During an interview when they first ask about you and you have a chance to give your "elevator pitch" or your "story" as I commonly see it, what do you guys say?
Are there buzzwords that interviewers are looking for?
Sometimes it seems weird to just be talking for a while, how long should this really be?
Context: Non-target undergrad pursuing SA
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Think of yourself like a product. Sell it. It isn't "weird." And if you think it is, than that is not the right attitude to have. Be confident. Explain yourself, how you got to where you are, relevant experience, WHY Banking, Why the firm etc. Make sure to go in sequential order.
I've seen tons of posts/advice say to keep your pitch between 40 seconds - 2 minutes. I used to follow thaat advice and was not successful in those interviews. Once I changed my story around to include more details (around 5 minutes) I found that I started to get every 2nd round interview. I think I was something like 7/8 in offers as well once I changed it.
What I've found is that when you have more detail, the person really gets to know you better and they can then ask follow up questions about specific things you've mentioned. This is good for 2 reasons, one: you build a better and more real conversation with the person. It becomes more enjoyable to be in the interview when the person cares about what you're saying. And two, it takes up more time and leaves less time for technical questions, therefore, you are likely to not get past the basic questions because time runs out.
The interviewer is also more likely to remember you because there was probably something you said in those 4-5 minutes or whole conversation that he liked and will remember.
I grew up in [] just outside of [] and I played hockey my whole life. Moved away from home senior year of high school got a scolarship to my University, where I majored in math and played on the hockey team for 4 years, was lucky enough to win a NCAA championship my freshman year. I then decided to try my hand at pro hockey, lasted just over a year, played in [] for x months and played on a few different teams. Decided it wasn't the career for me and went back and looked for full time employment which brought me to y firm where I have been for z months doing a. I have now been looking to transfer to b in c city using the knowledge I have gained over the last x months, which brings here today.
so, umm, want to join my beer league hockey team?
Yeah I'm starting to get the itch again.
Show passion and drive.
There's difference between your "elevator pitch" and your "story". The elevator pitch is your chance to profess your abilities, desire, intellect, etc... in a very short period of time. Your "pitch" is what you want your interviewers to remember you for. It sounds cliche, but interviewers want to hear the "I will work harder than anyone else..." soap box speeches. If you're wrapping up a final interview with an MD, do you want to just shake his hand and say thanks or leave a much more powerful impression on him. You need to close.
Your "story" is your silver bullet used to answer the question: "tell me about yourself". Cruncharoo's post is a perfectly structured repsonse to this question. You are trying to bring your resume to life in a very succinct manner that ties all of it together. If I am interviewing you, I want to know how what you've done and what you've learned is going to help me.
well, long story short, I was born and raised in Philadelphia, specifically the rougher areas of West Philly. Used to spend all my time at the playground, shooting hoops, but got into a really violent altercation with a local gang. My mom decided it wasn't safe for me to live there, and sent me off to live with my wealthy aunt on the West Coast. In my new, more luxurious environment, I became accustomed to the finer things in life, and am determined now to make it to the path of greatness through an investment banking SA position.
that sounds eerily similar to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
My story lasts the entire interview
my real story isn't compelling at all, and i don't know how to spin it as unique. Any advice? (Originally Posted: 07/24/2017)
here are my stats: 730 GMAT, 3.82 GPA, Duke undergrad, Political Science major. Worked in marketing at a top tech firm (IBM) for 4 years. got 2 promotions. Want to go to MBA business schools">M7 or t15 for consulting.
to be honest, i got into marketing BC i tried to get political jobs but i failed most my interviews for that, and the offers i got were low pay. then i got disillusioned with politics and wanted to focus purely on business. my major had nothing to do with my eventual career path in tech marketing. bc i went to a good school, i was able to get an interview and got the marketing position.
four years later, i find out i dislike marketing and want to go into consulting. having talked to many of my friends and peers in MBB and tier 2 consulting, the skillset and interests i have seem to make that a good fit. basically, my real life, brutally honest, story is that politics wasn't a good fit, marketing wasn't a good fit, and i want to do management consulting bc that's a better fit and what i'm really interested in. it's nothing glamorous or special.
