Please Critique My Resume for ER!
I know my GPA is pretty low, but considering I'm a rising junior do I have a shot at an ER internship next summer? I don't really care about the prestige of the firm, I'm just really interested in doing equity research.
Thanks
p.s. I wanted to be a little less vague than most people on this site because, personally, I feel that (a) my school is on its way to becoming a semi-target and (b) I think what I'm doing right now at my summer internship involves a lot of skills that I could leverage towards getting a research internship.
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Anyone?
Let me ask you this... why did you post your resume under the alias TripleARated ask for advice, then repost the identical resume without first making changes?
Are you hourly?
I don't know what triple A rated is, nor did I repost the resume. I also don't know what "are you hourly?" is supposed to mean.
Thanks for all your help.
By the way, if you need some help with YOUR resume, I could probably help you make it not look like shit.
1) Read post: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/resume-help-why-didnt-i-get-any-i…
2) Explain
3) Pick up on the archer reference next time
It appears that there is a problem with the website. I did not upload your resume, they must share the same file name or something.
Don't flatter yourself. I will try to re-upload my resume.
I apologize for the error (which was not my fault). Trust me, if I was going to steal someone's resume it wouldn't be yours. The updated file is attached to the thread now.
Rutgers is not a semi-target (Which I'm assuming where you attend). There is only 2 BB firms who do OCR for FO roles. The people that get those position are the students who should be at a better school, but for some reason or another, ended up at Rutgers.
I know many people at Rutgers who have gotten into the BB. I'm not saying we're a semi-target, but I think we're on our way. A lot of very intelligent people go to Rutgers because it's the only place they can afford.
Fuck this thread sure got funny hahah. So many backhanded sarcastic comments, I love it.
There are a number of problems with your resume.
Location should be across on the right side of the page. GPA should be a bullet point. You state that lots of kids at your school are there because they can't afford better places. That's plausible - but prove it. Put your standardized test scores to prove that you could've gotten into a brand-name, target school (if they're 33 ACT or 2100 Sat or above).
I don't think business analytics is a real major. Write statistics, or quantitative finance, or something like that. Business analytics sounds like a BS way to try to make yourself sound more technically competent. You have a major, a concentration, a minor and a certificate? And your school offers business writing as a minor?
Honestly you're probably better off putting this stuff under "relevant coursework." Even if you're not making this stuff up, I'd probably be doubtful and assume you were if I came across your resume. No point in standing out with your language - just conform with everyone else.
Honors should not be in a separate category, as neither of your list accomplishments are particularly interesting/directly applicable to equity research. List them underneath with your leadership category. Call it Leadership & Honors, leave it underneath your Work Experience section.
Rename Work Experience to "Experience".
I'm guess you're working for Samsung? They're the world's second largest tech company. You forgot to list your location. Again - location across from organization name. Title directly underneath company name. Dates across from title.
You state that your current internship has a lot of similarities with ER. I'm not seeing it - did you do any financial analysis? Strategic analysis? It sounds like you're doing more along the lines of marketing/copywriting than ER or finance.
I don't know what minimalist pedagogy is. Nor does anybody else on Wall Street. Use normal language, jargon won't get you anywhere. You taught tutoring methodologies?
You're VP of Finance for your alumni association? I seriously doubt that. A school like Rutgers has thousands of alumni to lead the organization.
What is a VP of Statistics? Just leave it at Vice President of Finance (if that's real). How big of a budget? Also don't talk about yourself in the third person (markets the group??) You should know this stuff being a writer and all.
You don't need to repeat your school name at the end of your last bullet.
Add a section with your hobbies and interests.
--
I have recruited interns for several firms before (including 2 in buyside ER) and I would not have chosen to interview you.
Your experience is shallow. You state you want ER - why? I don't see any interest in finance. Nor do I see any evidence that you can problem solve and arrive at contrarian conclusions on your own. Your GPA is low, you don't list your SAT scores, you mention a lot about statistical competency but you don't seem to have any work experience in statistics or analytics. That means you either don't enjoy it, are not good at it, or prefer to do other things.
In ER we are looking for people who can interpret available information, draw a conclusion and present that conclusion in writing and through basic quantitative analysis. Financial modeling is not mathematically difficult, and trying to pass yourself off as a statistics genius does not help you at all.
