Self-Paced Course
How IB Ticks
The full orientation you don't get at university β how Swiss Investment Banking really works, how recruiting runs in a small market, and what matters in your first interviews.
What This Course Is
A clear, structured orientation to Investment Banking β built for candidates who are early in the journey and tired of guessing what really matters.
How IB Ticks gives you the foundation no university lecture covers. We walk through what investment banks really do, how the major teams differ, and where each fits inside a transaction. Then we move into Swiss IB recruiting β a small, opaque market with rules of its own β and how to read it before you ever send an application.
The course is based on the same content I built and taught to Master's students at HSG and Bocconi, refined for self-paced learning. Whiteboard explanations, real recruiting examples, and the four personal fit questions that come up in almost every Swiss IB interview.
If you've read articles, watched random YouTube videos, and still feel like you're missing the bigger picture β this is the course that fixes that. Once the orientation is in place, everything else (technicals, networking, interviews) becomes much easier to learn.
What You Will Walk Away With
By the end of How IB Ticks, you will have:
01
A clear mental model of IB
What banks do, how teams are structured, and where the real work happens.
02
The Swiss recruiting map
How hiring runs in a small market with limited seats and high relationship density.
03
Networking fundamentals
Why you network, who to reach out to, and what makes a referral conversation land in Swiss IB.
04
Interview structure mastered
The five-stage flow Swiss interviewers run and what each stage is testing for.
05
The 4 fit questions answered
The personal fit questions asked in nearly every Swiss IB interview, with frameworks to answer them.
06
Confidence to move forward
The clarity to know whether IB is for you and the orientation to invest in the next step well.
Who This Course Is For
You are early in your IB journey and want to understand the basics before going deeper
You are targeting Investment Banking in Switzerland and want the local context, not a US-import view
You want a structured walkthrough from someone who recruited and trained interns at UBS
You prefer simple visuals and concrete examples over academic theory
You want to be fully oriented before your first networking call or interview
Who This Course Is NOT For
You already understand IB structures and Swiss recruiting and want to focus on technicals (see Master the Technicals instead)
You are looking for deep modelling content rather than a foundational overview
You want a course that does the application work for you rather than teaches you how to think
You are still exploring whether finance is for you and not yet ready to commit time to the basics
You want 1:1 mentorship rather than a self-paced course (see Unlock Swiss IB instead)
How the Course Is Structured
Four modules. From orientation to interview readiness.
Each module follows the order a candidate naturally moves through the recruiting cycle: understand the industry, understand the market, build relationships, then prepare for interviews. Whiteboard explainers, simple visuals, and real Swiss examples throughout.
MODULE 1
What Investment Banking Really Is
FoundationsThe orientation no business school gives you in plain language. What banks do, how teams compare to consulting and asset management, and where the real day-to-day work sits.
What you walk away with
- IB compared to consulting, asset management, and PE
- The main product groups and coverage teams explained
- How a deal flows from origination to closing
- What an analyst's day really looks like
- The career path: analyst, associate, VP, director, MD
MODULE 2
Swiss IB Recruiting, Decoded
Market LogicSwitzerland is a small, relationship-driven market with maybe 100 full-time analyst seats per year across all firms. That fact reshapes the whole recruiting playbook. This module covers it.
What you walk away with
- Why Swiss IB is small, fast, and reputation-sensitive
- How off-cycle, summer, and graduate hiring differ
- The role of HR, juniors, and seniors in the decision
- How target schools work locally β and where exceptions land
- What candidates underestimate about timing and headcount
MODULE 3
Networking the Right Way
RelationshipsIn Switzerland, "networking" is mostly a referral game wrapped in conversation. This module walks you through the three reasons to network, who to talk to, and how to come across as someone worth introducing.
What you walk away with
- The three reasons to network: information, referral, signal
- Who to reach out to and in what order
- How to write outreach that doesn't get ignored
- How to run a coffee chat that earns a referral
- What kills a referral conversation in Swiss IB
MODULE 4
The Interview, End to End
First-Round ReadyA Swiss IB first-round interview has a predictable structure. This module breaks down each stage, the four personal fit questions you will be asked, and how to think about your answers without sounding rehearsed.
What you walk away with
- The five-stage interview structure decoded
- The four personal fit questions asked nearly every time
- Walk-me-through-your-CV: what bankers want to hear
- "Why IB / Why us / Why now" answered cleanly
- Smart questions to ask at the end of any interview
What's Included
Everything you need for a clean, structured orientation.
33 video lessons
Whiteboard explainers covering every section of the four modules.
IB structures explained
Product groups, coverage, and career path mapped end to end.
Swiss market context
How recruiting works in a small, relationship-driven hiring market.
Networking playbook
Why, who, and how β built around how Swiss IB juniors and seniors respond.
Interview structure
The five stages of a first-round and what each is really testing.
The 4 fit questions
The personal fit questions asked in almost every Swiss IB interview.
Simple visuals
Diagrams that make the moving parts of IB easy to hold in your head.
Real recruiting examples
Pulled from years of interviewing candidates and managing interns at UBS.
Lifetime access
Including all updates and any future material added to the course.
Watch on any device
Mobile, tablet, or laptop β return to a section any time you need a refresher.
7-day refund window
Not the right fit in the first 7 days? Email me β full refund, no friction.
Bundle to go further
Add Master the Technicals and Thrive as an Intern as a discounted bundle when you're ready.
Your Instructor
As a former UBS Large Cap M&A Associate, I have recruited candidates, staffed teams, trained interns, and decided who received return offers.
I built and taught a 10-week intern development program at UBS, lectured at HSG and Bocconi, and now focus on helping motivated candidates break into Swiss Investment Banking.
Direct. Structured. Practical.
Course Details
- Format: Self-paced video course
- Lessons: 33 video lessons across 4 modules
- Time to complete: A few hours, watched at your own pace
- Access: Lifetime, on any device
- Refund: 7-day money-back guarantee
Already a NeverBanked customer? You should have received a personal code equal to your previous purchase.
Ready to Understand How IB Ticks?
I would like to once again sincerely thank you for your IB course β with which I made it to the UBS assessment center.
The CV and LinkedIn tips were immediately actionable and helped me understand how recruiters actually read applications.
Got the GS Super Day. Can we jump on a call to make an action plan for this week?
I learned a lot from Nico's structured and precise way of working. β Adrian D., ex-Nomura
Just got an interview invite for UBS Frankfurt. Thank you so much.
Highly practical, highly valuable. One of the best training experiences I've had. β Kevin L., Rothschild & Co
For me it was truly valuable to get feedback on every detail from someone who knows exactly what matters.
Nico's feedback was direct, structured, and very practical. β Sonia A., KPMG
I would like to once again sincerely thank you for your IB course β with which I made it to the UBS assessment center.
The CV and LinkedIn tips were immediately actionable and helped me understand how recruiters actually read applications.
Got the GS Super Day. Can we jump on a call to make an action plan for this week?
I learned a lot from Nico's structured and precise way of working. β Adrian D., ex-Nomura
Just got an interview invite for UBS Frankfurt. Thank you so much.
Highly practical, highly valuable. One of the best training experiences I've had. β Kevin L., Rothschild & Co
For me it was truly valuable to get feedback on every detail from someone who knows exactly what matters.
Nico's feedback was direct, structured, and very practical. β Sonia A., KPMG