it's just for applications, i have absolutely zero idea how to make this a coherent and compelling and unified story. i have no idea how to spin it positively. the real truth is that i realized what i was doing was not what i really wanted to, and i didn't due enough due dilligence when i majored in pol sci, or did marketing. if i could redo college, i'd major in economics and math and aim hard for MBB consulting or be a quant, for example. but too late for that.
what do u all recommend?
solid profile for MBA business schools">M7, just say you want to go into consulting with a focus on tech and spin it
What's My Story? (Originally Posted: 11/09/2010)
People keep telling me that I need to have a story when I go into interview that resonates with the interviewer and helps them remember me and my experiences. While it makes sense that an interviewer would be more inclined to remember someone that has some awesome story to tell as opposed to the countless kids that regurgitate the vault guides, what if if my story just isn't that interesting. I have solid internships, solid grades, but what the heck am I supposed to do to make me stand out? Do I even have to?
Tell them the truth... that as a child you accompanied your parents to a performance of the Gotham Opera. After the show, your family was mugged by an impoverished man seeking your mother's jewelry. In the ensuing fiasco your parents were both shot down and this scarred you for life. After inheriting your father's vast fortune, you used the technologies at your disposal to create an alter ego that patrolled the streets and fought crime. YOU. ARE. BATMAN.
ROFL
Isn't there anything that has happened to you that you could possibly spin as something interesting/awesome/memorable for the interviewer?
I don't think its a must, but it definitely helps.
think about the honest reasons about why you got interested in this industry in the first place, and how you have developed that interest into who you are today. sounds cliche, but it's much better than getting some half-assed reasons about why you want to see companies merge or some dumb shit about buying low and selling high. the more offbeat the more memorable, just don't sound like a tool.
being batman definitely helps.
Your father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. Your mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. Your father would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament ... Your childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon ... luge lessons ... When you were insolent you were placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds — pretty standard, really. At the age of 12, you received you first scribe. At the age of 14, a Zoroastrian named Vilmer ritualistically shaved your testicles......and that's WHY you want to become a banker.
+1...beat me to it
just be honest and spin whatever you can think of into investment banking. Remember what they are looking for...
1) Is he/she smart? 2) Can I work with them for hours on end without wanting to shoot myself 3) is he/she passionate and enthusiastic about wanting IB
You do not need a story about curing some disease, or saving Gotham city to get the job. Mergers & Inquisitions actually has a great article about this topic and would be a good point of reference for you.
Remember it needs to be chronological otherwise the interviewer will be confused,
1) Beginning 2) Spark 3) Growing Interest 4) Why this Bank today (FT/SA) 5) Future
The best advice is to practice your story on friends to see if they think its lame. My first few attempts were pathetic and it was not until a day or two before Superday that I perfected my story.
good luck.
How to subtly mention special things in my story? (Originally Posted: 02/03/2012)
Hey everybody,
I could really use some ideas on how to best present certain parts to my "story."
I'm currently at a target and I have a few bank interviews coming up that I really hope to nail, but the one thing I know will hurt me is my 3.52 GPA (past interviewers have brought that up). However, a lot of it is due to the fact that I work a part-time job (20ish hours a week) on top of classwork, extra-curriculars, community service etc., and as a result it's been difficult to hold a 3.6 - 3.8+ that banks seem to be looking at in this current down market...
Is there a good way to drop that fact without it appearing to be an excuse for my grades? It's genuinely been tough trying to put my way through school, but at the same time I also know it's not a blanket excuse to have crap grades. I guess I'd just like them to know that tidbit.
Anyways, thank you for whatever advice you guys/gals are willing to share.
Humbly,
A Hopeful and Aspiring Monkey
One way to mention your 20+ hours/week work schedule is to simply bring it up when the interviewer directly asks why your GPA is "low".
