Why can't I even get any interviews?

Title says it all. I'm a junior at a top NESCAC with a 3.40 GPA in Econ, some solid finance experience my sophomore year and plenty of finance activities and leadership on my resumé. Additionally, I speak several useful languages and know basic coding in C++. My knowledge of financial concepts is good, and I think I interview well.

My problem is, I haven't been able to get very many first round interviews. The only one I have had was for an elite energy boutique in Houston, and I made it to the superday and from the feedback I was told that I was rejected based on fit.

I've been networking a lot with alumni from my school, but many of them give me vague responses and have given no concrete information to me, even when I prompt them to.

What am I doing wrong? I'd like to break into IB, but increasingly it seems like an impossible task!

 

My strategy has been to approach alums and ask for a phone call to talk about what they do and my interests. Recently, I have started to mention the summer analyst programs in my opening email because recruiting season is really heating up. Many of those I network with do not respond, even after I follow up, and if they do they say vague things like "you're resumé looks good, keep me up to date with the process" and when I follow up, they simply reply with "if there is interest, you will be contacted."

I'm not really sure how to proceed.

 

Yeah, they're giving you vague/unhelpful responses because you're basically asking them for a job right off the bat. They don't know you and don't really care about you. Not to say that this doesn't necessarily work, it can be effective when dealing with smaller boutiques that don't have structured recruiting, but you won't have much luck doing this at bigger firms, even with alumni. You should stick with your previous strategy of cold emailing & asking for a phone call, in order to build relationships that you can then leverage to get interviews. I'd work more on your email template and wording, it does seem like your networking is the problem here.

To infinity... and beyond!
 

You're just not really qualified. Even at Ivies and top targets you need to break the 3.5/3.6 threshold to even get looks, so obviously someone at a lesser non-target school with a low GPA is going to have trouble getting interviews. At a non-target, they usually want to see an unbelievable resume and academic record because they have to justify taking you over qualified kids from their target schools who have alumni pulling for them and the brand of a top school.

There are just 1000 candidates for every spot, it's numbers and it sucks. I know kids who had 3.7s at my top Ivy target who didn't get any interviews because all the kids with deep networks and/or 3.9+ took the best jobs. They ended up reassessing and looking at ER, AM, etc. Try thinking of that because right now it's so damn competitive that you'd have to get really lucky to get a top job.

 

I generally disagree with that. There are plenty of students at my school who have similar GPAs and resumés and are getting interviews. Definitely going to start looking at AM and ER in any case.

 
Best Response

I don't mean to be rude, but perhaps this why that superday didn't work out. When someone offers you free advice on how to fix a problem, saying "I disagree" isn't really the best way to elicit further free advice from anyone. Again, not trying to be rude, just trying to help. TrackBack is 100% on the money.

What is happening is that alumni see your resume and decline to push it because they think that you would not get past the original resume screen and/or that you would not survive a first round interview. When someone pushes your resume, they put their name on the line, and it's just not worth doing so for someone who you think will not at least make it to the superday. The killer points on your resume are that you compare unfavorably to candidates in general, but especially to candidates from your own school. IB is as competitive as it ever has been, and 3.4 GPAs just does not cut it (yes, I know, I know...there are exceptions), especially when your fellow classmates have much higher GPAs and more relevant experience.

My suggestion would be to take a look at my networking overview and to start reaching out to boutiques for a summer internship. There are many, many boutiques up in the Northeast. When networking, always make sure to ask bankers, especially alumni, for advice. That is usually when they offer to push your resume, and if not, at least offer some genuine advice on what they would do if they were in your shoes.

 
The Funky:
I generally disagree with that. There are plenty of students at my school who have similar GPAs and resumes and are getting interviews. Definitely going to start looking at AM and ER in any case.

Of course YOU disagree. You're butt-hurt and in denial. TrackBack is right. It's hard (not impossible) to get into ANY competitive company/field with a GPA like that. The world's full of cold truth. Sometimes, you're just not good enough (yet?).

 

As a person who just suffered through recruitment on the other end (picking candidates), most of this is on point, with maybe one caveat. The best candidates were kids with above a 3.6 (we autofiltered everyone below this in the excel master of all the candidates) who people could identify by name, either because they knew them from school or because they had made a very good impression, or several decent impressions, in a conversation / conversations. The candidates we ended up giving interviews were not necessarily the ones with the highest GPAs, but the deepest networks. We did give a few interviews on the basis of pure horsepower (one kid had a 4.2 comp sci / applied math double major lol), but at a certain threshold GPA stops being as important as people seem to think it is.

But it is very important to hit that threshold, and also network enough so that your school's team knows exactly who you are. If you don't have a school team, you are basically getting in purely on networking, since whoever is evaluating your resume likely is not using grades as a benchmark anyways.

