Investment Banker

Your attitude toward both success and failure could be the difference in determining whether or not you get an investment banking job offer. Deals flop, it's part of the investment banking game. Discussing how you do a quick post mortem and lessons learned discussion, then move on to the next deal is the best approach. Learning from but not dwelling on the past is the key.

Equity returns (IRR or cash on cash multiples) are calculated based on the investor's entry and exit equity values. So to calculate an LBO return, you want to find out the investor's projected equity value at exit: the investor entry equity value you already know (it is the equity amount the investor is injecting to acquire the company).

I come from a family of nutritionists, and they recommended The Wellness Revolution, a book that predicts that the sales of vitamins and other health-related items will grow to over $1 trillion annually within the next 10 years. I thought their argument for this was very interesting.

NOTE: Do not say Liar's Poker or Harry Potter. Be sure to give a truthful answer that's somewhere in the middle-appropriate for a business conversation, but not disingenuous for the sole purpose of looking good.

I am conservative and risk-averse by nature. That does not mean I do not take my chances. However, when I do take chances, I base them on a rational analysis so that I can ensure success to a certain degree, and fully understand the risks involved before "taking the plunge."