Another way is to embed it in your story. Near the end after you run through your chronological discovery of why you want to do banking, you can end the response with something like "I've paid for my tuition throughout college by working 20+ hours/week, and I think I have the work ethic of a good banker, but that's for you to decide. I'm really excited to get underway with this process." This approach should remove all doubts about your intelligence and instead focus on your "hardworking attitude".
If I were you, if I was asked the tell me about yourself question, I would slip the job in after your extracurricular activities and then say something about how busy you are. Example:
Interviewer: So tell me about yourself
You: Well I am studying X, in clubs Y, and work part time as Z. I keep myself pretty busy but its rewarding etc etc etc.
People respond very, very positively to students who work. Whether it's retail, food service, or otherwise, I will guarantee you earn some serious street cred, at least, with older folks who were kids when it was common to work at the A&P in high school or whatnot.
My story (Originally Posted: 03/22/2012)
I'm going to do a length post on my story and background my bschool application process and where I'm off to from here and what I've done along the way... Are there any certain topics questions etc that people want to see included?
If you make one post about b-school i swear.
bf: lol
stw: What made you want to go into trading? What made you want to get out? Why did you decide to go through b-school? Were there options besides b-school?
It has to be on the WSO success stories forum, right?
How did you go about making your GPA a non issue for admissions?
I'll include in the story about how black financier approached me via Facebook as I went to the same high school and I've been helping him since then and introduced him to wallstreetoasis so he can plague you all
Sup now cracka lol
hahahaha I'll be in NY in a couple weeks you better have a bed for me not a couch.
More about your sex life. Preferably a pop-up book.
Effing guy beat me to it. Btw also include the stripper and escort stories as well.
I hope the pun wasn't intended.
Where do you work? What products in S&T?
Are you UCONN undergrad, grad, or both?
I got one question:
what she order?
FISH FILET.
uconn undergrad. GPA did come up but i was able to deflect it with my story which ill get into.. maybe ill write it all up when im at work today if i dont food coma from lunch haha
What was your GPA?
just do it... im in a hope of reading it before weekend kicks off
Any advice for learning how to trade? Any book recommendations, or is it more something you learn on the job?
Thanks for sharing your story STW. I can see you're really jazzed up about going to a Business School, I'm sure it will be a life changing experience. I would be interested in hearing about:
-How did you get into trading and what made you good at it? -Having overcome all the challenges life has thrown your way, what has been the one thing that's kept you going? -During the MBA intervew process, what do you think you did well and what mistakes did you make?
Congrats on all your offers.
What's Your Story? (Originally Posted: 12/11/2012)
I had a moment of reflection while riding the train to work a few mornings ago. As I was staring out the window, I started thinking about the absolutely ridiculous trail I’ve blazed to get to bring myself to where I am today.
I was once one of those kids who had my whole life planned out when I was 16. I can definitely say though that events have turned out nowhere even remotely close to what was on that plan, or any other plan I’ve come up with in the meantime. That’s not surprising though. I got to thinking though about a cohesive way I might go about recalling my life up to this point.
I’ve never kept a diary. The only reason I would want to do so would be to remember all the details of a given day. But that’s something that would be a considerable time sink, to go back and recall the whole day, every day. And even then, outside of days of unique significance I tend to recall my life over various ‘eras’ rather than calendar weeks or months.
So then I started thinking, why not write my own memoir of sorts? My intent would not to be publish it or sell in stores (because I am sure that would go over like a lead balloon), but maybe something for me to give people to read while they’re on the toilet.
It’s funny and interesting, to me at least. Nobody else may want to read my book, but I’m curious to see what, if any, personal satisfaction or reflection comes from rehashing old tales with the benefit of hindsight.
I’m going to try it. Maybe I’ll decide to stop after a week, maybe I’ll get my whole life typed out. But I’m curious to see how I actually recall things when I actually have to put them down on paper.
That’s my advice to you this week, monkeys. Yeah it’s kind of philosophical and BSey, but why not try it? It might even be fun. Start writing your own memoir. Don’t write about recent events though; you don’t have enough distance from them to give an accurate assessment yet. But do write your reflections about years past. It doesn’t have to be high quality, the important part is to get your thoughts out on paper.
why not go to the beach instead?
