About Swiss Finance Institute

How did Swiss Finance Institute help you with your job search skills?

SFA provided me with extensive industry knowledge that was invaluable to me during my job search process. During interviews, I was able to display not only a strong interest in the investment banking industry, but also a knowledge of the field that was essential to establishing myself as a serious job candidate. SFA also equipped me with the interview skills that I needed to come across as informed, articulate and well-versed in industry concepts. Because of the interview preparation that I received while at SFA, my UBS interview went incredibly well. In fact, we talked about the SFA program for about 15 minutes! My interviewers were absolutely impressed that a twenty year old knew so much about the banking industry, and was so eager to learn even more. A lot of the credit goes to SFA.

Would you recommend Swiss Finance Institute to other b-school students?

Absolutely. Swiss Finance Institute is a useful supplement to any business school education. A few key differences highlight why the SFA curriculum is an added bonus for anyone, regardless of other finance and business education or experience that they may have. For starters, all SFA classes are taught by industry professionals who have held executive positions in various bulge bracket investment banks. This is not something that you will get at business school. Because of this, the lessons tend to be extremely practical; you know you’re getting something that you will use again in the future. You also get industry insights that you would almost never get from a regular business school professor; even my SFA classmates who had previous experience at the analyst or associate level benefited from the advice that we got from faculty at the VP or MD level. In the interest of being politically correct, most VPs and MDs with whom you may have worked will not give you the real scoop on the industry – the SFA instructors tell it how it is, rather than advocating on behalf of the i-banking industry. The whole program is thoroughly informative for those who wish to pursue a career in investment banking.

- Akshay Vatsa, UBS, San Franscisco