Keeping Current: Key to Interview Success

My brother was in New York last week and picked up the most recent edition of the Bark Street Journal for our Dachshund Frankie. As you can see he is getting his fill of all the recent news.

In the past we have mentioned the importance of keeping up to date with economic and financial news. The three most salient reasons for this, which relate to investment banking interviews, are 1) it will help continually develop your business knowledge and acumen, 2) you will have a better background from which to ask questions during interviews, and 3) you will be prepared for interview questions such as: "Do you read the Wall Street Journal? What was your favorite article yesterday?" I don't think I have to convince many people that this is a good idea.

The real point of this post is to tell you which newspaper and magazine will be the most helpful for you to read as you pursue a career in finance. The first is the The Wall Street Journal. My university gave out the Financial Times for free while I was a student but I still didn't give up my subscription to the Journal. This is the #1 American finance newspaper. If you don't have a subscription, you should get one today.

The second newspaper I recommend to you is The Economist. This well-written and practical magazine offers solid economic analysis for our evermore complex world-economy. In Inside the House of Money: Top Hedge Fund Traders on Profiting in the Global Markets nearly every top trader interviewed recommends The Economist. Jim Leitner of Falcon Management says, "I read The Economist religiously. If somebody asked me how to get involved in global macro investing, I would say start with a subscription to The Economist, read it every week, and think about what you learned this week that you didn't know the week before" (p. 43). This magazine will help give you a better understanding of the world as well as better investing ideas.

There are other good newspapers and magazines but as students or junior professionals you don't have the time or energy to read them all. By reading The Wall Street Journal and The Economist you will get the most bang for your time and money. If Frankie can keep current on today's markets, so can you.