Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Financial Advisor Associate Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated May 24, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 21 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 21 ratings
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| 1–10 of 21 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Interviews | Sort by |
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted May 24, 2012
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2012 (took 2 months)
The experience was a little misleading. It took about 2 months overall with about one month of waiting for an answer.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted May 23, 2012
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Received and Declined Offer
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Interviewed May 2012 in New York, NY (took 2 months)
Applied online, five days later I received a personality test which I completed and sent back the same day. Three weeks later I received a phone call from the Branch managers assistant to come in a week later. I went in to the interview and the manager was very down to earth; he liked my past experience and sent a business plan template to complete. He stated the whole process would take about 3 weeks (which is complete BS. They are such a big organization; they are clueless on what is going on). I received a call 3 weeks later to meet with an FAA that told me how hard of a time I will have raising money, and talked about his little piker business and how MSSB's salary is a draw that has to be paid back (which is expected in this industry).
I made the mistake of holding informal meetings with family and friends telling them I was making a switch into wealth management. I waited and waited for the last interview for 4 weeks. I met with a senior FA for another redundant waste of my time interview and I could clearly tell he was intimidated by my track record and connections.
Interview Questions
Reason for Declining
This people are a waste of time when it comes to interviewing professionals. No wonder they are collapsing since all they do is hire people with no real work experience or recent grads, and make no accommodations to real producers. They talk to you as if you have no clue what is going on in the industry.
I decided to take my business to an asset management firm that is very accommodating.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Presentation, a Personality Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Apr 12, 2012
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Apr 2012 (took 1+ week)
Applied online. Took assessment test. Within minutes of completing assessment recieved email for interview and complete a business plan. 1 on 1 interview with Complex Manager at office. She told me in so many words that my business plan was generic and I need to explain why people would do business with me. She said come back when I have a better business plan. 45 days later, sent her a revised business plan. Branch manager called me in for interview. Consisted of meeting with 6 financial advisors. Casual conversations, "How do i plan to build business, etc." They all explained how difficult the position is and how they worked like dogs for their first few years and how it has all paid off. Discussed the position with the branch manager and went over training and compensation.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Presentation, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Feb 28, 2012
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jan 2012 in Boston, MA (took a day)
I met with a very personable and relaxed advisor and talked a lot about the position and any questions I had. It was not a tense sit down and I learned a lot about the company and was very friendly. It was only informational through a friend and I was referred to a sales manager who I contacted for a real length phone interview.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I applied In-Person and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Jan 23, 2012
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2011 (took 2 weeks)
I first sent in an application. From there I was contacted and instructed to take an online assessment test. I was contacted again and was emailed a template to create a business plan, mostly consisting of questions of why you would to become a financial advisor at MSSB, as well as what your immediate client base looks like and what markets you will approach and how. I had two 1:1 interviews with general interview questions and time to explain my business plan.
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Skills Test and a Personality Test.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Dec 20, 2011 — 0 of 1 people found this helpful
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2010 in Houston, TX (took 2 months)
Interview process is lengthy and very systematic. The firm hires 150 -200 new associates nationwide monthly.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Minimal negotiation. It is much like signing up to work as a number in the masses. I would advise others ask for more. I received an offer in 2009 for $45K base pay and then a year later I did increase it to $60K. I learned that many new associates were in the $35k - $50k range and only a few were in the $60K range.
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview, a Presentation, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test, a Personality Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Oct 31, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Dec 2010 in Cleveland, OH (took 3 weeks)
Was recruited by an employee, but it was very professional and all was completed in a timely manner.
You need to prepare a business plan, contact list, etc. (the usual for an FA job)
You meet with the Branch Manager for a 1:1 interview where you go over your materials
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
No negotiation needed, the base salary is $50,000 and the job provides for unlimited compensation
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Presentation and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Oct 15, 2011 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2011 in Palo Alto, CA (took 4+ weeks)
The following process took about a month:
1) Interview with Branch Manager
2) (2 days later) Application and resume submission
3) (an hour later) Personality test (situations are presented and I chose one out of four available reactions), Mathematics test (25 questions all about weighted average portfolio returns and compound growth rates), Logic test (Premise is presented with a conclusion, and I used deductive reasoning--aka common sense--to chose the likelihood of the conclusion. The tests take about 3 hours.
4) (2 weeks later) Phone interview to prepare me for writing a business plan- very direct questioning about why I will be successful.
5) (15minutes later) Sent a Business Plan to complete within 10 days. It's about 5 pages of short answer questions wondering how you will gather clients. Sent it back the same day.
6) (2 weeks later) Final group meeting discussing the viability of my Business Plan.
7) (Later that afternoon) Hired, salary presented.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
No negotiation, I was shocked how high it was and did not question it.
Other Details
I applied In-Person and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test, a Personality Test, a Drug Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Aug 20, 2011
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2010 (took 2 weeks)
The hiring process has 4 parts. First, an online application with the assessment and personality test. Second, a face to face interview with the Business Development Officer to go over the basics like any other interview, but be prepared to explain your business plan for succeeding at MSSB in depth (target markets, professional networks, seminars, groups, etc). If you impress him, the third step is completing an online version of your business plan on a template they send to you via email. After sending the finished product back to corporate, they will see if they are impressed. If so, you have one last meeting face to face with the branch or complex manager and his job is simply to make the offer to you.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
Negotiated salary, but not well enough. Unlike Merrill Lynch who has a pay scale resulting in the more base salary you ask for the higher your production numbers have to be.. MSSB only has one set of criteria for everyone. One trainee was making $84,000 while my good friend in Newport Beach was only making $32,000. Negotiate high to begin.
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test, a Personality Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Financial Advisor Associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Posted Apr 4, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2011 (took 2 months)
The hiring process is a long one. I applied online in January and after several online assessments, two interviews, a business plan proposal and a background check I received an offer letter in mid-March.
The online assessments were very easy. They are concerned with your sales skills, motivation level and general industry knowledge. Honestly, if you can't figure out what their looking for in the online assessments, you should find a good shovel and practice your ditch digging skills. The business plan I put together was pretty basic and didn't include anything out of the ordinary. The actual interviews were quick and seemed more geared towards influencing me to take the job then providing me with a chance to influence them.
MSSB seems more professional then other financial firms in my town. I interviewed with several others and none of them really compared. The whole process and people involved was far more polished than the competition.
This is a sale job. Sell them on why you're motivated and how you plan be successful, toss in some ethics, and you be good to go.
Interview Questions
Negotiation Details
I did not negotiate. Their first offer was flattering, so I took it. Plus, the position is totally commission based after two years, so fighting for a few extra grand did not seem too important.
Other Details
The interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview, a Group/Panel Interview, an IQ/Intelligence Test, a Skills Test and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
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