 

Yeah I completely agree with this, GPA is definitely not the main determinant. I was just trying to stress that with a 3.4 at a non-target you're going to get autofiltered out a lot, and when you network, it's going to be tougher as a result of your background. I know that when I was networking, when I talked to alumni/people at firms, they commented on my background and GPA, and many of them felt more confident recommending me as a result. It's more easily defensible. When someone you network with flags you, they put their judgment/reputation on the line to some extent. They want to know you can perform. And in one or two conversations, it's hard to tell that. The GPA only helps make them more comfortable flagging you. Of course, it also helps when those people are alumni and are inclined to help you because of shared experiences, etc.

It's certainly not impossible to network your way in with a 3.4 at a NESCAC, my main point is just that he's at a BIG disadvantage versus people with higher GPAs at better schools.

Did you guys have school quotas, and did you guys have a decent amount of latitude in picking non-target kids? I'm more familiar with a school quotas where the school team essentially runs the process and picks X number of kids for each stage, and ultimately makes the hiring decisions with little central support. At those firms there aren't really spots for non-target kids except in special cases.

 

You have a shit GPA in a bullshit major from a non-target with little-to-no internship experience. Start working on your MSF apps.

“Elections are a futures market for stolen property”
 

Don't push the MSF down his throat. IB is becoming increasingly more difficult from msf programs given how accelerated FT recruiting is and who the fuck knows how deal activity will be in 2-3 years. I'm tired of seeing these non-target frat bros who think an msf at nova will get them GS TMT.

 
BillBelichick37:
Don't push the MSF down his throat. IB is becoming increasingly more difficult from msf programs given how accelerated FT recruiting is and who the fuck knows how deal activity will be in 2-3 years.

Who said anything about just banking? The reality is that his resume isn't really compelling for anything. He's a perfect candidate for an MSF; the program is made for this sort of background. It will give him a chance to actually learn finance (which he hasn't with his economics background), boost his resume (by going to a semi-target from a non-target) and another chance at recruiting/interning.

So yeah. I'm not just talking about banking, which may never be in this person's reach.

BillBelichick37:
I'm tired of seeing these non-target frat bros who think an msf at nova will get them GS TMT.

I've never said anything that's remotely close to this.

“Elections are a futures market for stolen property”
 

If a target school, have you attended the networking events run by the banks on campus? Spoken to alums at these events? These contacts are tracked, and can make a big difference when resumes are selected. I agree with others that the 3.4 GPA could be the issue.

 

Honestly, by reading your post it's quite simple to diagnose why you're not getting past first rounds... I'll give you a real life example that's very close to heart: I know this engineer from south america that got an analyst offer in a top tier IB. Three months later, he was promoted to associate. This guy had a crappy GPA (3.2), and while he did found a couple of startups and such during university, nothing remarkable.

Why did he get the job and you don't? Simple: grit and passion. The guy didn't just network "a lot", he met with most senior bankers on the street and every senior banker in the industry group he was passionate about. He thoroughly specialized in his industry of choice, reading up on every news piece he could and forging his own well-thought opinions. He used every advantage he had as an engineer, as a Spanish speaking person, as a Latin American, etc etc... When he networked, he did it for fun and for the beauty of it, and usually he would offer help instead of requesting it. In doing so, he made plenty of friends and learned insights that would've been impossible to get without working in the industry for years. It took him 6 whole months, but he got 5 full time offers from excellent companies, including 2 IBs, 1 PE, 1 VC, and 1 in corporate M&A.

Just to add to this, this guy was by himself, in a foreign country, with very few contacts (if any), almost no money, and with very little comparable prior experience.

Trust me, if he could, anyone can.

Best, South American guy

 

Put the club on there. Anything that shows your interest will be a plus, especially since you have no industry experience.

When you say early stahes, how early are we talking? Unless it's fully operational and has some sort of track record I would say no. I would think this type of thing is better discussed in an interview setting, not on a resume.

I think a potential reason your not getting interviews is because you go to a target. There are plenty of kids who fit your profile, that also have industry experience. Try and show a positive differentiator (I dont know if that's a word, but I'll go with it)

 

If you have nothing else to put on your resume, you should definitely include both of these items. They are far stronger experiences than working at a restaurant in high school... what have you been doing for work since high school? Definitely play up the fact that you are a D1 athlete, thats a huge point (or at least I found it to be when I was applying to places, everyone wanted to talk about it, and I was just a D3 athlete).

You may find it helpful, and get some good feedback if you post a link to your resume along with this question. If you have a 3.8 from a true target as a Junior, even with limited work experience you should be getting some interviews. Something must be wrong with your resume... Let the monkeys at WSO take a look.

 

I agree, put the Finance club on there! As for being a D1 athlete, absolutely list that for a couple of reasons:

  1. Potential to display leadership skills
  2. Time management skills - full course load and athletics with high GPA is impressive to employers.
  3. Enjoy active and fast paced environment and a challenges.

You can see where I'm going with this. Try to grab an internship if you can, too. Those are huge.

 

Definitely get rid of the high school clubs that are not finance-relevant.

Another thing - your resume doesn't leave a memorable mark. Re-write your headings to something more specific (such as "Sales experience," "Finance experience," etc) and group the relevant experiences under that.

