extremely helpful in preparing for interviews, and while the book is primarily targeted to business school and undergraduate students, I believe it is also a very good reference book for more experienced finance professionals. The book begins with an overview of the asset management industry and the role of securities analysts (sell and buy side). The author than explains how to best prepare for the different types of interviews: the stock pitch, brainteasers, case interviews, and the "analyze a stock on the day" interview, among others. What I found particularly helpful was Chapter 4, "Understand and prepare for the stock pitch interview": the author uses Colgate-Palmolive stock as an example and clearly defines all the steps necessary to select the stock, obtain financial reports, calculate the key financial ratios, determine the risks and, most importantly, how to structure the investment thesis. I would definitely recommend "How to Get an Equity Research Analyst Job" to anyone who is interested in sell side equity research and people who want to make a career change.

Too much information about the industry and not enough on details. My reason for purchasing this book was to get insights about Equity Researc, but the writer has ZERO experience in the sell side.

I bought this book to prepare for an interview process at JP Morgan, the insight this provided gave me an edge and prepared me well enough to tackle the interviews. One of the most helpful sections, in my opinion, was the formulation of answers to the typical interview questions like Why ER? Why this bank? etc... I recommend the book if you want to prepare for the selection process.

tells you exactly what you need to know about equity research. For examply, how to break in, what it is, what you need to do to prepare, a ton of interview and resume tips...also a great book for how to break into finance in general.

It's great to have someone to hold your hands to guide you through the door of getting a job in equity research. This book provides from the basic understanding of the job, what it entails, what you should be doing to prepare for an interview, how you should do it and also a lot of words of encouragement should you not get the job. Though it depicts a positive view of an equity research analyst, there are also skeptical illustrations of how the life of an equity analyst will be. One thing's for sure is that it gives the reader a glimpse of the occupation through a lens that is pretty clear. Gillian has done a great job to guide newbies into the field of equity research and I would say this book is a good quick read to form a framework of strategy of how you want to stride into this profession. However, if you are already a somewhat knowledgeable business student, you don't really need to read this. You may already know much of the stuff inside. For avid financiers, skip this.