Worked at a top MM investment bank this past summer. Did not receive a return offer due to factors beyond my control. Now recruiting for FT 2026 IB roles.
If anyone is aware of groups or firms still hiring, or potential analyst openings, I’d really appreciate any leads or guidance. Happy to share resume or connect via DM. Feel pretty cooked at this point and just looking for one shot.
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I’m in the same boat. I went to 7 Superdays since I didn’t get the RO and didn’t land a single offer. At this point I’ve given up on the hope of breaking back in. I’d keep an open mind, because in this market it’s very unlikely any bank will take a kid with no return offer, good bank or not. Good luck man.
Damn, I’m really sorry to hear that. That’s honestly brutal.
But at the same time, getting 7 Superdays says a lot, you’re clearly doing a lot of things right to even get that far. I know it probably doesn’t feel like it, but I am sure you are doing all the right things.
I have no idea what’s breaking down at the final stage either, but I really hope something clicks for you. The market is rough right now and it’s hitting good people unfairly.
Pls dm me. I have one quick question I want to ask.
I was at top BB top group and strong Target (Dartmouth/Cornell/Duke) Still don't have a FT 26 offer yet - I feel you
Know someone that didn't get a return and is going to a BB/EB. You need to be able to convey effectively why you didn't get the return and how you've learnt from that experience and will be successful as an analyst.
Any processes that are running now will be against people with no returns, so it's on you to be the best out of the bunch.
I wanted to ask one follow-up, if you don’t mind. In your experience, do you know what kind of narrative has resonated most for people who didn’t receive a return offer but later landed at a BB or EB? I’ve heard that simply attributing it to headcount constraints is often not very convincing, so I’m trying to be thoughtful about how I frame my story and what I emphasize in terms of growth and readiness for the analyst role.
Also, as an international student, I want to be especially proactive about identifying any potential openings, off-cycle needs, or late-cycle spots that might come up. I’m very committed to staying in the process and doing everything I can to position myself well, and I’d really appreciate any insight or leads you might be willing to share.
It's all going to be personalized to you so there's not one golden answer but I think just mentioning headcount is thinking about it wrong. Even in the scenario where it was 2/9 getting returns you still could have been one of the people that got returns. A balance of saying headcount and using feedback you received and how you improved on it during the internship and had a good final review.
Being international is also tough with all the H1B stuff i've heard of some banks rescinding so that's something to look out for
Idk man i genuinely feel like that’s BS. Best candidate or not, like maybe I’m tripping but that makes no sense.
What's BS/makes no sense? If you're saying i'm lying about knowing someone than yeah you're tripping and coping hard.
I also went through the FT process to upgrade banks (albeit with a return) and in every process asked about returns so I understand your struggle. However, if you're able to speak to your deals effectively (most important part of FT recruiting) nail the techs and have a good story there's no reason to not get an offer.
Bank will likely be a downgrade (esp this late in the process) but better than no offer
I agree for sure and that come off as strong lmao so my fault. I just don’t understand what processes were these, cause shit I was in like every single one and felt like a lot of the reasons I didn’t get the offer was having no return. Was your buddy just at like a great bank? I’d understand if he was at a boutique and they had no returns yk
Hope everything works out
Similar boat MM and semi-target. Best of luck and keep pushing through.
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