Controversial: DEI holding me back in recruiting
My pops has a close buddy at a BB bank who works high up in LevFin who told me that I shouldn't waste my time with applying with them because they are only recruiting DEI applicants. This is probably not the universal case, but I feel super discouraged now spending hours applying to firms knowing that me being Asian is holding me back.
At my target PWI, I get invited to diversity networking events all the time, and am definitely treated like a minority by the student body -- And I'm constantly reminded of it all the time by fratty finance bros asking if I want to be a quant. But it seems absolutely ridiculous knowing that in reality, DEI doesn't include me as a minority in hiring even though they pretend to with these "DiVerSity iN BuSinEss" and "iNclUsiviTy" events preaching to me about the value of equal opportunity and finance being an industry based on mEriToCracY. One of my other Asian buddies at the best target for finance (you know what school I'm talking about) who is the smartest kid I've ever met has applied to 130 jobs and is having trouble getting 1st round interviews despite an insane cv.
Go ahead and call me a pussy for whining about this shit, but I just find it absurdly hypocritical that firms consider Asians as DEI at events, but not in hiring.
Just my two cents, don't get ass prissy
Reflect hard on this man
Fuck these jobs man.
Fuck these jobs bro. Create some shit instead boom all your problems are solved.
You will have great meritocracy plus you will be able to make as much as you put in vs putting 100 hours for a capped salary
Fuck these jobs bro. Create some shit instead boom all your problems are solved.
You will have great meritocracy plus you will be able to make as much as you put in vs putting 100 hours for a capped salary
My top EB just finished recruiting and over 60% of the class is East Asian so maybe you just suck? Lol
Fuck these jobs bro. Create some shit instead boom all your problems are solved.
You will have great meritocracy plus you will be able to make as much as you put in vs putting 100 hours for a capped salary
This conversation has tired. There are entirely too many posts with monkeys, prancing about, circumambulating, around the same yellowing semblance of “meritocracy”.
First, meritocracy, in investment banking recruiting, has never existed—not now, in 2008, 1990, or 1900. These are private entities entitled to their discretion for selecting candidates in a highly selective and competitive process [if their selection is to their detriment that will very much soon be realized].
There are two irrefutable realities you are not recognizing here.
So, we have a situation where PRIVATE/PUBLIC entities (of course with fiduciary obligations but who have general prerogative) select from a pool (read: black gulf) of overqualified candidates who might, at best, be able to marginally differentiate themselves through “fit” “behavioral” or “technicals” (given low skillset requirement).
In addition, as mentioned, this industry has never recruited along the dimensions of merit alone but rather values—whether of kin, prior relationships, cult, religion, frat, alma mater, race, gender, sport, etc. You are ONLY, perhaps, MARGINALLY, more qualified than the DEI kid from Harvard—which there isn’t concrete evidence of mind you, just your misapprehended tirade. This is AN EASY job (skill wise) that yields pay outs ridiculous.
~Networking, is then your only recourse, if you can't land anything, you must not be charismatic or interesting enough, to ping the multitude of variables in which you could connect with someone above.
I wish I could SB this a hundred times. As an Asian male from a giga-nontarget, I have never, ever, ever felt my Asian-ness held me back nearly as much as my school. Literally everyone can do this job, and banks rely on qualitative judgement calls to make hires. "Cultural fit" used to literally just mean white.
Fuck these jobs bro. Create some shit instead boom all your problems are solved.
You will have great meritocracy plus you will be able to make as much as you put in vs putting 100 hours for a capped salary
Fuck these jobs bro. Create some shit instead boom all your problems are solved.
You will have great meritocracy plus you will be able to make as much as you put in vs putting 100 hours for a capped salary
This is all it comes down to lol, they always think they're better than the DEI kid but never take the second to think about whether they're better than their ORM peers. Answer is usually not.
You aren’t private if you are taking govt money.
Sucks to be an Asian male for DEI. Also sucks to be a bad candidate. Don't know if you are both but I've seen a good amount of east asians posting about their good offers. I'm not saying its not more competitive, but just saying, as I know Asian women are also considered DEI.
However, should note that, once again, DEI helps white women the most considering the amount of rich white women landing crazy good offers just because they went to elite private schools or are in sororities, etc, when better candidates with good experience are being robbed of these positions. This is not anecdotal: I literally see it in real-time. But we also see it with student athletes, frat bros, etc. you know it.
So yes, sucks that asian males aren't considered DEI when rich ass private-school attending hispanic + black people are considered underprivileged, but there's more flaws to the system as we know it. Also, the BB that your dad's buddy seems to work at seems suspicious as fuck if they're saying you're not getting the role simply because "DEI." Just saying.
The issue isn’t diversity.
The issue is your dad goofed off when he should have been working hard. Being Asian means your dad is likely smart and worked in a time before diversity. So why aren’t you rich and don’t need to work in finance?
Don’t hate diversity initiatives. Hate the fact your dad didn’t strike while the iron was hot in his time, and now you’re butt hurt JPM won’t hire you.
Been lurking for a while and come across your comments all the time smoke. I don’t understand if you are a troll or just have a provocative personality. Regardless, I kind of dig your style man, but it’s obvious you have a fetish for talking about other people’s parents for some reason
Advice is always sound, people just can’t take the hard truth.
Use this cry baby post as an example.
He's complaining he can’t get a coveted job, not because he sucks or jobs are in high demand, but because some liberal in Washington stacked the deck against him.
The truth is he simply had a loser for a dad.
Because a great dad would have passed on to him intelligence, or motivated him to study and get into an Ivy or been a rich success.
But he’d rather cry into the void of the internet and blame something nebulous like DEI, instead of accepting him and his dad are simply average Asian dudes.
Remember this next time you vote.
oh hell yeah
I see all of these posts and I can't help but think it's a skill issue. I am at a state school target (Berkeley, UMich, UT, UVA), and all the non-diverse kids (I'm considering this to be male and white or Asian) who are quality end up getting good offers. Last year we were able to get multiple across MF PE, MM HF, MF PC, and top EBs/BBs. And this year multiple non-diverse candidates have already signed MF PE, MM HF, and top banking offers.
I do know some smart non-diverse candidates who are still unable to get offers, but if you were truly a top ten candidate amongst all of the non-diverse candidates then you were basically guaranteed a top offer (whether that's buyside or sellside). If you're struggling this much then you must not be that good.
As an asian guy I can understand this sentiment at a core level. Went to a competitive school district and all the stages of grief when applying to colleges, but you've gotta move on man. The longer you dwell on these things outside of your control the more emotional time and energy you waste on something you can't change.
If your buddy is at a top target and is applying to 130 companies with no luck it's not the system that's broken it's that he's an actual dumbass, your edge in going to a target is your network and not just your brand lol.
Appreciate the advice man. You are motivating me
It just seems like you first tried the nepotism route and it didn't work, now you're whining about someone else. Truth is there are kids just like you who are just slightly more well connected and got in when they tried the same thing. Better luck next time.
Sequi vel pariatur enim vitae sunt aspernatur vel. Ea voluptatem iusto error eveniet. Iste error et temporibus assumenda non minus quasi. Reiciendis voluptatem libero ut aliquam. Voluptatem doloribus vel molestiae molestiae dignissimos fugit est.
Dolorum in id voluptatem mollitia unde cupiditate. Aut aut sapiente reiciendis suscipit quia molestias.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Modi harum tempora voluptas rem. Vitae dolor accusamus et deserunt occaecati cum itaque. Est vero ut provident ut. Qui aut sit perspiciatis non totam aut.