help this poor recent college grad please (begging you guys)

I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science and international relations. My grades were above a 3.0 but below a 3.5. I've previously worked for an LG subsidiary and was a research assistant while at Penn. I'm also trilingual, was active in a unique sport, and am a pretty cool person (my mom tells me that all the time too) but I can't seem to get a job to save my life.

I had a superday at UBS but didn't end up getting the job. I guess my weakness is that I don't really have finance experience since I originally wanted to go to law school but made my switch to business not too long ago. I'm interested in wealth management since I feel this will give me an exposure to the financial world so I can later work my way up. Basically, I'm down for any analyst positions.

I really want UBS so my heart was broken when I learned that I didn't get the job. I'm having a friend who is an associate contact HR for me since new positions have opened up but he hasn't responded for a while so I'm starting to get discouraged.

Any advice or tips for landing a job? I've applied to over 100 different companies but none has replied for an interview thus far. Could it be my cover letter? How do I make myself stand out in a crowd of exceptional people? I feel like I'm getting post-traumatic stress from this experience.

 

EDUCATION University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with International Relations Concentration
GPA: 3.6 Seoul National University, Summer Study Abroad
GPA: 4.0

EXPERIENCE University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Research Assistant for The Good Judgment Project, a government funded start-up on geopolitical forecasts • Analyzed 100+ user process accountability per week and formulate predictions to determine probability of event(s) to be calculated by Brier Score • Rated and evaluated users’ forecasts content based on 1-5 distribution scale LF Corp, Seoul, South Korea
Global Business Intern • Analyzed domestic market trends and created strategic proposals on how to drive up company’s most profitable brands; Daks, Hazzys, and TNGT • Researched distributors and licensors for in-house brands to expand into China and Southeast Asia and created PowerPoint presentations on Korea v. China market and expansion strategies • Attended Free Trade Agreement conference representing global business division Beverly Hills Bar Association, Los Angeles, CA
Finance and Membership Intern
• Drafted new 60–page financial manual for the CPA • Administered the transition from print to digital data by updating and maintaining membership profiles • Initiated and managed Social Media Division (Facebook and YouTube) to market and generate online presence and traffic, resulting in a 40% increase in unique visitors / month

LEADERSHIP LocalLevo x Penn, co-Director and Founder
• Brought Levo League onto Penn’s campus to collaborate with Women in Leadership Series • Planned and organized panel discussion and workshops with professional women in the Greater Philadelphia area • Created graphic designs and managed the event’s social media • Moderated the panel discussion Penn Equestrian Team, Social Chair
• Managed, scheduled, and coordinated monthly team events to encourage team bonding (20 people)

SKILLS, AWARDS, AND INTERESTS Technical: Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Outlook, HTML, social media ad campaigns (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube) Language: Mandarin (fluent), Cantonese (professional proficiency), French (basic proficiency) Awards: US Figure Skating Association - Gold medalist in Moves-in-the-Field Interests: Traveling, figure skating, nonprofit, modern art

 

Don't apply for jobs on their websites. Instead, try using LinkedIn to find alumni (you're not going to have any trouble with Upenn) and cold email them. Make it 3-4 sentences max and ask for a quick 10-15 minute informational interview.

Most won't respond, but they won't matter. As long as you come across as hungry and actually interested in finance (I wouldn't even mention that you thought about going to law school unless you have to), you might be able to open a few doors.

 

Any advice on how to be more personable? Do you have any interview pointers? I feel like sometimes it can be a hit or miss, depending on how well you click with your interviewer.

I actually haven't been getting first rounds either. I feel like it may be due to my lack of financial experience - I'm not sure. I feel like what I have been doing isn't working out so I want to reassess my strategy.

 

Here is my cover letter:

Dear XXXXX,

I am a recent graduate who studied political science with an international relations concentration at the University of Pennsylvania. I am interested in the analyst position with your company. Although I do not have ample finance experience, I do have quantitative analytics experience and compass some core competencies that are un-trainable.

My past as a professional competitive figure skater has taught me perseverance, efficiency, and how to deal with setbacks – some core competencies that are translatable to the professional world, especially a fast-paced environment like wealth management. Incidentally, some of my analytical experience includes drafting a financial manual for the CPA of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and working as a research assistant for a government funded start-up with the University of Pennsylvania– The Good Judgment Project. In addition, my role as the director of LocalLevo x Penn in which I had to coordinate, manage, and represent multiple parties and their ideas in order to execute an end-result has prepared for tough client-facing, fiduciary roles. During my last year at Penn, I founded a product design startup that currently holds a provisional patent. As a result of this experience, I learned how to create and manage a product to satisfy the customer’s needs. I believe XXXXX is a great fit for me because I want to challenge myself by working and learning from one of the top wealth management and investment firms in the world.

If given a chance at your company, I am confident that I will excel given my hunger to learn more about the industry. During figure skating competitions, the skater does difficult jumps and spins on millimeter-thin blades on a sheet of ice before a large audience – I believe if I can conquer this gravity defying sport under intense pressure, I can conquer anything if I am given the opportunity. Thank you for taking the time to consider my application. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

 
Best Response

"If given a chance at your company, I am confident that I will excel given my hunger to learn more about the industry. " - Sounds needy and cringe-worthy.

