Rejected after first Superday and asking for Feedback?
So I had my first super day, it consisted of 6 interviews (2-1 and 1-1). I thought I did pretty good with 5 (made a good connection with the interviewer, answered all their questions, got them to smile/laugh etc). I got my rejection the next morning via phone and was quite disappointed - at the very least I thought I would have been wait listed. I also have another Super Day with the same firm for another division, and as I'm interested in this firm I emailed my interviewers and out of the 5 people I emailed, 4 responded with feedback or saying they wanted to help/keep in touch. I was just wondering:
How Does a Superday Interview Work?
How does this decision process work on Superdays? I thought these people liked me, and given that they wanted to help / meet up/ keep in touch after I was rejected I assume if 1 person doesn't like you, you are rejected?
- Superdays are super competitive
- Nailing technicals and building a good rapport with interviewers does not guarantee an offer
- Yes, sometimes if one person doesn't like you, then you might not get an offer
How to Ask for Feedback After Rejection
If they refuse to give feedback how can you improve or know what you did wrong? I got a few replies saying they can't give feedback due to HR rules, but they'd love to discuss my future plans, keep an eye out for other openings, help me with my other interviews, keep in touch etc.
- It is okay to reach out to interviewers to ask for feedback, but understand that HR rules or busy schedules might prevent them from responding
- If you can’t get feedback from your interviewers, try role playing an interview with a friend or mentor who can give you tips on how to improve
Advice if You’ve Been Rejected
Rejection is tough, but you knew breaking in to investment banking was going to be difficult. WSO members share their advice post-rejection:
- Move on
- Make sure your resume and story are polished
- Continue networking, persistence is key
- Continue reviewing your technical
- Do mock interviews with friends, career services or a mentor
Recommended Reading
- Rejected After Superday from Company I Loved
- Tis the Season for Rejections
- Reasons for Rejection
- 15 First Rounds 3 Superdays 0 Offers What Now?
- How Long Does it Take to Hear Back from a Superday?
Preparing for Investment Banking Interviews?
The WSO investment banking interview course is designed by countless professionals with real world experience, tailored to people aspiring to break into the industry. This guide will help you learn how to answer these questions and many, many more.
if you had 4 people respond with feedback, surely that should be enough to give you some indication what you need to improve? were there any common themes among the feedback you were given?
I've never heard of being wait listed. I've heard of being strung along, however. Sounds like they did not string you along, and they certainly do not owe you any type of explanation. Maybe the other candidate had an industry background that was more favorable. Maybe he had a nine inch dong and was nailing the recruiter. or maybe you were great but some other guy just blew them away!
real life is more harsh than college life, don't sweat these rejections and keep pushing forward! these positions are incredibly competitive.
in terms of the decision process, it's usually different but yes if one person does not like you he can usually reject you.
Well the feedback I received was kind of vague - 4 people out of the 5 responded. 2 gave me feedback, the other 2 said they can't give feedback due to HR rules. But all 4 said they loved to keep in touch, discuss my future plans, meet up, help me out with my other interviews, etc. My first round interviewer (not from Super Day) called me right after to say sorry but wanted to help out as well... and he said for me to let him know everything that happened during the superday so he can analyze the situation and prepare me for my other superday at another division,
The feedback I did received was things like put my arms on the table and raise my voice. So, yes it was helpful, but I didn't think that was the main reason I got rejected.
I know how you are feeling; I had my first complete rejection a little while ago.
Best advice here is to forget it and move on. You can keep trying to guess what it was but it won't do you any good. I went through each interview in my head each thing I said, and concluded that it could have been a number of different things even though I had thought they went really well.
They told you to put your arms on the table?
I agree with the previous posters. No point in dwelling in the past. You could have been dinged for any reason, and there's nothing you can do about it. Take the help that these people are willing to offer (which is actually quite generous on their part) and move on.
I don't think it's due to your interview skills. As Monument pointed out, it is annoyingly competitive to begin with.... and did they tell you to put your arms on the table? Here is my advice, for what it's worth - be sexy. I was very skeptical at first but turns out male interviewers are more pathetic than I imagined.
I would second that.
IB is as much about attitude as it is about skills.
the trouble with being "sexy" is when you get to the female interviewers. Not with this super day but in general I find that females are harder on female candidates.
I know it's very competitive, I guess it's hard when you make really good connections with the interviewers only to get rejected. Anyways, guess I've got to move on.
Yea, they told me feedback wise to put my arms on the table, raise my voice (even though I have a pretty normal voice, I'm not soft spoken or anything).
That's true. As a matter of fact I've had two female interviewers myself and both of them rejected me after the first round. But at least they took their jobs seriously and asked me decent questions. (One of them was simply bitchy to male students as well.) As for your table manners, I'm really surprised to hear that because when I was a kid, I was taught to keep my arms off the table... but I'm half English so perhaps am a bit different.. I even know how to curtsy properly. I'm sure it would have made a very good first impression and given them something to laugh about lol
Anyway, in my opinion, feedback you've received is dumb.. so don't pay attention to it. I hope you will do well on another superday.
We thought you were ugly. Move on.
at the end of the day.
Its all about luck. Nailing the technicals and answering the behavorials do not guarantee an offer.
So best advice is to learn from your mistakes (if any) and keep at it.
People have been rejected from lower tier BBs but end up at 1st tier BBs. I honestly think at final round stages, luck is like 70%.
good luck with the others.
As others have said, you need to move on. This is one rejection of possibly a number in the future you may face. There is always someone better.
The thing with most technical questions is that most of them are straightforward and easy, covered by many guides. Sometimes I feel that interviewers need to up their creativity with questions and actually have the interviewer think rather than spit out how to run through a DCF.
need a bigger cup size. sorry
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