This is a minute detail - but under coursework recruiters will already know that you are taking Micro/Macro. Put bluntly, there is only so much space to "sell yourself" and your resume as of now doesn't say a whole lot to separate you from others with similar backgrounds (econ majors at ivy leagues, athletes)

You need to list your SAT scores under education - without it, BBs will automatically reject your resume. As someone who's been on the recruiting team for BBs and at a top three management consulting firm, I can say that we've turned down lots of applicants who simply left out things like SATs/GPAs.

You have a good GPA and good experiences, now just work on re-framing how you present it on the resume.

I included some common resume mistakes to avoid on the link below. Good luck.


Chase Us, Break In! http://chasingconsultantsbreakingbankers.blogspot.com/

 

I would look into buying a Wall Street Prep self study course. If you complete the course it looks great on your resume & says a lot about your knowledge of the duties of an analyst. And you can probably crank it out over the remainder of your break.

Also, try crash a "lesser" schools career fair, where the competition might be slightly less competitive. Maybe start small. Try emailing MD's from smaller banks. Also check out GottaMentor.com the guy who started that was an athlete from a D1 school and specializes in helping guys with your background.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

To agree with what many other readers have already said, you should put the finance club involvement on your resume and try to showcase as much leadership experiences as possible, as well as any projects that you may have taken on for the club relevant to banking - such as any research/analysis projects, etc.

Beyond that, all of the HS experiences can come off of your resume as they are now at least 3 years old and no longer relevant.

I would also recommend that you take off the busboy position. Next, you need to really start hitting the pavement and find some kind of finance internship - part-time, unpaid, doesn't matter, but you need some sort of finance experience.

You should also start networking, reading up on the markets, deals, etc, try to take on a bigger role at your finance club.

Regarding your current experiences, since they are not finance related, focus on other important points to bankers. Showcase your ability to lead and manage, multi-task, tackle challenges and solve problems, work well under pressure, etc. These are all other characteristics that bankers are looking for and until you get some finance experience, they are better than nothing.

You've got a strong GPA, relevant coursework, and a name brand school - you should use the finance club to showcase both what you've learned AND what you've contributed/done, and use your other work and leadership experiences to showcase your leadership, ability to work well under pressure, ability to work out complex problems, etc.

I know that it's a lot to swallow at once, but take your time with it and stick with it. With some rewording, emphasis in the right places, some format fixes and hopefully landing some sort of finance internship, you've definitely got some potential.

 

also, keep your head up. its still early. the process is very random, and just because you didn't get the first few interviews doesn't mean you won't get the ones later in the process. interview season is the first time a lot of target school kids are ever rejected from anything, so it's a new experience that's tough to swallow. definitely had a tough time over winter break with it last year, and ended up at a top BB in the end.

that said, tweak your resume according to the advice from this thread. Include the D1 athletics. Get rid of anything from high school that is not absolutely remarkable (ie: if anyone and everyone from your target school can list something similar to what you did in high school because that's what got them into your target, it probably shouldn't be on your resume). you need to show that you've done substantial stuff since coming to college.

best of luck.

 

1 definitely keep your head up. #2 your resume sucks. #3 keep your head up.

I looked at your CV and can not tell if you have any interest in finance. As others have said, put on your sport, the finance club, and take off the fucking tennis stringer, instructor, and official desert maker stuff. If I am reading a resume I will not care if you've been teaching tennis since you were 12 years old. If anything The intructor bit merits ONE line of space, in extracurricular interests.

Speaking of interests, that's the main thing that is lacking from your resume. I can't tell if you actually want to be in finance. There are tons of kids from your school who know their shit, and are cutting throats to get an SA position. Others have been wise enough to guide you to a wall street prep program - highly recommended.

Tweak your res, post it up again, and keep your chin up.

Follow me on insta @FinancialDemigod
 

Yeah man,

Your resume sucks, but not because you don't have the credentials. If you just take it to your school's career center, you should be fine as you seem to have everything that recruiters "look" for.

 

the sad thing is that I did take it to my career center.

associate guerilla, If I take out all of those 3 things then I will have no experience at all on the resume. What do you suggest that I put there? Now I understand that a lot of other applicants have other internships and just because I don't have these does not mean that I was wasting my summers. I was training and traveling around the country playing tournaments, so it is hard to get an internship that fits around that schedule. My question do I list this info on my resume and if so, how?

Also for everyone, how can I make it more finance related? I do have a small portfolio which I began about a year ago with a td ameritrade account. I am in 2 finance clubs at school, although I do not have any positions bc the clubs meet at the same time I have practice. Should I take a wall street prep course and put it on there...will that really help?

 

I'm sitting here like a schmo on NYE helping some stranger with his resume because my wife is 9mos pregs... so not much going on tonight anyway. At least I have a drink.

