Non-Target Accounting Major

Your school is definitely solid, but, as many solid schools, it too, is not a Target school for IB recruiting. That said, coming from a good school can still be a leg up in the sense that it you are still seen as a smart and capable individual - you just have to work a little harder to bring that point to the banks (it's not quite a resume drop box on campus).

To start with, you absolutely have to begin (or continue) networking - coming from a good school (even though it is not a Target), there should be several alumni who are in front-office style finance positions (whether banking, S&T, etc who work in BBs and Boutiques) and you need to be getting in touch with them, not to ask for a job, but just to pick their brains - find out how they broke in, any tips they can offer, how they like it, etc - build the relationship, as a strong relationship with an alumni can do wonders to both help you meet other bankers and even get, at the very least, a toe (if not the whole foot) in the door.

You also have to get your resume up to speed - coming from a non-Target banks will judge any faults more severely than students from Target schools (and students from Target schools are judged really hard already). Now by faults, I don't mean quality of experience, as you are obviously trying to land the best positions that you can, but rather, I am referring to formatting, grammatical errors, poor phrasing, etc - you want to dig into your resume and make sure it is error free, and packs a punch (regardless of the experience that you have).

As you reach out to alumni, you will also want to develop both an inquiry letter and a cover letter as you should be planning to apply to several positions in order to get some hits, and you will need a very solid inquiry (for positions that aren't online, but you are putting out feelers for, either directly through email, or as a follow-up to a cold call) and cover letter (for positions that are looking). You want to make sure your letters display your most prominent experiences in a clear and accomplished manner. You want to know a little something about the company, and be ready to specifically relate your extensive accounting skills to your IB candidacy. Remember, accounting is an incredibly important part of being an analyst, and having a strong accounting background is something that you absolutely want to display, while displaying your ability to be a team player and/or leader (as accountants can sometimes carry the reputation of being nerdy, introverted, and busy with a pencil in a file room - not that it's true, but if you don't what people could be thinking, you can't combat it).

You also want to be cold calling in addition to reaching out to alumni. Search LinkedIn as a means in expanding your network, and search efinancialcareers, craigslist, etc, for any sort of internship opportunities. Google any types of boutique firms, and give them a call to discuss their firm, your interest in the field, and to see if they are in the market for an intern. With cold calls, you generally want to express an interest in the firm, and display your interest in the field, while at the same time, cutting to the chase and inquiring into their need for an extra pair of savvy hands - and be sure to be able to specifically point to relevant examples of your intellect and capabilities (with alumni calls, you don't want to or need to be as direct - since the purpose here is to build a relationship that pays off in the form of SA or FT position help, not a one-off internship for a fall semester or the like to pad the resume).

Finally (these are, by the way, in no particular order, just different things that you should be focusing on), you should join and actively contribute to a finance, or P/E, or IB, or Wall St. club to further network, and be able to point to a direct link to the field, and an avenue to express your interest for the position - you may even learn how a few of those students landed internships (if any have - if not, you can be the superstar).

Best of luck to you, and keep me posted.

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