Non EU International breaking into London IBD from target
I’ve received an offer to join a London target uni. I was wondering what are the odds of breaking into ibd in London through spring weeks/summer analyst positions. And also how may I maximise my chances of getting spring weeks or summer analyst positions in y2 at BBs/EBs as a non eu international given that I have quite a bit of time to look for work experiences? I’m not entirely sure on how to stand out with my CV (it really really lacks work experiences other than volunteering and leadership positions in school)
Are you a woman/diverse at all? If not, just be an interesting person with great grades. Also crush the Hirevues/assessments. Your volunteering in school should also help.
If you're at a target, you're in a pretty good position for a spring week, which you can hopefully convert to a summer.
I'm a South Asian male. Not sure if that's considered diverse as the stand on tht seems to be mixed. But thank you for your reply.
At least in our firm/offices in the UK, south Asian males are not considered diverse. Simply because within our offices they are among the largest ethnic minority groups present.
As an ethnic group, they are considered diverse within the UK.
Plenty of non EU from UK/EU target schools in banking
Impossible to give you probabilities without knowing your background, experience, level of motivation.
Target uni is a good start but guarantees nothing.
Putting in the hours constantly on things like improving CV, studying, networking, monitoring opportunities, interview prep will be crucial. Also get involved in any finance-related clubs.
One thing I've learned from breaking in is that the journey is a long process where you make many mistakes and adapt to correct them.
Forming habits is key.
Sent over 100 applications, 1 offer. This is standard in this market.
Ah I see. Thank you for the detailed response. Are there any resources you'd recommend to someone just starting out, that might aid in learning more about the industry and ace the application process (hirevue/interviews/cv) ?
Learning more about the industry: Joshua Pearl and Joshua Rosenbaum's book is very good for understanding more about investment banking and it demystifies a lot of the shit surrounding IB that even top tier London business schools weren't able to do in my experience.
WSO and r/financialcareers are also good. Just make sure you are looking for the correct topics. Things like: 'difference between buyside and sellside," etc
Hirevues: my advice would be don't spend forever on preparing for these. Some of the best advice I received was "don't chase that Goldman offer." Likely unattainble unless you have an impeccable background. And the one's who get into BB's through the portal system are always elite/diversity.
Having said that, the only way to actually prepare for these is to write out mini essays (usually 2 mins of speaking worth) for questions you think will come up (quite easy to find out as they are repeated and someone else will have done the same interview) and practice them by talking into your laptop camera. A bit counterintuitive I know because I just told you not to spend too much time on it, but that's finance!
Your chances are low, but they are low for everyone because of how many applicants there are per space. However, your chances are not as low as other people because:
Who tf gave MS? Is your mother your fucking auntie or something?
If South Asian in this case means Indian/Pakistani I would disagree on the diversity hire point.
Ah shucks I'm in that category (indian/pakistani). However, my nationality is Singaporean so I'm not sure if diversity still applies. Either ways, the goal is to break in so im just going to work towards it regardless ig.
Disagree all you want, but in the UK they are considered diversity.
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