Listen, you have no experience. Face it. It is what it is. Everyone has to start somewhere. You have to build upon your interests... in finance. Not tennis. It's great you are a good tennis player but that does not matter in a bank. You have a good foundation, the school, the extracurriculars. Here are some pointers

-change 'leadership experience' to 'extracurriculars' and put it at the bottom of your resume. below skills/awards. I fail to see how being MVP of a tennis team is leadership experience. It's not a "team sport" in the sense of a captain leading a team.

  • First bullet point on the tennis team is lame. Change it to "Team MVP & All Ivy Leave Second Team."

  • if you have no applicable work experience to put in that area, you have to dress up the other shit a bit. Change the words "work experience" to "relevant experience." Combine the stringing and instruction into one entry, and in the place of "self employed" put the name of the country club where you taught. Something like that. You get the gist. Put the tennis entry at the bottom of the 'relevant experience' section. Then add a bit about the economics society and investment club, in place of the second tennis entry. Put some nice sounding bullet points. Just make it look better.

ok i am going out to dinner now. if i'm still sober later i will get on and finish this

Follow me on insta @FinancialDemigod
 

I played tennis at a top program, so I know where you're coming from re: not having the time to build up a ton of work experience outside of athletics. I'll be starting full time at GS/MS this year and had no internships/work on my resume going into interviews... so like others have said, keep your head up. Feel free to shoot me a pm if you have any questions.

 

Your resume in no way shows you are interested in finance. Get the finance club on there. Also, embellesh that racket stringing business. Quantify it, how much did you make? Did you keep detailed P&L statements? I understand athletics take a lot of time and so do banks but you need to show that you have some reason for wanting to get into finance. Your resume doesn't show any of that. If you can get some finance on there and manage to get interviews, your tennis will become a huge asset. Right now it's a huge liability because it looks like you are applying to be a tennis pro at the Greenwich country club rather than a banker.

 

thanks for the quick replies!

Anthony: I don't want to upload my resume here since I think it might be fairly easy to find out my identity even if I cover my name. I have something on resume that is not common. I have contacted them but not a lot of people replied.

Affirmative: haha is my english this bad? yes, english is not my first language but usually i don't write so sloppily. I was just shocked by how hard it is to get just interviews so I just put down everything in my mind. There shouldn't too many typos. I have a few people checked and they said it was okay.

It is, however, a big disadvantage to interview with english as a second language.

 

I guess it's water under a bridge now, but with such a "passion for finance" why didn't you do an internship.

I concur with AA that English probably isn't your native tongue. Please show us the brutal resume.

This is why even prospectives with great stats should seriously consider a resume review. Don't want to torpedo yourself for no reason.

 

No worries about the resume. I would probably sit down with some professors and career center people and see what they can do. If your spoken english is really that bad I would start looking at overseas shops, maybe places that cater to foreign individuals. Look at more international banks that might appreciate your bilingual abilities. HSBC has a international management program. Not IB, but it is probably they best leadership program I have ever heard of. Really recruit from top 10-15 schools and bilingual is a requirement. Your 1st posting would be overseas which could really work to your advantage.

 

i know BX is very prestigious and i also know that it is very selective so I think my chances to get an offer from them are not that great. what confused you guys have also made me wonder whether the BX interview was a mistake.

i'm a finance/accounting concentrations, and i worked for a finance professor on her research.

 

I'm in the same boat. 3.9 from target. Applied everywhere including middle market IB, only got a few interviews but they are tops, JPM, MS, Lazard etc. Not a single middle market interview or even UBS, CS, Barclays. I dont want to be cocky but I think the MM shops figure you'll get something better anyways (like BX) thats why they wont interview you.

 

You've listed a lot of great names in schools, but by some measures, I was in a Computer Science/Engineering program that was at least as strong as those three, and we had NO CLUE that sophomore-year internships existed at the big banks or tech firms. I spent my sophomore-junior summer at a clearing firm earning $9/hour developing user interfaces. The summer internship demonstrated that I could work well at a financial firm and that was enough to land me the banking internship the NEXT YEAR.

I discovered that my bank had an unpaid rotational program for a FEW sophomores, but MOST of the Junior-year analysts I'd met had similar backgrounds to mine- strong GPA, strong program, stellar extracurriculars, and so-so sophomore-junior year internship. Don't get discouraged if you wind up earning $9/hour at a clearing firm, brokerage firm, or even as a lifeguard at the beach this summer- your profile won't be much different than most of the other Junior-year summer analysts next year. (Albeit this is from Capital Markets, not IBD)

 

Aston, to compare:

I go to a public (but very good) school, have a lower GPA than you in Business Admin, a freshman summer internship in Real Estate (think cushman wakefield, CBRE), and a sophomore summer at a small regional buyside firm, GS and MS IBD. In short, you'll be fine. Just get some solid XC's, make sure your resume is good, and you're in a great position.

 

Bear in mind that of the three schools mentioned above, only Wharton offers a finance/business degree. Perhaps these internships are only granted to students in a relevant major. If the OP is a Math/CS major, for instance, banks may not consider that relevant.

