I didn’t manage to get an SA role last year so now I’m unsure on how to recruit in my final year of uni. I know ft recruiting in London is extremely competitive so should I focus more on off cycle, boutiques, maybe masters. I’m at a semi target uni for context. I’d appreciate any advice.
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Master at a target and try again summer analyst
My 2c
Masters
IB is going to be very hard to break into at this stage
Lots of qualified applicants, extensive experiences and strong technically at the interview stage
If I was being candid, I think corporate banking for semi targets is a better break-in than IBD at the junior level because you get the same exposure to the same companies and you can lateral into IBD later given you hold the relationships.
Thank you for the advice. Tbh I’d actually prefer corporate banking over IB in terms of the overall job and work life balance. I was in some processes for it last year but didn’t get thru the final round. In terms of CB recruiting, the number of programmes available is way less compared to IB. Would u have any tips on how to maximise my chances or specific strategies?
Not sure as I didn't do CB but I would guess similar to IB: show interest in the role, specific sector and be someone that can add value to the desk
don't even try your hand at ft it's way too brutal. there's loads of offcycles available, just rinse Trackr and cold emails.
Is this meant for more IB recruiting in terms of cold emailing and off cycles. Additionally, would Corporate banking or middle office grad schemes eg credit risk still be extremely difficult ?
I disagree with the person above.
You need to:
1. Have a good story on what you have done thus far (have you been sitting around doing nothing or trying to get some relevant or any work experience)
2. Be very well prepared for each application, understand the processes, and what technical + behavioural prep you need to have down to succeed. 95% of applicants are doing 100 low-quality applications rather than 10 perfect applications. By that I mean, perfect CV, perfect CL, perfect test score -> maximum shot at getting the interview
3. Fully prepare to do a masters if this is a financially viable option for you
4. Do not bother at all with FT recruiting - would solely focus on internships
5. Look at Big 4 Graduate schemes as a strong backup
This is not an all inclusive list, just first things that came to mind
Thank you for the advice. I did a PE search fund internship along with a summer internships in CB but in a different country so not extremely valuable but some experience I guess. In terms of fully focusing on internships, I don’t even qualify for like 80% of them maybe more. I don’t think an intended masters really works at getting past screening either as currently I don’t have enough time to prep the gmat for target masters so I won’t be able to get an offer for 2027. Is there any work around for summer eligibility?
You definitely can cram for the GMAT if you work hard enough. I have seen it done a few times.
Most places (albeit not all) will take graduates for a summer internship fwiw
I’m not sure which companies you’re talking ab. From what I checked, aside from BBs and EBs, most MM firms apart from some like Nomura, all specify that it’s for penultimate year students. Is the requirement not that strict ?
Even when they explicitly state its for penultimate year students?
Apply for LBS/LSE/Oxbridge masters while applying for IB/PE off-cycles. Market is better than last year so I assume hc will open up soon, but things is with the development of AI, it is getting insanely competitive, I've seen a couple of SA who can do a full LBO themselves
Market activity is very good but banks are very careful about over hiring due to AI implementation. My BB cut its 2026 SA class by 20-25%. Return rates have been very low. I am not even sure they plan to open grads positions this year.
I might know your firm and have talked to friends there, partially agree
Depends how much experience you have ngl. If you have some decent internships, oxbridge/LSE etc are the best choice. However if you need to work on your profile a bit more, look into 2 year target masters at hec, escp, bocconi, hsg or similar where you can do a gap year and gain experience before trying for springs, SAs and off cycles.
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