u/Acceptable_Can_3780

I've been reading through a lot of advice from people working in investment banking and equity research, and one thing keeps coming up: technical knowledge matters, but your preparation process matters just as much.

Here are a few lessons or hot takes (based on personal experience) that seem to make the biggest difference:

1. Know your accounting basics.

Understanding how the three financial statements connect is more important than memorizing every valuation formula.

2. Don't neglect behavioral questions.

Many candidates focus entirely on technicals but struggle to explain why they want to work in finance or discuss past experiences clearly.

3. Stay informed about the markets.

Interviewers often ask about recent deals, interest rates, or industries you're interested in following.

4. Practice explaining your thought process.

Even if you don't know the perfect answer, demonstrating logical reasoning can leave a stronger impression than guessing.

5. Consistency beats cramming.

Studying an hour or two each day over several weeks seems much more effective than trying to learn everything right before interviews.

For those already working in sell-side roles, I want to know:

- What's one piece of advice you wish someone had given you before your first interview?

- Any resources you'd recommend for technical preparation?

I'd love to hear different perspectives!

Beauty UGC looked like one of the easiest niches to start, but in reality, it’s probably one of the hardest categories to get paid in.

The main problems I keep running into are:

- Every brand gets flooded with creators

- Most portfolios look almost identical

- A lot of offers are gifted only

- The briefs are often way bigger than the budget

- Beauty content takes longer to film properly

I understand doing a couple of free collaborations at the beginning to build a portfolio, but some brands expect a full edited video, multiple hooks, product close-ups, raw footage and revisions in exchange for a serum or lipstick.

Even the paid offers can be bad. A brand might offer $50/70 while asking for several different shots,and multiple revisions. Once you count scripting, filming and editing, it makes no sense

I’m starting to think the best solutions are:

- Stop being a generic beauty creator and focus on a specific angle

- Target brands that are already running UGC ads

- Charge separately for raw footage, extra hooks and usage rights

- Use Sideshift instead of relying only on cold DMs

- Work with apps and digital products too, instead of depending completely on beauty

A niche like curly hair, acne-prone skin, sensitive skin, men’s skincare or affordable beauty probably gives brands a clearer reason to hire you.

The campaigns on sideshift seem more focused on paid content and performance, rather than sending hundreds of messages just to receive another gifted offer.

For creators who are consistently getting paid beauty UGC work, what actually helped you the most? A stronger niche, better outreach, platforms or simply creating a lot more content?