My suggestion: the OP should drop his resume at Google or Microsoft. If that fails, he needs to start calling up clearing firms and brokerage firms and see if they need inexpensive help.

 

I don't even know why I said Harvard, Princeton, Wharton. I'm Wharton Finance + Comp Sci.

OCR isn't over yet, but I'm pretty sure anyone who is getting a call for a sophomore program already got one.

Could it have been my cover letters? They weren't bad or anything, but I basically followed the format suggested on mergers & inquisitions. Nothing very unique about it.

 

One of my coworkers from my Junior/Senior year summer internship program was a Finance/ EE major who graduated Wharton a few years ago. He took an internship in the automotive industry the year before he interned at an invesment bank. He's now working as a quant.

If you don't get a job on Wall Street this summer, it's not the end of the world. You'll get one next summer- assuming you can line up some respectable work for now.

 

I'm a sophomore at a top target (HYPW) with a similar GPA in a liberal arts major, am a non-advantage conferring minority (Asian), with no truly "relevant" finance-related work experiences -- but I've received a SA offer at a BB and am currently in the process of interviewing with several others.

I'm surprised to hear about your situation, because it seems as though you're an overall stronger and more competitive candidate than I am. The only rationale I could offer is that maybe it was a matter of not reaching out to alums? I spent a good portion of sophomore fall reaching out to alumni at different firms and I feel that these connections really helped me, both in terms of recruiting but also at the interviews (because I was able to speak more genuinely and in detail about the firm). Most likely, though, I can't help but think that it was a matter of random bad luck. I'm sure that you're going to get other great opportunities with such a strong resume, and I wish you the best in the process.

 
noob12:
its pretty simple: you have a (relatively) low gpa at a nontarget

People place into IB all the time from BC. It may not be a classic target school, but it is on the map and you can definitely get a job from there.

However, there isn't the same amount of spots for BC kids as there would be at the Ivy's or other targets. So your competition is probably fierce. This isn't the type of economy were you can just dump your resume at the drop in your pajamas and wait for your interview time. One BB recruited at my school, and we had drops for Barclay and Jefferies. I tracked down who would be looking at my resume, who would be interviewing me, and got at least on person on the horn beforehand and did my best to establish some sort of relationship before they made their picks.

Your going to have to network you but off if you want an interview.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

It could be a lot of things.. but yes, a low GPA from a non-target will be a major kill for most groups.

Also: -You don't have any decent FO experience. -Bullet point descriptions are extremely weak

I would recommend that you try to grab any FO role this summer (doesn't have to be IBD) and network to get interviews for FT recruitment next fall. Good luck.

 

no, its not your foreign sounding name. you can get a way with a low GPA or a semi/non-target not both unless you network

also did you seriously put wall street oasis on your resume? thats an auto ding in my book

 

Not exactly!

A. Go to Grad School and kick butt B. Explain why you went to BC instead of a target- lower tuition? full ride? needed to be close to family? C. You can always slide in through the back door. I graduated college in 02 and the economic situation was similar to what it is now- 5 times as much talent for every position. I didn't attend a target either because I was on an athletic scholarship. You have 2 choices, marinate at the front door with all the other equally brilliant people or come in through the back. I came in through Client Services and got my MBA in Finance over those 2 years. By the time I finished my MBA, I had networked my arsch off and was able to call the right people and get promoted to Analyst. And the best part is I was living in poverty so I could pay a chunk of my MBA out of pocket.

 

thanks for the advice, i've talked to some people at UBS and they agreed with all of you. my GPA automatically takes me out of the running for any position in IB. I guess my C+ in theatre and philosopy did actually matter

 

Also, I'm thinking of either going back next month (I still have an open offer from my previous employer) or staying till early June after I sit for CFA level 2 (already registered for the exam but I have till April to change the location if I wanted to)

 

Looks like it's going to be a hard sell if they have to sponsor you to bring you on board. Most companies in the US ding you if they can't be assured that you'll join them.

GoldenCinderblock: "I keep spending all my money on exotic fish so my armor sucks. Is it possible to romance multiple females? I got with the blue chick so far but I am also interested in the electronic chick and the face mask chick."
 

Without knowing your situation too well, it's hard to gauge if you're doing something wrong. But I can share my experience. I quit my previous job back in May at a prop shop in NYC thinking I would just land another position pretty quickly. The fact is, it just isn't easy right now. I just landed a decent analyst position in Chicago, but I interviewed at about 7 different places over the months without any success before this. Just keep trying. At least you're getting interviews.

 
resipsa:
Without knowing your situation too well, it's hard to gauge if you're doing something wrong. But I can share my experience. I quit my previous job back in May at a prop shop in NYC thinking I would just land another position pretty quickly. The fact is, it just isn't easy right now. I just landed a decent analyst position in Chicago, but I interviewed at about 7 different places over the months without any success before this. Just keep trying. At least you're getting interviews.

Thanks @resipsa for your feedback.

