SG COWEN: NEW RECRUITS

SG COWEN: NEW RECRUITS

QUESTION # 1
Reflect upon a time you had a negative recruiting/hiring experience. What were
the signs the experience was not going well?
ANSWER:The signs are as follows:New hire started to ask for special consideration, incentives, and flexible hours
There was attendance issue. Arrive late and leave early
Always tried to waste time in non productive activities and took more time in
lunch break
Lack of interest in work
Always tried to get easy work and left the difficult work for others
Poor attitude towards other co-workers
Using social sites and listening personal phone calls during office timings

QUESTION# 2
What are the key decision points used by S.G Cowen in making hiring decisions?
What is your evaluation of the process used by the firm?
ANSWER:Following key decision points used by S.G Cowen in making hiring decision:Which schools should be targeted as core schools?
How many positions are available to be filled?
How many of the positions need to filled from summer interns, promotions and
college hires?
How many rounds of interviews should be done?
Who all will the interviewers be?
Is the candidate interested in the company?
Is the candidate a self starter?
Does the candidate have the required skill set for the job?
Is there a cultural fit between the company and the candidate?

ZOAHIB BUTT MCOM A 123 UCP

SG COWEN: NEW RECRUITS

Do they demonstrate a pattern of success in their past life?

Will they be committed and be loyal to the company?
Do have they good interpersonal skills?
Are they technically sound
Are they flexible and versatile

EVALUATION OF THE PROCESS :-

SG Cowen hires three kinds of candidates for Associate positions:

1. Analysts who have completed their three years at firm and do not have any
business school education
2. Summer interns with the firm
3. New outside hires from business schools
I believe that this is a wide talent pool and gives SG Cowen the opportunity to select the
best candidates for the associate positions. Hiring from the analysts makes the
recruitment easier process because candidates have been with the firm for three years.
They have a better understanding about the firm and have proven their cultural fit.
They went for Informal Interviews, Campus Round and Super Saturday for the best
recruitment. Under the following points I am going to explain Evaluation of the process.
They hold their interviewers responsible for the quality of candidates they bring
thus ensuring that only the best candidates come to the firm
It was made sure that the bankers were not partial in their selection process and
favoring candidates from their own alma maters through its not mentioned how
They looked for the right people with attitude to work at SG Cowen and were
willing to go the extra mile to create jobs for them if required.
Writing down comments and making extensive notes about candidates made it
easier to recollect and discuss about their abilities.
Making sure that candidates are relaxed and comfortable before super Saturday

ZOAHIB BUTT MCOM A 123 UCP

SG COWEN: NEW RECRUITS

QUESTION# 3
What is your evaluation on the criteria used by this organization in making hiring
decisions?
ANSWER:-

EVALUATION OF THE CRITERIA

Candidates are being judged on the basis of following parameters:
Commitment to firm
Judgment/Maturity
Interpersonal skills
Leadership
Technical skills
Work Ethic
All firms without exception would want to recruit for the long term because it is very
costly process and especially in the current situation firms are fighting for talent and
talent must have high level of communication skills as SG Cowen is a boutique
Investment Bank. According to Rae long term successcame from loving the work,
loving to teach and sell. Candidates would need to have very good interpersonal skills to
be able to sell well.
The firm needed people who could take initiatives without being given instruction
on what to do. This can be gauged by the past leadership experiences of the candidates.
According to Schoenbergs Wall Street does not give enough time to people to.
Candidates also must have the technical skills like Finance & Accounting, creativity and
ability to prioritize is what helped one deliver his duties. As SG Cowen is a boutique firm
because of its small size, its associates usually work very closely with firms and they
need to demonstrate good team abilities and flexibility.

ZOAHIB BUTT MCOM A 123 UCP

SG COWEN: NEW RECRUITS

QUESTION# 4
Which two candidates would you select if you were a member of the recruiting
committee ?
ANSWER:I would select NATALYA GODLEWSKA and ANDY SANCHEZ because they are
better than others in criteria and I am going to write down the reasons why I would select
them.

REASON FOR SELECTING NATALYA GODLEWSKA

Called the bankers because she had met at presentation for informational
interviews
Having worked in the industry for 4 years, she showed an in depth knowledge of
the sector
She will be a hit with the clients due to her positive energy
Was highly recommended by her referee and she displayed a can-do attitude.
She is so confident about herself
Ambitious and ready to work hard
Worked for 4 years in firm which developed modeling software for M&A firm
Secured the highest GPA in the finance department and served as graduate
teaching assistant in finance program at Cornel
Speaker of fluent Russian, Polish, German and some French

REASONS FOR SELECTING ANDY SANCHEZ

Having served for 4 year in the military, he was expected to show a high maturity
level
Dynamic Personality
Confident and articulate
Having served in the military and he led a rescue operation in Bosnia
He was involved in a number of activities as diverse as marathon racing
He is a team player because he served in military

ZOAHIB BUTT MCOM A 123 UCP