Overview
Introduction
Company Stats
Employer Type
Private
Size
101-500 Employees
Featured Rankings
Vault Banking 25
Major Office Locations
Palo Alto, CA
Employment Contact
Emily Wittmann
Firsthand Findings
About the Company
2023 Vault Rankings
Employee Reviews
“As the world has emerged into endemic Covid, the senior leadership firm spent a lot of time with all bankers discussing the career and social benefits of collaborating in office. While significant flexibility remains (people are treated like adults and not watched over), the quality of life in-office, together at the global firm offsite, and at firm-sponsored outside activities is tremendous. The small- firm feel still remains, and the office is a warm and inviting place to be—on most days it feels like going to work with friends.”
“We don't have a strict vacation policy (there is no policy at all), which has pros and cons—you might be able to take more aggregate vacation in a year than if we had a policy, but the vacations might be less protected (especially weekend vacations that aren't weddings). We don't have a protected Saturday program, but most teams try to avoid unnecessary Saturday/weekend work (this can be a bit of a function of who you are working with). In general, I think work/life balance varies pretty widely by analyst, depending on how you have been staffed, but overall, it feels in line with the industry.”
“I moved from a platform that had protected Saturdays, which I thought was great. When I came here, and observed how senior people actively try to avoid having people work on weekends unnecessarily, I realized the protected Saturday thing is not necessary—you just need the right mindset/cultural framework.”
“The firm is really focused on work/life balance and practices what it preaches. No ‘mandatory weekends off,’ which never seems to work, but rather a concerted effort to minimize wasted work and manage teams to allow members to attend important events. Everyone is very reasonable when something comes up, and vacations are usually respected. It’s relatively easy to take time off as long as your team is alright with it. People are very understanding of family and personal events as well. The worst aspect would just be that there is no formal rule on vacation/leave, so people do tend to underspend their vacation days rather than stretch it. Depends on their personalities, though.”
Getting Hired Here
“Centerview runs a thorough interview process to make sure candidates really get to feel like they know the firm—and that the firm really gets to know them across a number of interviews. In addition to picking candidates who excel in quantitative reasoning and qualitative areas like communication and creativity, Centerview is also looking to bring in a group of colleagues who will enjoy each other's company and foster a friendly and collaborative workplace.”
“First-round interviews are generally on campus and spearheaded by alums. Super Days are allocated to a certain number of students per school and consist of five 30-minute interviews back-to-back covering behavioral, technical, fit, leadership, and brainteaser questions. Ideal candidate is well-rounded with an impressive academic track record and differentiated experiences and perspectives, and has a genuine interest in IB and good reasoning to back that interest up. It’s key to perform well during the interview process.”
“The recruiting process typically includes a first-round interview followed by the Super Day, but it can vary. I believe the ideal candidate is a creative thinker with some finance background and experience who can articulate why they want to have a career in investment banking and why they would be a good fit at Centerview in particular.”
“We have a robust interview process with six to seven interviews including the Super Day. The candidates we look for are generally very intelligent people with an inclination to pursue banking as a long-term career. Everyone has to be self-starting and able to handle a lot of responsibility.”