No contract means I have all the power. They want me, but they can't have me. - Don Draper
 

@resipsa, During your 7 interviews, did you proceed to the on-site interview after the initial phone interview? (I haven't had luck in proceeding to an on-site interview, only phone interviews)

No contract means I have all the power. They want me, but they can't have me. - Don Draper
 
analyst1609:
@resipsa, During your 7 interviews, did you proceed to the on-site interview after the initial phone interview? (I haven't had luck in proceeding to an on-site interview, only phone interviews)

With about 4 I made it past the initial phone interview. It's tough for us all out there. Just keep your head up. Also, what I did that might of helped was sign up for the December CFA level 1 exam and got some books to practice excel modeling. Show that you want it more than the other 40+ people the person on the other end of the line is interviewing for 1 position.

 

You may not be doing anything wrong. The hiring environment is terrible right now. I know people coming out of top 3 business schools with solid pre-MBA experience that are struggling. In some cases, firms are hiring people with 10 years of experience for jobs advertised for people with 5. This is the reality of the never ending recession the government caused.

 
Ravenous:
You may not be doing anything wrong. The hiring environment is terrible right now. I know people coming out of top 3 business schools with solid pre-MBA experience that are struggling. In some cases, firms are hiring people with 10 years of experience for jobs advertised for people with 5. This is the reality of the never ending recession the government caused.

@Ravenous, hmmmm.... thanks. I didn't realize that I might not be doing anything wrong. Good Perspective, cheers!

No contract means I have all the power. They want me, but they can't have me. - Don Draper
 

Nothing wrong with your performance during the phone screen. Even if you nail it, you may not get a follow up. Some factors I think that influence the outcome of the phone screen:

  1. Other applicants that have applied for the same position. For example, if the job requires the use of Hyperion and there is a candidate who has experience with that then that candidate tops the list. Companies are usually looking for people who can get the ball rolling right away without much training.

  2. Most of the jobs are filled by referrals or the hiring team has already identified someone through some network and they just open the position for HR compliance and legal purposes. Just for the sake of it.

  3. Luck is a big factor. If the hiring manager likes you for some reason, then basically it is like winning the lottery.

There may be many other factors. So do not get discouraged. Keep applying and eventually you will land your dream job. It is just a matter of time.

 
ivedtara:
Nothing wrong with your performance during the phone screen. Even if you nail it, you may not get a follow up. Some factors I think that influence the outcome of the phone screen:
  1. Other applicants that have applied for the same position. For example, if the job requires the use of Hyperion and there is a candidate who has experience with that then that candidate tops the list. Companies are usually looking for people who can get the ball rolling right away without much training.

  2. Most of the jobs are filled by referrals or the hiring team has already identified someone through some network and they just open the position for HR compliance and legal purposes. Just for the sake of it.

  3. Luck is a big factor. If the hiring manager likes you for some reason, then basically it is like winning the lottery.

There may be many other factors. So do not get discouraged. Keep applying and eventually you will land your dream job. It is just a matter of time.

But for how long do I keep applying. Already been 5 months and I've only had 1 on-site interview. I know I know I know, I have to keep applying. It's just a pain in the a$$ doing this process over and over again. Thanks bud!

No contract means I have all the power. They want me, but they can't have me. - Don Draper
 

Honestly, you're pretty luck to get any interview with just "applying" to jobs. To really propel yourself, you need to network. That is how interviews are obtained. Make an impression on someone at the firm and then build a relationship.

If you are just applying via a website or whatnot, I would follow up with HR the next day or two asking about the hiring process and then call someone not in HR and ask questions about their experiences and if they can provide any insight into what they went through with past hiring/recruiting sessions. Following up is big though if you're just throwing resumes around websites, always try to talk to someone.

 
Anacott_CEO:
Honestly, you're pretty luck to get any interview with just "applying" to jobs. To really propel yourself, you need to network. That is how interviews are obtained. Make an impression on someone at the firm and then build a relationship.

If you are just applying via a website or whatnot, I would follow up with HR the next day or two asking about the hiring process and then call someone not in HR and ask questions about their experiences and if they can provide any insight into what they went through with past hiring/recruiting sessions. Following up is big though if you're just throwing resumes around websites, always try to talk to someone.

After I have the phone interview, I send a thank you email to the interviewer (several hours after the phone call). I have been applying via LinkedIn and through the companies websites. If I don't hear back from the company, I do follow up by sending an email or calling. I don't know if following up with HR the next day is a good idea. This to me sounds desperate and not showing patience. To me, I think waiting is the best solution, rather than being eager and ambitious. That's just my opinion, but I respect your viewpoint. Good idea what you have, but I wouldn't do it.

No contract means I have all the power. They want me, but they can't have me. - Don Draper
 

One thing for sure: your interviewing skills need to improve. Maybe your school does not have that strong pull in finance industry. You may try to find the successful applicants from your school. Figure out the differences.

 

I think you've got some good credentials but you're putting yourself into a clogged funnel by limiting yourself to online applications and not giving as much of a focus to networking. I won't say stop applying but perhaps you should focus on reaching out to alumni of your university, do cold emails, and connect with folks on LinkedIn.

