Back office bull

Hey guys, been following this site for a long time and after seeing the wealth of information everyone has to offer I thought I could get a piece of the pie so to speak! I'm a 2nd year undergrad studying at a London university and have landed a summer internship at a BB firm. It's in the Operations department however, which is not the area I want to go into.

Believe me I know exactly how hard it will be to break into IB with this and I have no delusions what so ever regarding how much leverage this experience will give me when I apply for 2013 roles. Given this, I am eager to start working on the transition now. I understand the importance of networking and was after some advice; when I contact companies, which level of employee should I contact?

Will it seem very audacious to email for example an MD level/above employee? Is it better to contact department heads/associates? I would really appreciate any feedback you guys could give on the matter, thank you!

 

Why did you apply for ops initially.

[quote]The HBS guys have MAD SWAGGER. They frequently wear their class jackets to boston bars, strutting and acting like they own the joint. They just ooze success, confidence, swagger, basically attributes of alpha males.[/quote]
 
Best Response
BonsaiMoneyTree:
You're a sophmore, not a second year.

He is a second year not a sophomore - while in the US you have an extra year of undergrad to learn all the shit you were supposed to learn in High School. In Europe given the educational system is stronger, your bachelor degree takes 3 years as opposed to 4. Simples. So you are right to worry.

 
Disjoint:
BonsaiMoneyTree:
You're a sophmore, not a second year.

He is a second year not a sophomore - while in the US you have an extra year of undergrad to learn all the shit you were supposed to learn in High School. In Europe given the educational system is stronger, your bachelor degree takes 3 years as opposed to 4. Simples. So you are right to worry.

Reprezent.

 

In hindsight I too ask myself why I originally applied to Ops. Primarily it was down to lack of confidence; I study at a non-target university and prior to this had only a small one month stint at a trading company on my cv. I did decide to apply for a few capital market roles but this was very late into the season and and the majority of places had gone! Frustrating as I got through the initial stages. Anyway I certainly won't be making the same mistake again this autumn! I guess I'll start emailing everyone then, thanks guys.

 

I was in your same situation in 2010. After my internship, which was in Finance, I applied to offcycle internships in FO position and, at the end, I was lucky enough to get the internship and then the FT offer. So, you can network but you can also try to apply to internships in the role that you want even if you will be a final year student.

I'm grateful that I have two middle fingers, I only wish I had more.
 
cruel3a:
I was in your same situation in 2010. After my internship, which was in Finance, I applied to offcycle internships in FO position and, at the end, I was lucky enough to get the internship and then the FT offer. So, you can network but you can also try to apply to internships in the role that you want even if you will be a final year student.

Thanks that's encouraging.

 
cruel3a:
I was in your same situation in 2010. After my internship, which was in Finance, I applied to offcycle internships in FO position and, at the end, I was lucky enough to get the internship and then the FT offer. So, you can network but you can also try to apply to internships in the role that you want even if you will be a final year student.

Same situation here. BO at a BB in sophomore summer, tried to get into FO at the same firm, they laughed at me. So i switched firms to a FO role.

OP: Because this is just an internship, your chances at FO are not ruled out. if you are able to express something like "I really wanted to get into the industry so I took the job. HOwever after interacting with FO folks, I developed a strong interest in IBD/S&T/etc."

 

Yes, I tried the same. I went through the whole recruiting process for IBD at my original firm (only application, tests, phone interview and then AC), even if I received an offer for the back office role I had during the summer, and got rejection at the end of it.

I'm grateful that I have two middle fingers, I only wish I had more.
 
cruel3a:
Yes, I tried the same. I went through the whole recruiting process for IBD at my original firm (only application, tests, phone interview and then AC), even if I received an offer for the back office role I had during the summer, and got rejection at the end of it.

Yeah I spoke to a few people who work for other BB's and they said I have little to no chance of an app for a FT FO role being taken seriously if I get a grad offer for Ops. Looking to apply for a 2013 IB internship at other firms instead of a graduate role, think I'll have more of a chance!

 

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