well I am a graduating senior from a non target, with two internships under my belt, one is on the research side for a big wealth management firm and the other was an overseas opportunity in africa in which I might add was a great experience. I am looking to get into equity research and will start applying during fall recruiting. Any ideas on what these recruiters might look for. Note that I didn't have a summer analyst position in equity research but I do have research background, so will that be used against me in some sort of way??
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why would it be used against
why would it be used against you? if anything it would help. you dont need to have SA to get a FT offer in ER, its not like banking. and are you trying to get into ER at a BB or at a research firm like morningstar or bloomberg? either way, breaking into ER is a cakewalk compared to IB and bloomberg/morningstar is probably even easier than BB PWM, so just have a high gpa from your non-target, format your resume properly so its clean and professional (the more colors the better... and use borders too. KIDDING), and brush up on vault guide for equity research (if there is one) and the state of current markets, and you will be set for interviews.
hope that helps. im currently doing an ER internship as a rising junior (not at a bank) so if you have any other specific questions let me know.
similar question
Hi, I'm in a similar situation in that I will be a senior at a non-target liberal arts college (top tier but still non-target). I would like to get into a bulge bracket sell-side research, however none of them recruit at my school. I have a 3.7 GPA with an economics and math background. My internships include doing equity research for a small cap buy side fund (lots of modeling, Excel, valuations, etc.), management consulting at a boutique (not well-known), and wealth management at Merrill. In addition, I've been on a student investment fund managing a 6 figure portfolio. Unfortunately, I can't find any alumni doing ER, although I have found I-bankers at BB who usually get in through connections.
My questions are:
1) What are my odds of getting an interview without any connections?
2) How stiff is the competition? (probably not as stiff as banking)
3) How much does getting in contact with a recruiter help?
4) Will my resume even be looked at w/o connections?
5) What do FT and SA stand for?
Thanks for your time.
1) What are my odds of
1) What are my odds of getting an interview without any connections?
Decent - based upon your extra-curricular activities.
2) How stiff is the competition? (probably not as stiff as banking)
Stiff - there are fewer spots than in banking so even if there are fewer applicants, the ratio of interviews to offers is similar.
3) How much does getting in contact with a recruiter help?
Not really at your level. Better to apply to the firms directly.
4) Will my resume even be looked at w/o connections?
Yes - even if its to confirm that it definitely belongs in the bin. What makes you think connections matter at this level?
5) What do FT and SA stand for?
FT = full time, SA = summer analyst. There are very few SA positions in equity research across the street. By the time you get them to the point of doing anything useful, they're gone.
You're welcome.