Q&A: Non-Target International Student to BB IB Internship

Background:

Moved to the U.S. in 2013 to pursue my undergraduate degree in finance (non-target). I was fortunate enough to secure an IB internship at a BB bank through their non-target recruiting program (NY location). I also had no prior internship experience and had no pre-established contacts working in finance prior to moving to the U.S. Finding a company to sponsor my visa after graduating was challenging, so I was tossing up moving to Canada / Australia / England / Hong Kong etc. I ended up securing a job in corporate development (healthcare) with an employer that was willing to sponsor my visa (received my H-1B visa this year!). Currently an Associate on a 5+ person team; my day-to-day is supporting all M&A execution at my firm.

Happy to answer any questions at all, but likely most helpful with regards to IB / CD recruiting or advice for international students trying to stay in the U.S or break into finance.

WSO Mentor

Want to work with me? Check out my profile here.


 

Any tips for those who just accepted their 1st full-time job offer? Any job search advice?

 
Most Helpful

Networking struggles were typical of any non-target (no real base of folks to connect with that would help create a path). What I leveraged was looking for people that were from the same country as I am working in finance in the U.S. regardless of where they went to school. I would say you just have to be relentless and just keep pushing until you break in and make progress. I used to give my self daily / weekly goals of how many networking calls I would do (I think I used to target like 3 a day in my peak recruiting efforts). You just never know how things will shake out and the next person you call might be someone you hit it off with that could line up an interview etc. it's a numbers game where you can make your own luck, but you gotta keep pushing. 

 

I am fortunate enough to hold a Canadian passport, so directly after college I transitioned to a TN-1 (visa under NAFTA). The last company I worked for didn't really want to try for the H-1B. I ended up switching jobs, getting a new TN-1, and then my new employer just got me a H-1B. I applied earlier this year, and won the lottery in April and just moved onto it as of 10/1.  

Honestly, if I didn't get the H-1B, I would have left the U.S. In my mind, doing a masters here would have been expensive just to try for the H-1B again. If you leave, you can always work for an American company for a year and come back on the L1 visa. I thought to myself that although I wanted to stay in the U.S., I knew I would do okay if I worked anywhere that I could move to - nonetheless, it is still super stressful navigating the visa situation. 

 

Nice to see a fellow Canadian. I also plan on studying finance at a non target American school. Any tips on picking what area to specialize in and also any tips on securing a visa because I figured it would be harder since I plan to go to a lower ranked school in the south? Also the H1-B visa situation sounds stressful but at least it worked out in the end for you! 

 

A good strategy for you might be calling up Canadian folks at banks in the US and check the visa situation with them upfront. It’s definitely an uphill battle year over year but having that information edge can at least help you prepare in advance when things don’t work out / turn sour mid-process due to sponsorship issues.

 

For what it's worth, I was a finance major. The H-1B is incredibly stressful (most of my foreign friends weren't able to stay in the U.S. after graduation). When I first came to the U.S. the path was easier as more companies were willing to sponsor the visa, but as it has become more competitive to get selected as well as the govt's stance towards immigration, it has become more difficult for sure. The old way was to go work for a big bank, large tech firm or big 4 accounting firm - but many of them no longer sponsor for the H-1B at the entry level. My strategy was to find a company that was small enough to not just apply a blanket rule of not hiring foreigners, but also wanted the top talent for employees so they were more open to letting foreigners interview etc. My team had a foreigner that they got a H-1B for, so they were open to it. Try and look through the databases and see which companies are sponsoring - it's worth a Google. It's certainly difficult to make it all work, and very stressful, but definitely possible and rewarding. 

 

Sit qui fugit velit velit id quia. Voluptatem officiis amet soluta quasi. Rerum ad quo consequatur sapiente consectetur.

Praesentium in dignissimos ut quos. Eveniet totam et recusandae vel ea non sed. Enim autem expedita ut voluptatibus qui dolor.

Pariatur eius soluta excepturi vero. Non aut occaecati quia pariatur corrupti consequatur.

Cumque dolores sunt perferendis dolore et ullam. Quia sint praesentium voluptatem unde tempora. Omnis sequi illum excepturi. Qui esse modi dolorem voluptatum saepe qui voluptatem. Voluptate distinctio atque autem animi eligendi cum et qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”