Get in touch with your friends from childhood and ask them to take a stroll down memory lane. Thats the best part of getting together with old friends - talking about and bringing back memories of all the crazy times.
I find that the most effective way to keep a journal is to make entries to it periodically as opposed to daily or even weekly. Let's face it, what the hell are we to write about on a daily basis?
"Today was Tuesday. I got to the office at 7:50am, and worked on the powerpoint for that bitch I don't like. I gave it to the intern since I don't care. I had pulled pork for lunch, which is horrible for my diet. I've gained 30 pounds in the last 60 days. I still hooked up with that chick at the club last night, though."
^ Those aren't the things you want to remember, or write about in the future. My personal method is to write every so often, after a significant event. A new girlfriend, moving someplace new, major shifts in my career, learning life lessons, etc. When you write with passion, you wind up writing a lot - my usual entry is around 5 pages (not typed). You'll capture the important details as well - i.e., the small details that made you learn something about yourself, as opposed to capturing useless things like the awkward encounter or coffee spill that pissed you off.
To put this in perspective, it might take you a while to fill up a notebook. After three years, I'm almost done with my second one. But that's the idea: write it at your own pace, and include only important events, good or bad. The key is to never feel "obligated" to write in your journal. It should be something that, periodically, will make you think, "Man, I sure wish I could write all this somewhere. Oh wait, I can."
After a while, you'll develop a sense of honesty toward what you write - no more padding or exaggerating, since you're the only audience. You'll begin to use it as a tool to jot down important things so that you may reflect on them at a later time. Then, after a while, you might begin to think that it would make a good book (like I have).
Those are my $0.02. Hope it helps, uh, the guy who wrote about journals lol (just saw that this is totally unrelated to the OP).
I used to (and still sometimes) document a big event in my life --can be positive or negative-- and I describe how I felt right after it happened.
Then I look back on it in the future and I just marvel at how much my thoughts about it have changed and it just makes you realize that everything DOES work out in the end and that even if you go through some incredibly hard times, it's not the end of the world.
It's interesting to see how your viewpoints progress and evolve as time goes on and it's something you can learn from.
I have a wordpress where I jot down my thoughts every once in a while. It definitely is interesting to look back on old posts and reflect how much has changed. I don't know if you guys did this too, but back when MSN was really popular I updated my "live space" or whatever it was called. I was in grade school at the time, so even seeing how I typed back then (xDs everywhere) makes me laugh and embarrassed.
Haha. Truth of the matter is that the only real freedom you have is freedom of thought. And when you take those personal thoughts of yours and write them all down, you're almost relinquishing that freedom in a way, because you're giving up your thoughts. They're not just yours anymore, confined to the privacy of your awesome head. They're out there in the world, made material and permanent, for anyone to find. And it's only a matter of time until someone comes across that journal of yours (it will absolutely happen sooner or later - can be a friend, family member, significant other, coworker, etc. etc.)...and then you're fuxored.
I keep a moleskin around and like mentioned above I write periodically. While my life as a whole is quite interesting, in reality our day-to-day is very mundane. I'm probably averaging once a week entry.
Its been great to reflect on your goals. It also makes me happy to look back and see that I'm getting better day by day.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
How do I tell my story effectively? What are my options? (Originally Posted: 06/02/2013)
Summer is already here and I haven't gotten an internship so I'm looking for help. I did network to get some interviews during the spring but none of them panned out. I have a GPA that is not reflective of my grades due to an extenuating medical condition and college policy which does not allow you to retake courses. I don't want to look desperate as if I need people to feel sorry for me because I'm a cancer patient. Rather, I want to demonstrate that I am persistent and determined. Originally I wanted to do an SA now and find my way into IBD next year but that seems well out of reach.
Need some ideas on how to articulate myself well. I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable when I contact them.
