Case Competition on Resume
So I got 2nd place in an IBD case comp for one of the BB's. Wanted some advice as to how to present it on my resume (under work experience or leadership, what parts to emphasize, how long should I make it compared to my other top entries on my resume, etc...)
By way of background, I'm a junior at a target applying for IBD SA programs at all of the BB's (and many of the boutiques as well). The case comp isn't well-known, it was actually our school-specific and was the first yr it was being held. But the bank is one of the best known BB's and there were over 40 teams competing.
Would really appreciate any feedback, and thanks in advance!
case comp resume bullets example
When putting your case competition experience on your resume - there are several ways to do this which depend on how your resume is structured.
If your resume has a "Relevant Experience" section, you could include the experience there. If your resume does not have a "Relevant Experience" section, you could include this experience in "Awards & Honors" or an "Other Activities Section."
"midnight_oil - Investment Banking Analyst"Let's say the case was for JPM. You do something like this:JPMorgan Investment Banking Case Competition
Finalist (or Runner-Up)Then come the bullet points:
- The first one should be descriptive (i.e. took 2nd place in a team of 4 participants in a school wide case competition). Emphasize that it was a team effort.
- The other two bullets should:
- Talk about what was your recommendation to the company studied (i.e. "recommended to sell to strategic advisor")
- The actual analyses you performed ("performed comparable company, precedent transaction, DCF, Accretion / Dilution and LBO analyses to derive the company's valuation").
If asked, you shouldn't be boasting about how you did everything and others didn't do shit, but you should still imply that you partook in all the valuation analyses and that you can TALK about them, otherwise what's the point of putting the case comp on.
User @maximus307" shared another strategy:
"maximus307"If you have a finance related internship or two, you could make a separate section called "finance experience" and include the case competition with your other internship(s). Go into detail demonstrating what you actually did with active language. Emphasize leadership if you worked in a team and throw in as many numbers as possible in your bullet(s).
Didn't Win Case Study on Resume?
If you didn't win your case study but it was a sponsored by a very relevant firm or is a well-known case study, it doesn't hurt to put your participation on your resume, especially if you do not have a lot of finance experience to put on your resume. Similar to above, you can describe the work you did and the recommendation that you made. Instead of putting your role as “runner up,” you would put something like “participant.”
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