How good is your alumni network?

 

The school I'm attending has probably one of the strongest alumni networks in the country. I want to stay in Texas for personal reasons and preferably Dallas. I have applied for some Houston IB analyst jobs but the focus is really more AM, Hedge Funds, ER, economic consulting or at the least corporate finance.

I know how to spin a story and am not really worried about how I'd do in an interview. I'm trying to speak candidly on here because I don't really understand why I can't even get an interview. I've joined the Texas Hedge Fund Assocation, CFA society, Alumni Mentorship program to build up a better network.

My program has very good placement regionally in Houston and Dallas so I'm trying to figure out what it is that makes everyone dismiss me immediately. I was president of multiple clubs during my undergrad. It has been my focus since my freshman year of undergrad to break into the finance industry. I knew my undergrad school was not good for placement because it was a liberal arts school. That's why I decided to go for an MSF at a brand name school to improve my chances as well as get a more quantitative background.

I've also been attending as many information sessions as possible. Talking to employees afterword. Sending follow up emails. The only thing I have not really tapped into in a serious manner is the cold calling. Which I will begin to do as soon as I find a balance with my coursework.

I'm curious if this is a common occurrence or if my work experience or lack thereof is holding me back.

 

You have 2 pwm internships and a very high gpa, I honestly dont see how you can get NO interviews. Only possible explanation is that your resume looks like trash, which I doubt considering you've had to send that resume in to get those previous internships. I assume you've already gone to your schools career center to have it looked at, if not, do that asap.

 

I'm sorry I'm pretty new to posting but does uploading my resume hurt my chances if employers see me on here? A few clarifying points. Yes I've had two separate career services people look over my resume. My internships were after freshman and sophomore year as opposed to junior and senior. I was working towards an IB internship for junior year but certain personal issues required me to go home and help my family. I am a Canadian citizen however I believe I can qualify for TN status under the NAFTA agreement which means that I all I require from an employer is an offer letter (aka they don't really have to sponsor me but I can't claim I have permanent work authorization either on my job board). I also explain this on cover letters/student messages every time I apply. The only other work experience I put on my resume is that I've done some independent investing. I know that that's not really a great way to fill up a resume but career services told me to put it on there. I go into detail the types of investments I've made and it varies across Canadian and U.S. stocks and ETFs. The PWN internships were with the largest bank in Canada.

 

@EquityinDallas If I'm reading your post correctly, you're one of my classmates. (And my memory is too shitty to remember who, sorry >__OCR does a pure tech/AI screen, so there's a chance your resume isn't even being seen by an actual human. And of course, once it lands in front of a recruiter, there are certain things they're looking for. PM me, let's get it sorted out :D

Currently: future neurologist, current psychotherapist Previously: investor relations (top consulting firm), M&A consulting (Big 4), M&A banking (MM)
 

Do a mock interview, and also the resume review through WSO. Seriously, it helped me a ton when I was interviewing for my current position. The interview guides are well and good, but they talk about generalities whereas a mock interview can give you specific feedback on your personal, unique presentation.

I'm guessing...SMU? I moved to Dallas recently. Not to be a dick about it but SMU kids seem to have a high degree of unwarranted self-importance. I'm not saying you do, but make sure you don't come across that way.

 

So are you saying that all OCR selection deadlines have passed for the companies you applied for? If they have not, then you need to relax. Although some do, I'm not sure why you're expecting all the firms to contact you before hand. And I have to tell you some firms pull some really shitty moves, at least at my school. For example, I applied for this consulting internship two weeks ago and I just heard back for it a full 36 hours after their deadline passed for an interview coming up Friday.

Also, you probably need to tailor your resume to the job functions you're applying for. If you're applying for an FP&A role and you have a bunch of IB and capital markets jargon on your resume, you may not get interviewed because they might think that you're just using their FP&A OCR interview as practice, meaning they wouldn't consider you as a serious candidate who would accept an offer.

 

35 applications without an immediate reply should not make you worried. If that number gets to 350 and you still haven't gotten a single response, check your SPAM settings...etc.

You may hear back much, much later than you expect.

 

I have had over a dozen interviews. My problem is partially my citizenship and partly because with the initial jobs I was applying for it was just extremely competitive. I now have an internship at a hedge fund while I'm still in school and for that I had a choice between two different ones. I've had two superdays and have several important interviews coming up. This process has been pretty humbling but I believe it is a good thing that I got knocked down several times. I've applied to several hundreds of jobs and at times it can start to eat away at you but you just gotta remember to pick yourself back up. I have the support of several close friends and family and I have faith that things will work out the way they are supposed to and I gotta just keep working as hard as I can.

 

I've heard of wedbush. Don't know much about them but definitely a decently-known name. To be honest, OCR is your best bet. But even for OCR, a lot of my friends are having trouble landing interviews/FT gigs. The market really sucks right now. And I honestly don't know what advice to give you. Just keep at it, you have some solid experience.