Even if I accomplish that then what are my options? So far this is what I have come up with;
FinanceBrah :
I am in the same situation as you are i.e. without a summer internship even though summer is already here. My advice - don't panick. Make good use of the next few months to brush on your own skills and knowledge so that when the interview season is here, you are all ready to jump right into it. You should also try your darn best to network as much as possible and cultivate some great summer relationships that you could potentially leverage on when you need to look for a full-time IB job. Applying to an MFin or MBA program may not be the most optimal option especially since you have little work experience -- hence, I'd suggest that you focus on improving your knowledge and build up your network. You never know when you'll get lucky! Persistence and hardwork will pay off one day. Good luck to you! : )
Yeah but I will be a senior next year. Reputable firms are unlikely to take a senior as an SA, I delayed graduation once already by a semester. I'd probably need to delay again to apply as an SA, at that point why not just change schools? Theoretically I have one year left after this summer.
Big hole in 'my story' (Originally Posted: 03/09/2014)
so i recently had an interview at a pretty reputable boutique management consulting firm, on the whole it went well but i really stumbled when they brought up my undergrad GPA (which is low) -> i said something unconvincing about being demotivated and directionless and then realising my error and turning it around... but they then straight out said it was too low for them when their other candidate had alot stronger marks... we got along ok in the rest of the interview and as we were leaving they said that it was likely that i'd face this problem at the "other MC firms i'd be interviewing with"
i've done a master in finance with a good GPA and i have some interesting experience but i just don't have an excuse for the poor undergrad. it was a case of my not caring for 2 years and then suddenly realising i was going no where and turned it around
I would acknowledge that it's low, but demonstrate other strengths. For example your graduate degree, which is more align with the job. I would never say you were not motivated because this can lead employers to think it'll happen again. Goodluck
How low are we talking here? sub 3.0?
I would emphasize your graduate grades, and say that you had some distractions in undergrad(could be family, etc) that have since been settled and your record since UG proves that.
What I don't understand is the fact that they gave you an interview and then decided your GPA was too low, unless it wasn't listed, they knew what it was before they called you in.
Agree with this point, OP why did they give you an interview and then decided your UG GPA was to low? I mean how low was it, lower than 2.0?
Generally, your graduate GPA replaces-diminishes your UG GPA, it sound very fishy to me if a firm dings you for your undergrad GPA.
What ever, move to the next firm and "have a better story", unmotivated is a red flag!!!
It was probably how you said it.
your "story" (Originally Posted: 03/22/2007)
In general I have read a lot about how improtant your "story" is when trying to make a move from law into i-banking and I was hoping some of you might be able to elaborate on this a little for me...
What exactly are people looking for here beyond "I'm more interested in finance than the law"?
Thanks,
I'm a undergrad junior but have done many interviews, so I can comfortably give some input. You "story" is your story of how you got there, WHY you want to be in i-banking, and can't be some bullshit....you have to demonstrate a serious passion and/or interest in order to convince them that you can make the move into i-banking and handle the lifestyle. My advice (from experience) is to really think back on your experiences and think about honestly why you want to make the switch...you will be surprised what "story" can can put together when you give it some serious thought.
I know it's a bit different from undergrad, but it's all relative..
Not sure I'd go as far to say banking is an outright "passion" in an interview. This is banking, not Days of Our Lives.
Bascially we want to hear the thought process and timeline as to how you got to be where you are today. Have to make it personal though, generic answers will not make you memorable.
Help required to spin a story... (Originally Posted: 08/16/2010)
Guys,
I need some help spinning my summer story, in preparation for FT recruiting.
My background: - MBA (about to start my 2nd year, class of 2011, school just outside the global top-10) - 2010 summer internship 1: M&A at a decent investment bank (just outside the BB) - 2010 summer internship 2: M&A / Corp strategy group at a Fortune 50 chemicals company
I really want to work in PE / VC and need to spin my cover letter so the above 2 internships complement each other, so am looking for ideas.
I'm not looking for a mega-fund, rather one of the mid-tier shops. I was an M&A banker before I joined the MBA, so am not at all interested in going back (I removed myself from the full-time hiring process at the bank I interned with, so wasn't given an offer. I have an offer from my 2nd internship)
Any ideas / killer lines on how the 2 internships complement each other, that I can put in a cover letter when I apply for buyside positions?