"During figure skating competitions, the skater does difficult jumps and spins on millimeter-thin blades on a sheet of ice before a large audience - I believe if I can conquer this gravity defying sport under intense pressure, I can conquer anything if I am given the opportunity." - There are ex-military guys on wall street.

Your last paragraph should only serve to summarize your skills/experience - no quotes or one-liners. I think you are mixing up a cover letter with a personal statement.

 

In terms of being personable, just walk in confidently and treat it as a formal CONVERSATION. If you're acting on your best behavior without coming across as a robot and 1. show a strong interest in the field and 2. a willingness to work hard, eventually you'll get an offer. It's just a numbers game.

 

You went to Penn. Use your alumni network to your advantage. When you approach it, try to sound hungry- not desperate. Nobody is going to take pity on you if you're pitiful- only if your deserving and hungry. I really don't want to sound harsh, but if recruiting is stressing you out, you may want to look into other industries besides finance. You can do this OP. You're in a good spot with a good school and a good GPA.

LinkedIn is your friend.

 

Thank you so much for your insight and putting things into perspective. I will edit my cover letter and keep applying.

I have reached out to some alumnus for informational interviews so we'll see how it goes. I personally think off-cycle recruiting is a bit more difficult since most positions are allocated already from recruiting season. I will keep applying and trying nonetheless!

 

Is there a reason your resume says "LF Corp" rather than LG, as you stated in your OP?

Not to be racist - but your language proficiency in Mandarin and Cantonese is almost "too Asian," especially if you are not using an Americanized name on your resume. People may have concerns about your fluency in English. Trust me - I'm Asian, I know how they think. I was told once to remove the International Baccalaureate line from my high school line on my resume (this was freshman year) because it made me seem international, which meant I may not be fluent in English. This was all attributed to the fact that my last name is Chinese.

Take off your social media skills. In finance, people don't care.

If you have any coursework in finance/accounting, perhaps include that in the education section under Penn? Could help indicate interest in the field.

Your cover letter is awkward - it sounds like you're trying too hard. This isn't the place to 'stand out from the crowd' - get a form cover letter, edit the wording a little bit to convey your personal strengths, and express your hunger and passion for finance. That's what is lacking from your resume. I'll talk about this more later.

Imagine it's 230am and an analyst in IBD has just finished the last page of his pitch deck. He then turns to the stack of resumes for recruiting that HR shoved onto his desk. It is literally the last thing he wants to do.

He flips through a couple of resumes - Wharton, Wharton, College econ major, College econ major, etc. Then you.

What about your resume states that you really want a job in IBD? What about your past led you to apply for an IBD analyst position? Can you handle 100 hours/week? Can you handle mind-numbing, boring tasks that demean your very expensive education? Can you suck it up and perform grueling grunt work with a smile on your face? Do you enjoy working in the trenches with a company's financial statements?

That's the point of your resume. Emphasize your experience at LG - focus on the business side, put results rather than description. Discuss your work and how it made you passionate about M&A and corporate strategy.

With the Bar Association - wtf is a financial manual? What did you put in it? Were there projections? Models? Accounting?

I look at your resume and I don't see an aspiring banker. I don't see ANY indication of interest in working in finance. So there's that. That analyst in IBD at 230am just wants to go home and will likely throw away your resume.

But in the crazy case that he is in a great mood he decides to turn to your cover letter. Give you benefit of the doubt.

I again see no particular interest in finance. In your first paragraph, indicate your hunger for the position. Tell them that you are eager to learn, that you know only your passion for finance and that this analyst opportunity is the best way to learn a trade you want to commit to for the rest of your life.

In your second paragraph, convince them that your experience has shown you the light - that law and consulting are NOT for you, but that you have a shrine of Lloyd Blankfein in your room and that you have studied and reveled in the glory of financial analysis so much that you are building DCFs for your order from Chipotle and are compiling comps when you're at a bar and determining how many drinks you can buy before you pass out drunk based on precedent (you need to word it so that even with your calculations and financial obsession, you still appear to be cool). Tell them about LG and how it changed your life. How your willingness to embrace rationality and shy away from emotion helped derail a disastrous product launch and launch LG back into relevance in the international Android market.

Then close it out with a awe-inspiring narrative of that time you broke both your knees and lost your arms and went blind but still clutched the gold medal in figure skating out of sheer audacity and willpower and brought the entire nation of Russia to its knees in emotional but humble acceptance of your greatness. Convince them that through sheer determination, you will not only do your work, but you will allow your analyst to get a girlfriend and your VP to get married and have kids and your MD to walk on water and land deals from the exalted halls of KKR.

I'm obviously exaggerating but I'm not thinking all that clearly so I'm okay with it. In all likelihood, nobody will read your cover letter, but THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO BE LAZY AND NOT MAKE IT PERFECT. It should be perfect.

Best of luck.

 

Dude get rid of "Although I do not have ample finance experience". You are giving this guy a chance to ding you. Your CL needs to highlight you, your strengths, passions, fit, motivation etc. Don't use up any space on your CV highlighting why you are a weak candidate or undecided.

 

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**How is my grammar? Drop me a note with any errors you see!**

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