Campus Recruiting: Back to Front office

So at my school, very few IB's recruit, and if they do show up its mainly for back office positions. Rightly so, most of our students are not known for their business acumen. However I feel like I could stack up to Ivy and more target school candidates. I have had two substantial internships with local PE funds (both of which + 500MM under management) through networking, strong GPA, and am completeting my senior engineering project with full mock exit strategies (complete with buy side and sell side models, which I've won numerous awards for) with a litany of other resume boosters. I feel like if I where at a better school I would (relatively) be a slam dunk. Can I move from the back to the front office? Or am I SOL.

PS if it helps the firm I'm looking at is Goldman IB

(ie in this post I said I was a senior, which is correct but I'm finishing a second degree which ill be done with in a year, so yes I'm very aware of trying to land a super day interview thanks)

8 Comments
 

just for reference, TMT is very hard to get into, even if already have a 3.9 from Wharton.. while your accolades sound impressive, you always need to place yourself in context.

i'm not sure what the transition would be like (or if it all plausible), but i imagine it would be brutal for said group b/c people are constantly trying to get in there at an abnormal rate (even by Goldman IBD standards)

 
Best Response

While I don't think anything is impossible, especially with good networking skills (which looks like you have), I'd have to agree with others and say that the GS TMT group would be difficult to get into even for the most qualified of candidates - its what almost everyone want to go into.

I have heard that it is possible to break in from the BO to the FO, but it would take a lot of initiative and effort from the individual. I also think it helps if you go to a reputable school - even for internal mobility programs, directors and such still have to read resumes.

 

Maybe I was somewhat over zealous on my initial post with the Goldman TMT, it was more of a compass I guess. I also have two years left on my engineering degree with a third internship this summer at a boutique doing tech m&a. But its sounding like getting into a BB IB group is not going to happen (right out of school) is that everybody's consensus?

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No, you have a shot at a BB, though you're confusing me. You wrote you completed your senior project. Will you be going to grad school in engineering? I hope not, as that would be a colossal waste of money (+ opportunity cost) if you just want to get in to finance. In a year though when you're applying for SA slots you'll have two PE internships and one boutique IB. I'd say that's a pretty damn good resume, and assuming your GPA and SAT are decent you have a good shot at BBs if you can explain what's going on with your engineering situation

 

To clear it up, this is my true senior year, but my sophomore year I picked up an econ major as well, so between the two majors I have roughly another year of school. I did my senior project this year because it was with my group I've had since freshman year instead of putting together a new team. So i'll be in the recruiting class for 2010.

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

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