advice needed in awkward situation: how should I address verbal offer extended but later cancelled summer internship

Hi all. This is rising junior at semi-target. Here's my situation: I received a verbal offer for an internship at a small PE firm for summer 2020. I was excited but made the very thoughtless mistake of including "incoming private equity intern" on my resume before receiving any written offer. I then sent the resume to a handful of bulge bracket for their SA 2021 programs. Two weeks later, I learned from the hiring manager of the small PE firm that the firm was downsizing and they only officially accepted one intern for the summer who is a rising senior with prior PE experience. tl;dr: I didn't intern at the firm, but I couldn't find a way to update the resumes that I already sent out.

Anyways, I have my first superday next week and I have a feeling I will definitely be asked about this. Please give me advice on how to talk about this. Should I send them an email beforehand with the correct resume explaining what has happened? I am just worried that will make myself sound thoughtless and stupid if I tell them the story above. someone please help.

3 Comments
 

Don’t mention it at all. People won’t ask about it.

If they dig into it then address it as follows: “I was extended an offer but they recently reneged on it because they’re experiencing downsizing from COVID. It was an unfortunate circumstance but I’m currently in the final interview stages with a couple of other firms for an upcoming internship to replace this one on my resume.”

 

Totam ducimus odio et et. Eius corrupti qui nisi recusandae facere esse. Est qui dicta dolorem nemo eum qui beatae. Ipsam dolores corporis quasi enim impedit nulla qui. Pariatur voluptatem voluptates non ullam.

Eum alias recusandae repellat quod non minus excepturi voluptatem. Est earum autem ratione quidem autem. Ad voluptas quas est voluptatum ut excepturi tempora. Rerum quibusdam reprehenderit voluptas distinctio iure provident voluptatem. Adipisci ipsam doloribus est reiciendis vel aspernatur. Qui laudantium dicta ex quisquam vitae sed voluptatem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”