I also don't trust you. Reading your resume is like reading a brochure for a new car or a housing project. I don't believe a single word you wrote. Rephrase it to conform to traditional lines of business (statistics, student liaison to the alumni association? There's no way you're VP of Finance. Also wtf is a VP of Finance and Statistics?)
ER is also all about telling the truth. And the truth is that institutional investors and clients have a bullshit detector that can sniff out dirt in a snowstorm. Top hedge fund managers literally hire CIA analysts to teach their analysts how to determine whether or not others are lying. Your resume sounds embellished. Fix it so that it doesn't sound that way - the most hated people in ER are those who aren't trusted.
I'm sure Rutgers has some great candidates, and I'm sure the school is doing well in recruiting. I have come across many highly intelligent Rutgers grads and students at major recruiting events and during my time interning at various firms. That said, this resume won't get you into that circle.
You need to seriously improve your GPA, demonstrate real interest in corporate finance and investing, and rephrase your existing experience to sound like you care about equities. Talk about investing your PA and write some articles on Seeking Alpha. If you actually loved investing, that would not be difficult for you.
Best of luck.
[quote="7xEBITDA"]
You state that your current internship has a lot of similarities with ER. I'm not seeing it - did you do any financial analysis? Strategic analysis? It sounds like you're doing more along the lines of marketing/copywriting than ER or finance.
Zinger#1
Your experience is shallow. You state you want ER - why? I don't see any interest in finance. Nor do I see any evidence that you can problem solve and arrive at contrarian conclusions on your own. Your GPA is low, you don't list your SAT scores, you mention a lot about statistical competency but you don't seem to have any work experience in statistics or analytics. That means you either don't enjoy it, are not good at it, or prefer to do other things.
Zinger#2
I also don't trust you. Reading your resume is like reading a brochure for a new car or a housing project. I don't believe a single word you wrote. Rephrase it to conform to traditional lines of business (statistics, student liaison to the alumni association? There's no way you're VP of Finance. Also wtf is a VP of Finance and Statistics?)
Laughed out loud
@7xEBITDA, thanks for your detailed response. I just want to address a few points:
1) I think that my writing experience is applicable to ER. I know analysts don't spend much of their time writing, but I think I've shown that I know how to do quality research. I know the questions you need to ask, and I know how to evoke them out of people. Working as a technology writer, I talk to account managers on the phone for HP (someone already mentioned it on here so whatever) and talk to them about consulting deals that HP has made and I write about them to inform those companies who may need a similar service. Of course a finance internship would be better, but I'm currently working at the WorldWide HP Financial Services headquarters, and I have a pretty good lead in there.
2) I agree the "minimalist pedagogy" thing is irrelevant and yes, I taught tutoring methodologies. There's more that goes into it than meet's the eye; I didn't think so either before I started doing it.
3) I don't appreciate you calling me a liar. Everything on my resume is quoted exactly as is. The organization I am involved with is called the Rutgers University Alumni Association. We are the student branch that hosts networking events for students, among many other things. My position is titled Vice President of Finance and Statistics. I'm basically just the treasurer, but that's what the position is called and I quote it for exactly what it is.
4) My SAT scores are nothing to be extremely proud of, and I've never heard of anyone putting them on their resume (but I suppose you have seen quite a few more resumes than myself). I don't mention "statistical competency" anywhere on my resume. Like you said: "interpret available information, draw a conclusion and present that conclusion in writing and through basic quantitative analysis." I am fully capable of "basic quantitative analysis." I happen to excel in writing, which I consider my strong point.
5) I do have a sincere interest in finance. I'm not going to go into detail about it because it's irrelevant to this post and I don't feel that I need to explain it to you. If someone were to interview me, there would be no bullshit to "sniff out."
Other than that, I'll take it as a compliment that you think my resume is "embellished." I am serious about getting my GPA up, but that being said, I don't care about getting into the BB or a highly prestigious firm. If anything, that should demonstrate that I am more interested in finance than 99% of people on this website.
Thanks again and I look forward to your response.
Hahah looks like you just got ripped a new asshole. If I were you, I would have left the TripleARated resume on here.
I agree that Rutgers definitely has some super smart students, but the point that I'm trying to make is that those students had to network extensively to get in BB banks. BB firms aren't going to them. The top 1% of students at Rutgers had to grind their way in those firms
Your arguments change none of my prior opinions or statements.
Here's how sell-side ER works. The entire ER world is small. BBs use research to boost their S&T capabilities, and a lot of their opinions are rubbish. BB analysts typically stay around consensus, with no real value-add by themselves. Their teams are the largest, and therefore they hire most aggressively out of school. They do not, however, come close to the size of IBD teams.