Very many thanks.
They're both M&A, by working at a bank and at a firm, you've seen it from both sides and can set up deals to be beneficial/add value to both parties.
Need Advice on My Story (Originally Posted: 04/14/2012)
Just to give you a brief background on myself, I graduated last May from a New England liberal arts college; majored in economics. I interned at a mutual fund in their Equity Research division my junior summer, but unfortunately they didn't hire Research Associates right out of undergrad. Full-Time recruiting at my school was limited, given that it is a non-target, and I started to network with local boutiques in the area.
I got a summer internship (with the possibility of a full-time offer) at a boutique investment bank in their Technology Investment Banking group - again, poor timing, as deal activity had slowed down and they could not extend me an offer. I was looking again for a couple months, and I took a Middle Office Credit Risk position at a bank, because I needed a job in the meantime.
I'm interested in getting back into Equity Research, but on the sell-side. My problem is that my resume looks like it's all over the place (ER --> IB --> Credit Risk --> ER?), and I am unsure of how to refine my focus and communicate that ER is really what I want to do.
My initial idea was to focus on the fact that in ER, you really get to know the companies that you follow, and understand their story and track their evolution. Plus (at least as face value), creativity, individual input, and coming up with new ideas are more valued, since your analyst is trying to differentiate his position on a stock from other analysts on the Street. As for why ER versus IB or Risk, I thought I would focus on the fact that IB and Risk are more execution-focused, whereas in ER, your interpretation of data/your individual input are more valued - buyside clients are coming to you for your opinion, so you have more value-add.
Any thoughts? Sorry for the long post.
The whole "you opinion is valued" argument was the same thing I said during my initial interview for sell-side ER.
Sorry, I'm really bad at giving advice on stuff like this but just wanted to say best of luck.
I think your story is fine. You have experience in three areas which, if you spin it right, actually lends credibility -- you know what you like and don't like. When pitching it, you cay say that you thought from the beginning that you wanted to do ER, but circumstances took you in a few other directions in the mean time, and while those directions were interesting, the additional IB + risk experience actually just reinforced that you want to do ER. Seems pretty clear cut to me. I would buy that if someone pitched it and had an obvious interest in ER (knew what they were talking about, were prepared for technicals, etc.).
PM you. Silver banana please.
thanks for the advice, guys. I sent you a silver banana, sxh6321 - hope it worked
i think i actually got thrown a monkey shit at. i don't see +1 on the picture. T.T
Spinning a Story for Junior Year (Originally Posted: 07/11/2012)
Hi Everyone,
I've been a follower of the site for a long time, but I need some advice from you monkeys. I'm going to be a junior this coming fall. I'll be going to networking events and applying for summer analyst positions soon. I'm double majoring in finance and information science and I don't have a stellar GPA (3.4). I've kept in contact with people I've met and will be sending cold emails soon. These are people I've met in the past and continue to send emails every few months (last time being january). I'm hoping to get a position with tech M&A. Advice on following up would help too.
So this summer, I'm currently interning at a tech research and service firm. It's well known, at least to those who deal with tech (analyst at firm had a impasse with microsoft pr recently). I'm not doing anything too technical; it's mostly research. I'm learning a lot about external and internal social media vendors in the tech industry due to the team I'm in.
How can I spin it in the best way possible when I talk to recruiters, interviewers, or anyone who has to listen my spiel? I've taken courses involving office applications and vba, but without practice, I'm worried that employers will be skeptical.
bump.
Help with my story (Originally Posted: 01/02/2013)
I am trying to prepare for interviews for my story about myself, I was going to tell a little about how I have been always interested in business since a young age (Started my own internet business/website) and that led to me exploring business/finance classes and clubs which eventually brought me to my interest in IB and of course why I was interviewing.
Is the internet business/website experience acceptable? At first I thought it was good but a friend told me that he thought it was a little unrelated and not too interesting of a story.
