1. Applied in October 2016 with CV, covering letter,and some open questions.
2. Was informed they arrange the online tests only after the application closing date, which was 28th Feb 2017. Tests assigned in early March, including a 30-min math test and a 30-min finance test. Both to be completed within 3 days and are quite easy if you're from a finance background. The emails says you will hear back within 5 days but I was informed after a month.
3. A month later was informed that I passed the OT and got invited to a 30-min live video interview. The interview was structured as below:
1) CV-related: what responsibilities for each role of your work experience; why did you choose this university subject; why are you interested in technology
2) Motivation: what's your understanding of consulting at factset? What consultants do on a daily basis? Who are clients? Who are competitors? What differ factset from its competitors?
3) Technical: Factset has mainly 3 teams: IB,IM and FX. What are their differences and how can Factset help clients in IB, IM and FX? What services an investment banker in M&A will look for?
The interviewer was really professional, nice and friendly. At the end of the interview,she said she'd send the outcome email in the afternoon, really efficient compared with the previous stages. About 4-5 hours later got the email inviting me to the AC exactly one week later.
4. AC (half-day) 10 candidates (2 goups)
The AC consists of 4 parts: Factset test, Excel test, Group discussion and Micro teach. Due to the network problem we started quite late so didn't have time for the networking session. After 20 min introduction video we were asked to complete a series of instructions and save the screen within a time limit (can't remember the exact time); then the excel tests to be completed within 20 min. I didn't do well in this part as the laptop stuck for a moment then I missed the last few seconds in the intro video, so definitely concentrate on the video! The excel was okay as an average user.
Group discussion is prioritising a pile of tasks, including what tasks are not to be done today. Focus on clients and think about the potential consequences. Last part was the micro teach, which was the most interesting part I think. Don't choose a topic that consumes too much time, otherwise you can't finish it within 10 min. Practice the presentation beforehand and think about whether your audience can follow you. I messed up on this part, but I really enjoyed other people's teaching.
Overall my experience was positive. Factset is a professional company with very good culture and people. The assessors are current consultants and managers, and they are very patient in answering any questions. Drinks and refreshments were provided.
After the AC there will be a final round interview with managers. As I didn't do well in the AC I probably would give another try next year. The process was quite efficient after the closing date.