Got rejected for even the first round interview because my MBA grade is about average, despite BB and mega fund experience
More for the sake of networking, I applied for a bunch of IB jobs but got rejected for even the first round interviews where I expected to meet people face to face. Emailed HR and feedback is that my MBA grade is right around average, and they don't see me as competitive in my finance capability.
Well, I spent 3 yrs in bulge bracket (leveraged finance) and 2 yrs in mega fund pre-MBA (across credit and direct PE), and I'm pretty sure these are on my resume, if not bold with font size 80.
Am I the only one living in a whole new world?
Well you're clearly not going to a top MBA if you don't have grade non-disclosure
Like I said, my main objective to go thru the interview process is to meet people face to face, and then take the networking/discussion from there. Wouldn't hurt either to explore what's out there beyond the posted job opp.
The responses I got was specifically from HR, who I believe are in charge of first round screening.
Where to start...You have thinks backward, you're suppose to be networking with people AHEAD of applying / interviewing. No offense, but your attitude is kind of entitled, you think you so good that banks will interview you so you can do some networking and figure out what's out there... It's pretty easy to see right through, you're not interested in banking as a career and that's why you're not getting any interviews.
Seems like you have 0 experience with recruiting in the US
Also you seem surprised that Asia banking/PE experience gets a 90% discount in the eyes of US IBD You should have known that going in I’m from Asia too and had to take that into consideration (had options for IBD (not levfin) in HK BBs)
Something about OP does not smell right. But I'll bite. Having been on the other side of the table for associate recruiting at MS, it's because the banks don't think that you are a serious candidate given your background. MF PE back to banking? They'd rather give the offer to the MBA career switcher whose one and only dream is to do banking -- not someone who they think is interviewing for banking as a backup option. It's that simple....and it's not HR that is rejecting you. If you are at a target MBA program, it's your school's recruiting team. And, at least here in the U.S., there is a lot of networking that goes into recruiting such that you are already a known quantity by the time the interviews roll around (e.g., events, dinners, informationals). If you are just dropping resumes for these banks without having participated in these events, then that explains that.
Agreed. And I’d add that I’d expect more maturity or knowledge of ‘how things work’ from someone who’s been in both IB and PE before (I.e., they would have enough sense to network in advance to alleviate potential questions around their interest in returning to IB, or at least attend events to demonstrate their commitmen).
I’m honestly a bit confused by the OP’s end goal. He applied *to network? So he’s just there to waste their time and has no interest in the job? Sounds like sour grapes (I.e. he thought he’d get interviews and land offers no problem, but didn’t).
OP - reading your post here (and some of your other ones where you mentioned you’re attending an MBA ‘like Wharton’), I’m frankly a bit puzzled by what you’re trying to achieve. If you are looking to go back into IB, and assuming your profile is as you say it is, it shouldn’t be difficult- but you would need to attend the IB networking events and show that IB isn’t a second or third choice for you. They’re looking for people with the right attitude and dedication.
If your goal is to go back into PE, that’s harder in Canada (given the size of market - fewer firms and typically lean teams), and similarly you’ll need to do a lot of heavy lifting on your own (network, make connections), Canadian MBAs aren’t going to be a direct path for it (places like CPPIB more often than not hire people from top US MBA programs; the ones from Canadian MBAs likely had to hustle their way in).