Thoughts? Thanks.
Not interesting to me, but I have no idea what might work with other people. Running a small business is very different to working in IBD. You usually deal with really massive companies and just do financial models and graphs. In your first years you rarely get to make any decision, it's basically just following orders. If you're interviewing for your first internship it might help a little with your reason why you like finance, but I wouldn't spend much time on it.
IB interviewers would likely be more interested with how much time / effort you put into your business/website. Dedication / stick-to-it-iveness will help you in IB, so don't tell them you built a site, got bored and moved on.
Did you make money with this venture? Did you build a spreadsheet tracking your income versus costs? Maybe modeled different pricing assumptions for your product? These kinds of activities are more inline with IB tasks and may be more helpful to you in an interview than saying website --> business --> finance --> IB?
Thanks, I spent a 4 years on this certain venture so I can say I was pretty dedicated to it. I generated a decent amount of revenue from it as well. I later sold the business though. I never really did any tracking/spreadsheet other than the basic expense/revenue sort of thing. I'm having trouble on being able to tell the experience and relate it to IB.
Story Telling (Originally Posted: 08/15/2013)
So to date, I have 4 summer internships under my belt -- a Global Fortune 40 (as a rising high school senior), a MBB IB (as a rising freshman in college), a non-profit (as a rising junior in college) and this summer a boutique consulting firm (as a rising senior in college). I'm in the process of finalizing my resume for FT recruiting and I'm in a dilemma of sacrificing experiences.
For the sake of time, I'm just going to identify one of the companies I worked for:
So in the summer of 2009, I interned with Detusche Bank. I was a rising high school senior at the time so obviously my work was "bitch work" -- making copies, scanning, filing, clearing out filing cabinets for more space. Below is what I currently have in my resume for the experience:
Deutsche Bank June 2009 – August 2009 • Observed the legal team and assisted with the process and development of Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR) based on regulations from the SEC and company policies
• Dispatched over 15 years of documentation from the SEC to firm’s offsite location resulting in increased space for newer documentation
For the sake of space, not decreasing my TNR font size 10, or decreasing margins, I'm thinking of just getting rid of this experience. I really have some impressive work that I've done this summer and want to go to town describing my experiences but I can't since this takes up significant space.
My dilemma is: do I keep it as it tells a story and may be seen as "impressive" of landing an internship with DB as a rising HS senior or just get rid of it since it's not that impressive of work experience?
Thanks guys!
Try uploading your resume here. We can work from there.
Ugh the pdf is not working, razaume is not working and I can't post links because I don't have enough points> ARGHHH this is frustrating. Desperate times call for desperate measures:
First Last Address • Planet Earth • (xxx) xxx-xxxx • email@email com • linkedin com/in/linkedin
EDUCATION
Top 10 LAC May 2014 Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics – Cumulative GPA: 3.22/4.00, Major GPA: 3.34/4.00
• Scholar: insert description here • Relevant Courses: Microeconomics, Introductory Computer Science, Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics
• Analyzed and discussed 14 business case studies using the case study method taught by professors and debated ideas through lively interaction with peers and faculty • Interacted with administrators, professors, current students and alumni who provided information via presentations about the impact of an MBA
EXPERIENCE Boutique Consulting Firm, Department, Summer Research Analyst May 2013 – August 2013
• Experience 1 • Experience 2 • Experience 3 • Experience 4 • Experience 5
Nonprofit, Administrative Division, Operations Intern June 2012 – August 2012 Brief description goes here • Oversaw and managed confidential employment documentation and timesheets for more than 90 summer interns to ensure compliance with employment law and appropriate pay for the interns • Revitalized the organization’s database by updating the information of more than 120 summer interns and identifying any missing information for the Program Director
• Systematized summer invoices and expenses, 12 years of insurance invoices and 8 years of alumni records resulting in a streamlined framework for ongoing records keeping
