FT recruiting question
So I’m currently a IB SA at a regional M&A boutique. I will get exposure to live deals so my resume will be polished and competitive. However, they don’t give return offers so I will have to go through FT recruiting. How should I go about that in interviews for FT positions? Any advice will be appreciated.
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Congrats I’m still trynna find one I might be cooked
Keep at it brotha! I almost gave up but kept grinding and finally landed one. You got this!
if you dont mind me asking what was your process
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I recruited FT with no summer analyst program, I would keep doing what you're doing and connect with as many people as you can at the banks you want to land at. Start earlier than later, assuming you graduate next year your recruiting timeline will probably peak late summer of this year, though some processes may have already started. If you miss late summer other ad-hoc processes might be available in spring but I would try to avoid that if you can. Good luck!
I can comment on this because I just went through the exact same thing. Will be starting FT next month.
Background: Super non target school, with only a couple of people in banking full-time, and a small group of students recruiting for SA and FT. Had a banking internship in my sophomore and junior summers, both at small boutiques with a couple of small live deals (~75M).
Since your bank doesn't give return offers, there isn't a concern of them finding out you are applying elsewhere. Additionally, if anyone at the bank worked at bigger banks before, try and see if they can put you in touch with anyone.
Get started networking sooner rather than later, starting outreach around July, and keep your resume super polished–continuing to update. I was very surprised how early everything started last year. A couple of weeks after intern season ends, final head count is tallied, and banks decide if/how many more FT they will take on. Many top candidates already have their names in the ring at that point.
FT recruiting happens throughout the year, however, it slows down a lot after around February. If you don't land something in October/November, it's not completely over. I was working alongside my friends in the recruiting process, and 2 of them got their offers in October. I didn't get my offer until late March 2025, and my friend got his in April 2025. True story.
The interviews were very similar to the SA interviews I had (technical, behavioral, paper LBO), with a bit more focus on the deal work. Make sure you can talk about the deals, the steps in the process, and your specific involvement and contributions.
Networking is just as important, if not more important, than SA recruiting. You have to continue to reach out to every single person you know. I sent over 2000 emails throughout the process.
This is all pretty high-level, but I'm happy to answer any specific questions you may have. Best of luck!
Thanks for the elaborate response, very helpful. The bank I’m interning at does a lot of sell-side M&A. I really like it so far and would like to do it FT. Should I reach out to M&A bankers only? What tier banks did you target, MM BB EB? I’m focusing more on MMs. I have already started networking and have had pretty good conversations.
You really should be speaking to anyone who is willing to talk with you. If your current internship focuses on a specific sector, then it will likely be easier to leverage that experience in the same sector. With that said, you should be reaching out to bankers in other groups as well if you think you can get in touch with them. Two of my friends ended up in completely different sectors than they interned in.
As far as the type of bank, I would keep an open mind and apply broadly. Don’t avoid applying to T2/T3 banks because of "less prestige" or whatever. EBs are going to be much more difficult because there are just fewer seats. I personally had less luck with BBs, but others I know had a different experience. I think your approach of focusing on MM is smart.
What banks were these? Paper lbo sounds pretty intense ngl. Have only heard of Blair doing this for SA but can imagine EBs can do this as well
They are very easy. Lots of banks, if not most banks, do them. Just watch a video and practice a few–you'll get it quite quickly.
It didn't start until a few weeks after summer internships ended? If that's the case, it seems like it would be fine to just recruit after your internship, right?
Sort of. People start receiving offers a few weeks after the internship ends. Meaning, they were networking through the summer, then did a few rounds of interviews and landed their offers within a few weeks of their internship ending. The top students will already know the available seats and interview quickly, so you need to be proactive and try and get ahead.
Hello, I got an offer at a no-name balance sheet bank for next summer, but I ideally want to lateral to EB/BB for FT. If you have a quick sec, may I ask a few questions regarding your experience FT recruiting so far, and if you have any advice? Thank you.
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