I made it -- hope for "super" non-targets

Hey guys,

I've been a lurker on these boards for quite some time, taking advantage of the invaluable information available for college students such as myself. I've "taken" a lot from this community so I figure it's only fair to give back (or attempt to at least).

First and foremost, my intentions are not to gloat. I only hope to provide an informative story that may inspire/help others from a "super" non-targets; and by "super" I mean barely breaking top 100...

Roughly three years ago I decided I wanted to break into IB. I quickly realized how difficult it would be coming from a state school with very limited ties to competitive finance.I knew I would have to differentiate myself from the crowd -- do something that would jump out on my resume and overshadow my non-target education. I knew that simply falling back on my degree and in-class work/learning would not cut it.

So... I started an "investment" company (quick context -- I had been investing since I was 17 and an ardent student of Graham/Dodd "value" investing). I formed an LLC in my state ($100 bucks), passed the Series 65 (a joke), and started a website/blog that functioned as a conduit for my investment views and opinions. Of course, it was all free and I wasn't serving as anyone's custodian/advisor, but it got my name out there. I focused solely on micro-cap stocks, offering my fundamental views/analysis on companies sub $100mn.

The company was merely symbolic and employers knew it was a shell for a non-producing blog. But the initiative, coupled with evidence (anecdotal as it was) of my analytical proficiency (or attempt at proficiency), worked like a charm, and it served as my ticket into interviews. I ended up accepting an equity analyst internship at an investment firm in NYC the summer of my Junior year. Internship went great, and I had a FT offer in-hand as I left.

My summer internship in NYC opened doors, and I landed a fall internship at a very respectable firm near my school. My two internships validated my resume, and I landed multiple interviews. Long-story short, I recently accepted a FT offer at a boutique IB in NYC -- start at 80k.

Anecdotal advice for those in my situation (non-targets) :

• Stand out -- you have to work your ass off outside the classroom to differentiate yourself. Start a small company, sit for the CFA level 1, start a blog, etc. etc. Whatever it is, find your angle and pursue it viciously.

• Passion -- you have to be passionate about finance/business. If this is just about the money to you, you're going to have a hell of a time finding the motivation to weather the copious negativity -- denials, ignored emails, resumes seemingly lost in space, etc. Targets can afford to have different intentions, non-targets simply do not have this option. And leverage your passion every chance you get, it can be the crucial value-add that lands an interview.

• Networking -- Recruiters will not come to you, you have to go to them. Targets are afforded this luxury; and quite frankly, they deserve it. Non-targets, however, are not. Corporate websites are like black holes, you'll send your resume in and you'll never see or hear from it again. You have to go above and beyond; respectfully cold email individual recruiters, network through your alumni network, network through linkedin, etc. My alumni network proved thin so I networked extensively through Linkedin. I honestly just searched for "company x recruiter" and randomly added anyone and everyone. And it worked. It opened doors and created leads. But here's the kicker -- if you don't stand out and you're not passionate... networking will prove futile. Standing out and being passionate helps create the product (you); networking is the distribution -- and you need product for distribution.

Welp, I apologize for the novel. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful for those coming from non-targets and please feel free to ask any questions.

Best,

Ven