Mod Note (Andy) - as the year comes to an end we're reposting the top discussions from 2015, this one ranks #34 and was originally posted 10/8/2015.
I wrote this because while the other OCR thread was hilarious (and accurate), I wanted to reach out to those who may still be struggling even though they are doing everything right. This applies to more than OCR candidates, anyone that has not yet been able to break in may find it encouraging.
Dear Candidate,
Don’t be too hard on yourself for not getting the offer. You were actually quite brilliant. From the initial screen, to the on campus in-person, all the way through to the super day, you aced it. You crushed the technicals. You seemed genuinely interested and excited without being an annoying brat. You were likeable, someone I would grab a drink with, someone I wouldn’t mind working with until 3 am. You didn’t make a single misstep at any point in the process. From my perspective, you just want the opportunity to work your ass off, learn, and grow as a professional while making decent coin along the way and you actually deserve it.
The problem is there were fewer spots than there were deserving candidates and at the end of the day a decision had to be made. We deliberated for hours, something that rarely happens even when you have pared down over 400 resumes to 3 people. I may even think it was the wrong decision, but I will not reach out to you to tell you this. I simply can’t and no good will come of it. It will cause you more anxiety than you know and you may very well turn into one of those annoying brats mentioned in the other OCR thread. None of us has time to deal with a situation like this.
So what do you do? You move on. You brush off and keep on moving towards your goal because one day you just might get exactly what you want. (It took me three times over two years to get into the firm I was shooting for) You might not, but don’t give up just yet. Life won’t always open up the path you want, but you are just starting the race and there is no reason to lose hope just yet.
Another thing, stay in touch with people you met while interviewing. Add them on LinkedIn (use common sense) and every once in a while reach out to them to catch up. You never know where they might end up and what doors they may be able to open for you. I know everyone on WSO harps on this, but you would be surprised by how few people actually follow through with this one small piece of advice that is absolutely invaluable.
Best of Luck,
Associate
Agree to all this of this. I know how crushing in the moment it can feel to know you put forth your best possible effort and was unsuccessful. Advice like this is key to all those in the OCR cycle right now...
Great piece. Underscores the nature of recruiting in this industry: it truly is a numbers game. There are more qualified candidates than there are available seats.
Quite unfortunately, hypothetical stories like the one the OP mentioned will become more and more common. You're going to hear less and less stories of sub 3.0 GPA success stories and poor-kid-becomes-banker.
Are you are kidding me? So you are saying that the nepotism and blue-blooded era is coming back. So help us all, meritocracy is fucked. Well theres always diversity recruiting...
In my experience, companies are still getting more aggressive with diversity recruiting. It is at the point where we are provided charts with exact numbers on what demographics we need to hire
Agree. What you guys don't understand is that we can't possibly remember all of you. Sure, I may have liked that kid named David, but then I get a digital stack of 200 resumes, of which 17 belong to Davids who are math majors. The fuck if I know which one you might be--hell, you might've not even made the culling that resulted in that final batch. Then we're told we can each pick 5. Okay, how the fuck am I supposed to pick five when all 200 look exactly the same? It's basically a fucking game of luck. So don't be too down on yourself if you don't get picked. Maybe Aries wasn't falling in your moon phase or whatever the fuck and it wasn't written in your stars in that moment that I blindly pick 5 files. Not your fault.
But if you were a fucking little tool during OCR, so help me god...
Hah! Speaking of little OCR tools. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT meet me at the elevator on your super day before all the other candidates when I'm coming into the office, then proceed to follow me around while I get coffee and head to the pisser. Even worse if you follow me all the way back to my damn office.
True story.
That's so kind of you. Love the opening picture too. +1
All the liberal keyboard warriors really liked that post I see... Next up we'll have midget recruiting, all under the banner of "diversity."
.
What's next if you did not make it through OCR? Any advice for a recent graduate?
That is a very difficult question to answer. My career path was not direct, but it was definitely a struggle to get to where I wanted to go. Ideally you will be able to look for a gig at some small shop, do a one or two year stint and transfer to a more reputable one. This is not your only alternative. There are several careers that have a decent (albeit not great) chance of lateraling into banking. You will have to stand-out from the crowd, but your chances would be better than zero. This forum is a great resource for something like that. I know people that have gone into banking from Transaction Services, Valuation, Corp Dev, Ops Restructuring, PWM, Big 4 Strategy, etc. If it is really where you want to end up then you will find a way to make it. If you are just looking for a quick 2 year resume booster to try and jump to PE, sorry can't help you there, but if PE is your goal there are other ways in outside of banking as well.
Another thing to consider is that once you get to that goal, you may find that it is not where you wanted to end up in the first place. A mentor of mine once told me a story that helped put things in perspective for me. A long time ago (before smart phones and hand held games) there was a toy he got for Christmas. It was a little wind up car that once put on the ground would move forward until it hit a wall, back up, spin around and move forward again. It would continue doing this until it found an unobstructed path (or ran out of spring power). Careers are much like this little car. Find something you think is worth doing, diligently work toward that goal, and if it doesn't fulfill you try something different. I feel like too many people on this board are obsessed with the perfect career path (or what they perceive it to be).
Target Undergrad -- > IBD -- > PE -- > MBA -- > OMGTEHWORLDISPERFECT
That's great for some folks, but if that isn't you then who cares? You may be frustrated now, but take a deep breath. Come up with an actionable plan and work on that. If anything it will be a nice distraction from dwelling on your most recent disappointment.
How did nobody SB this post as "helpful?" It's freaking awesome advice.
Dolorum dolores aut natus exercitationem qui asperiores ducimus. Delectus et voluptas ab consequuntur repudiandae aliquid consequuntur sequi.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...