To even get to the first round of interviews, it is imperative to have a solid resume. As with any job, bankers look for certain qualities that a candidate embodies in their resume. They will probably only spend about 30 seconds (maximum, they've got many to look at and not much time) looking at them, so make sure what you think is important is easily seen. Here are a few helpful tips: Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
Resume & Cover Letter
Your cover letter is not nearly as important as your resume, and it may very well be overlooked in the recruitment process. This is far more common for large firms with many applicants, but may still happen at a smaller firm. Despite this, while a good cover letter may not help your chances, having an average, bad, or, worse, no cover letter could really hurt your prospects. You never know when an analyst is going to get bored and look for something to amuse himself. Learn More
In general, rounding your GPA will not make a huge difference. However, on a resume it almost always looks better to have a 3.3 as opposed to a 3.25 or a 3.5 as opposed to a 3.45. Learn More
GPA cutoffs vary widely by company, and even more so by interviewer. Strong academic performance is one the best ways to display a strong work ethic and an interest in your selected field. If you are from a target or semi-target and want to be safe for the GPA screening, you should work towards a 3.5 or higher. A GPA from 3.0 to 3.5 may give you some difficulties, and a GPA of under 3.0 will make it that much harder to break in. Learn More
Networking
Networking is the process of establishing relationships with professionals as a way build a foundation of contacts that can help you though your entire career. Stop being so focused on the short-term. This could be the most vital part of securing an interview for many undergraduate students. Coming from a target school you will have the opportunity to network at on-campus recruiting sessions and with a much larger group of alumni already on Wall Street. Learn More
Generally, cold-emailing works better than cold-calling for securing informational interviews. This is because a clear and concise email can be answered whenever the networking target has the time, whereas a cold-call at the wrong time may annoy a potential contact. Learn More
This is a difficult question. Networking is a very delicate balancing act because you need to put enough pressure on to get an informational interview, but not so much that the person you are trying to network with gets annoyed. While you'll have to be the one to ultimately decide how persistent to be, here are a few guidelines: Learn More
Internships
An internship is not absolutely necessary, but it is an extremely important part of the process when trying to secure a full-time position. If you are thinking about pursuing a career in finance, an internship is a good way to find out more about the day-to-day of the job. Learn More
Internships are a crucial part of the recruiting process not only because they allow you to gain experience in a specific industry, but also because they give your potential employers the opportunity to see how you work. There are a number of internship opportunities available to you and deciding which one is right depends on what industry you want to end up in. Keep in mind that one of the best aspects of getting an internship on Wall Street is the perceived selectivity. Learn More
There are a number of ways to get finance experience as a freshman or sophomore in college. While it is definitely more difficult to get an official summer internship at an investment bank, for example, it is still very possible to get some sort of internship. Many of the BBs offer IB boot camp programs for underclassmen and there are also a number of diversity-focused programs. Learn More
Recruiting & Interviews
The recruiting process can seem daunting when you're not sure what you're going up against. While it varies from firm to firm and industry to industry, there are some basic steps that everyone goes through when recruiting for careers in finance. We've listed these steps out for you below. Learn More
The interview process can vary greatly across firms and industries in finance. For example, a small Private Equity firm of 10 people may have half a dozen interviews consisting of technical interviews coupled with social functions to ensure that you fit with the company. There is, however, usually a general structure to the interview process for the majority of larger firms in finance. Learn More
First, you should know how interviews work. You’ll never win a game if you don’t know how it is played. Talk to your career services office, do informational interviews (although you should be well prepared for these), read through the interview guides from WSO and get yourself familiar with the process. Learn More
Please try to stay calm. The interview is over so there is nothing you can do besides sending the standard thank you e-mails. Learn More
We now have an extensive recruiter database as part of our Company Database. All you have to do is select "Recruiter" under the Industry drop down and you can filter by location as well if you like. It is an extremely extensive database that includes the best recruiters for the top buyside shops to lesser known recruiters that may specialize in different niches.
Company Database <---click to try it out Learn More
Background Checks
The background check can be a stressful process for new employees worried about something in their past that may show up....orr anyone that has rounded their GPA a bit too aggressively. In general the background check is meant to double check on a few key points: Learn More
Please use common sense and protect your reputation. We would like you to succeed and lying is NOT the way to make that happen. When you are found to have lied to the company that is hiring you, you will most likely be fired. Not only that, but this likely kills all of your exit opportunities and can derail your career very quickly. Learn More
This depends on your firm, but for most large financial services firms, a drug test is a standard part of the background check. This is usually before starting your full-time or internship position. Learn More