Then come ER boutiques. These guys rely on the power of their research to differentiate their own offerings to hedge funds/AM firms and add value in the investment process. Examples of these firms include ISI, Sanford Bernstein, and Off Wall Street. Because of their need to publish actionable investment theses and generate real ideas, these firms are much more selective and often hire out of BB ER and IBD. They operate on a much more buyside-like attitude and therefore maintain small research teams that produce impactful reports.
You mentioned that you don't care about getting into a BB or a highly prestigious firm. Here's a kicker - there are no small, unprestigious firms in ER that are worth joining. The ones that suck will go under. To get into ER, it's either go buyside, go BB/prestigious boutique or go bust.
That being said, to address your points:
1) Yes, writing is important. But remember you're up against kids at Harvard, Yale and Princeton. You really think they can't write?
ER isn't a publishing house. They don't print novels and write poetry. They're about analysis. Which means that a writing major is a cool tidbit, but more than a little writing experience is completely useless. I'll be completely honest - most ER reports read like a 10-k footnotes section. Just SO boring. But who cares? I read for content, not for pleasure.
Asking a few questions and writing things down does not differentiate you. Sounds like good experience for a journalist. ER at the junior levels is much more about analysis of public information rather than talking to industry experts or corporate executives.
And nobody cares whether or not you're at their headquarters. There are ops guys at Goldman working out of 200 West. Do you think they get KKR interviews?
2) Only thing that matters is how it sounds on paper. Ask yourself, if you were a hedge fund manager, would you hire somebody who taught people how to teach? What value does that experience bring to the table?
You're putting your resume in front of investors. These guys are programmed at their very core to search for value. Does your tutoring experience add value in the investment process?
3) I don't care what you do or do not appreciate. The truth is that you SOUND like a liar, and for all intents and purposes that makes you one. I looked things up and I do apologize - I see that those were actual majors/concentrations so saying they're not was a mistake on my part - but you better hope to God that a Rutgers alum is reviewing your resume. If you are unlucky and get a guy like me to review your resume, I will throw you immediately into the reject pile.
Why take that chance?
Please also state something like "Rutgers Alumni Association - Student Branch." Saying you're the VP of Finance for the entire Rutgers Alumni Association is ridiculous. Also, leave your title at VP of Finance or Treasurer. Adding the statistics part makes you sound like a prick.
4) You may very well be capable of analysis, but please let me be very clear:
Being a 3.1 GPA business/writing major at Rutgers with shitty SAT scores does NOT make you a competitive candidate.
You're up against people with 3.9s at Wharton or 4.0s at Harvard studying physics and math. A 2300+ SAT score at Yale is nothing special. You really think you can impress an ER recruiter with your credentials?
And yes, tons of people put SAT scores on their resume. Especially at state schools (to prove they could be competitive at top 10 schools).
5) I'm sure you are interested in finance. Being on this site proves that point. And no, you don't need to explain it to me. But your resume does not do a convincing job of conveying your interest in finance. Therefore whatever interest you have is completely invisible to me.
An overarching point:
If it's not obvious on your resume, nobody will know. If your resume doesn't tell the part of your story that you want to tell, nobody will care.
That's the cold, hard truth.
I don't care if you wake up reading 10-Ks and then write 400-page initiation reports on the agriculture industry that top hedge funds pay you for. If it's not on your resume, then it doesn't exist.
You're at Rutgers. You don't have the luxury of doubt. You need to convince the person reading your resume in the first 30 seconds that you were born for research, that you have been following stocks since before you could walk, and that you can tell them about how to account for deferred revenue streams in the software industry. Otherwise you will NOT get an interview.
To reiterate - you are fighting an uphill battle. Like REALLY uphill. Fighting F-35s with a machete kind of uphill. Anything less than 100% and you will never, ever make it.
I am happy to help. Fix up your resume and I will continue to give you feedback. Send me ER reports and I will read them and critique them, ask you questions about your conclusions or your models and help you adjust to real ER work. Send me networking emails and I will help you make them sound better. I will put forth (a reasonable amount of) effort to help you become a competitive candidate.
But you need to stop thinking you're qualified, because on paper you're not. And that's all that matters.
You're damn right.
OP, give kudos and appreciation to 7xEBITDA because his advice is so spot-on.
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