MB Investment Bank, Sales & Trading (Municipal Short Term Group), Intern July 2010 – August 2010 • Monitored and analyzed real-time financial market data via the Bloomberg Terminal o Provided traders with late day stock information from the Bloomberg Terminal allowing for accelerated decision making in future stock purchases and sales • Processed mailings from financial services companies resulting in identified outstanding checks and notifications regarding securities purchased by traders
Deutsche Bank, Legal, Risk & Capital, Intern June 2009 – August 2009 • Observed the legal team and assisted with the process and development of Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR) based on regulations from the SEC and company policies
• Dispatched over 15 years of documentation from the SEC to firm’s offsite location resulting in increased space for newer documentation
SERVICE & ACTIVITIES Career-Development Program, Participant June 2013 – August 2013 • Engaged in a competitive nine-week professional development program designed to strengthen areas in career development, networking, leadership, professionalism, business etiquette and resume writing
• Spent 1 hour per week for 5 weeks teaching Latino immigrants English
Other: African American Society member, Hip Hop dance group member, Dining Services employee, Former nonprofit Alumni Speaker, Former New York Cares Volunteer
SKILLS & INTERESTS • Language: Spanish (intermediate) • Computer: Data Desk, DonorPro and Microsoft Word (intermediate), PowerPoint (intermediate) and Excel (basic) • Training: Training the Street: Corporate Valuations • Interests: Reading blogs, WWE women’s wrestling, listening to music, personal fitness and personal finance education
The whole interest section is awful.
Agreed. I would omit this part. You have enough extra curricular stuff listed above this to showcase you have interests outside of work/school.
As for your original concern - I would try taking out the second bullet point in your Deutsche Bank internship and see if that all fits on 1 page.
Refining my Story (Originally Posted: 05/01/2014)
Probably not the story I should tell in an interview but it's the honest truth. Would like some thoughts on how to spin it so I can get into IB.
I became interested in IB at the end of my sophomore year in undergrad at a non-target state school. I was originally an accounting major since my school had a very solid program but decided to add the finance major since I became interested in IB. I was a double major. For the rest of my college years, my interest in accounting dwindled and my grades in accounting were not good (CFA level 1 CFA while in undergrad to show even more interest in finance. I was unable to land any offers in IB or any finance-related role for that matter (only had a few interviews, wasn't good at interviews, i.e. didn't try hard enough). As a backup plan, I accepted a position with a Big 4 firm in an enterprise risk consulting role. I've been working at the Big 4 for almost 2 years now.
I feel that I don't have a solid story here and am wondering if there's a way to sell it. I did really good in finance but couldn't get a job in the field. On the other hand I did really shitty in accounting, showed no interest, and landed a Big 4 job. It's kind of like, what the fuck is this guy doing. I'm all over the place. Should I sell myself as a finance guy that didn't have the right ops to get into IB originally or an accounting guy that recently became interested in IB? Or an iteration of one of those? Or neither of those? Or am I screwed?
My goal is to either get an IB Analyst role now at a boutique by networking or get into a good MBA program after 3-4 years experience and get into an IB Associate role at an MM or boutique after graduating.
You're right, definitely don't use that as a story haha. I would personally shy away from selling myself as someone who was interested in finance but couldn't get a job there...especially since you're 2 years out of school and your work experience should now be more important than your GPA etc, I'd personally sell myself as an accounting guy who through my work at a big 4 accounting firm became very interested in IB for a b c reasons and am qualified to make the switch for x y z reasons.
Also not sure if boutique/MM is your preference, but if you go to a solid MBA program there is no reason you couldn't get a post-MBA associate job at a BB...
The Perfect Story (Originally Posted: 07/31/2014)
I wanted to ask a general question around having a story and picking a "desirable" short-term goal. I know there's a lot of competition from certain industries in the eyes of the adcom, and schools tend to have a preference for students going into certain fields.
My background is that I have experience living and working intl, come from consulting, and have fairly good stats and extras. I'm basically considering two major options:
Any recommendation on which of these two options is best? I'm equally passionate about pursuing either option, so it's really just a matter of what looks better to B-schools in my opinion. My target schools are HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, and Columbia.
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