 

Same position broski, except my GPA is slightly higher but your internship is much better

Look into corporate finance as well

A former classmate who works in HR at a F500 referred me to a recruiter who forwarded my info to their financial rotation program recruiter. If I can't even get an interview after that I'll just go work at sbux

 

Same here. I have a very high GPA, two great internships (both strictly M&A), but go to a complete non-target. Through networking, I was able to get one interview. The final round went well, but not good enough. Now I can't get anything else.

 

Same position as you bro. I have MD, at BB two of them filled up their class with S.A a couple in MM and EB and bouitque and still no interview. I'm starting to think that someone forwarding your resume might not just cut it now. maybe that person as to go to the bat for you... The economy sucks and more people are getting laid off. I am just going take what ever financial job I can take and try to lateral or got o top MBA..

 

Ic... well the MBA route is certainly a well-trodden path that def. leads to success. I'm just not sure that I want to do something else for 4-5 years yet / reality hasn't set it that I won't get a FT offer... ahhah

'Before you enter... be willing to pay the price'
 
BepBep12:
Ic... well the MBA route is certainly a well-trodden path that def. leads to success. I'm just not sure that I want to do something else for 4-5 years yet / reality hasn't set it that I won't get a FT offer... ahhah

Its already settled for me, non of my contacts pulled through for me for what it seems. I still have hope but very little. Maybe I should think MSF program..

 

I come from a non target, graduated in 09', did IB/merchant banking for a little under two years, and have been laid off since April with relatively very few interviews since then. Having ~2 years of professional experience, knowledge of valuation, etc. and can't even get an unpaid internship at a small boutique is very frustrating.

I'm willing to work for free and I'm even willing to pay a firm to hire me so I can get back to work. Life goes on, stop complaining if you can't get an interview and try harder.

 

It's a bummer to hear everyone is in a similar situation, I am definitely considering AM or Corp Finance if I can't break into IB right off the bat. I'm getting interviews in both those areas, just not my first choice.

nycsoccax:
I'm willing to work for free and I'm even willing to pay a firm to hire me so I can get back to work. Life goes on, stop complaining if you can't get an interview and try harder.

I didn't complain once in my post, just asked gave my story and asked questions to aid in my search. How about you come up with a constructive suggestion since you were obviously in our position once too.

 
PBnJ:
Read posts here, get a Vault Guide, Wet Feet guide.

These combined should cover pretty much every question you have, including how to network smarter which I think is the most important thing in your case.

Thanks for the advice, I have already burned through the above sites and know all the info they have to offer. My major problem is not my lack of contacts, but the overflow of qualified candidates from top schools.

Anyone have an answer to my questions about the M&A internship I just landed? Should I wait until November until I contact more banks so I can put it on my resume?

 

To get an IBD role at a major firm, it is very important to have had a summer analyst position in your rising senior summer. Unfortunately, the key entrypoints have already lapsed, and waiting for the next round of fall recruiting is not likely to improve your candidacy.

I recommend you recalibrate your expectations and take a finance-related job (like the support role you mentioned). In rare cases, people get lucky and can get transferred internally to better divisions if they are absolute top performers, though I would not bet on this. You should look to position yourself for a solid MBA program and attempt to enter banking as an associate, if this is an industry you really want to be in. Next time around, you should make sure to be aggressive and early in your networking and recruiting efforts; in this industry it is difficult if not impossible to get back on track once you have fallen behind.

 

I really think you should contact boutiques in your area which seems to be NYC, if you don't have any experience at all...your resume seems like you've done everything not related to finance so its very difficult to spin your story......Or from my experience going to the Investment Banking Institute might help? Not too sure but I've met analysts who did those programs and got into BBs. So hopefully continue your search.

 

Hate to tell you bud but 40-50 is not a lot. And I also hate to tell you, its may very well be a long, drawn out process and your life plans may be put on hold indefinitely. Your pain is felt and sympathized with though.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 

You're what 21 years old? So you didn't make it to your dream IBD job out of UG... if you think your life is over at 21 when you have about 40 or so potential working years left... you need to look at the bigger picture here man. Get a finance related job in a support function or corporate finance at a F100 and do some fun stuff for the next 3-5 years (outside work I mean - travel, learn to fly, sail, whatever). Then apply to a top b-school and worry about your entry there. In fact, entering as an associate seems like a nice alternative to being the lowest ringed grunt in your early 20's. Be positive.

 

Thank you all for helpful responses! I'll definitely spend more time on boutiques. The problem I've run into with boutiques is that they seem to have no time to train people, so they want applicants who already know their stuff..

losttraveler:
You're what 21 years old? So you didn't make it to your dream IBD job out of UG... if you think your life is over at 21 when you have about 40 or so potential working years left... you need to look at the bigger picture here man.

I appreciate the advice; I don't think my life is over by any means, I'm just trying to figure out if I need to keep up submitting applications or whether I should change up my strategy.

 

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Get busy living
 

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