I graduated two months ago with a STEM major, 3.7 + GPA and I had a one year internship on the buyside as a fixed income analyst. I've been applying and going through the recruitment process for almost a year now.
I'm having a lot of difficulty bypassing HR gatekeepers. I always get shut down when they inquire if I need sponsorship in the future. My current strategy is to network with analysts, who end up forwarding my resume to HR. I then get a first round interview and immediately get shut down when the question pops up.
Should I just start networking with higher-ups? Is there very little chance for internationals? Advice would be much appreciated.
Bump because I'd really appreciate any sort of insight.
Honestly, you've got it really tough. Smaller firms most likely won't take you. So you've gotta focus on the large firms that are ultra competitive. It's possible that there's nothing much you can do, but networking with those big firms that have sponsored in the past will help. I.e. Bulge brackets
I figured this would be the most likely case. Thanks for the reply though - I appreciate it.
Would it be equally as hard if I tried out the sellside scene in bulge brackets? Is there anywhere else I can go that will provide exit ops to AM?
Bulge brackets have AM arms as well btw. You seem like a smart guy, so maybe you could go for a PHD and either go towards macro (Econ PHD) or Quant (Math / CS PHD). But your situation definitely sucks.
Move to Miami.
Not sure if this is a joke, but why Miami?
My condolences to you as I'm going through similar struggles. Non-target school with finance and BD background, 3.9 GPA, very employable resume, currently on OPT at a Fin-tech startup, and have been looking to switch for 6 months now.
Just plain out of luck. Consulting companies won't speak once I mention my Visa. VP - level connections at BB's and PE's don't know how to help. Insurance reps show some interest, but again, won't go beyond Visa issues. With each passing day, I begin questioning the purpose of it all since guys with WAY fewer connections and experience all seem to be making it somehow.
Very interested to hear about any developments you might have had.
Sent you a PM. I relate a lot with your story. To be honest I think it's just a really bad time to be an international. A lot of places have stopped sponsoring. Companies in general seem unwilling to hire internationals, even with the OPT STEM extension.
Similar boat, 3.8GPA with experience abroad in S&T. I'm applying for AM and Macro Research positions and I'm quite nervous about hearing back. Some of my friends tried to network their way into BBs but haven't heard back. PM'd you.
Im in the same boat, living in Miami. once I mention I'll need a sponsorship in the future no one wants to know anything about it.
How has it been since 2017? Any improvements? Any good luck?
It's impossible, guys. H1B is lottery with 10% chances for approval and strict application deadlines. Doesn't make sense for someone to make you an offer without knowing if you will gonna get the visa.
If you aren't rich enough to buy the Golden Visa or get OPTs from MBAs, it's over.
AM is tough to break in. I would go to IB and break into AM from there
Agreed that this is the best route if you want to stay in finance. Banks are a lot more likely to sponsor for IB positions and once you get the H1B it's a lot easier to switch to other jobs.
My firm (large asset manager) hires a good amount of H1B people and some into FO roles, however, none of them at the entry level out of college. Most tend to be risk or quants. The rationale being that you are too much of a risk to outweigh the cost of the H1B process. What I would do if I were you is to compile a list of asset managers and go on H1B salaries.com or whatever it is called and search them up to see if they have historically hired junior level people into investing seats at their firm. At least then, you can target firms that would be willing to sponsor you based on their historical behavior of doing the same for others in your situation. Could also look up employees at firm in the department and level that hired H1B and try to compare profiles with suspected H1B holders (look for international experience, universities, etc to filter) to see if u have a reasonable shot.
Then, apply and try and get an in at said firm through networking because you’ll probably need it. Not only are AM seats pretty rare in general and especially to grab out of college, on top of that you need H1B sponsorship so someone will probably need to go to push your case internally for it to realistically work out. It’s also a tough macro environment and tight labor market so there’s plenty of talent to pick from that probably have more experience and don’t need sponsorship. Not to deter you but just to inform you of the reality. I would strongly consider other fields in your search as well if your goal is to get employed in the US. You could always switch once you secure something and the macro and labor market environments are more favorable. Good luck.
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