How Important Are Non Finance Based Case Competitions for IB Recruiting?

Hey everyone, sophomore finance student here wondering how important case competitions are for IB recruiting. Lately, I’ve seen a lot of fliers going around my business school advertising the upcoming case competitions. However, most of them are non-finance related, and are geared more towards consulting and marketing.

I’m looking for ways to improve my resume this semester, and I was wondering, would it be worth it to compete in these competitions? Do IB recruiters like to see participation in case competitions, regardless of what the focus of the case may be on? I would like to participate in these cases, but I want to first know if it would be worth my time to pour hours into working on a case. Any feedback on this would be appreciated, thanks!

 
Best Response

They add very little value. The topic of making yourself more competitive for IB recruiting has come up many times on this forum but it bears repeating: there's only a certain set of things that truly matter. Your past experience, your interview skills, your technical skills, and networking are far and away more important than anything else.

Some may argue that getting in more extracurriculars, ancillary certifications, etc. might be the thing that gets you that extra competitive edge that results in you getting chosen over another candidate. I can guarantee you that nobody will look at your profile as an applicant and say, "so-and-so did some case competitions whereas others didn't, so that's why we're going to take him/her". What will matter is killing the technical portion of your interviews, having solid relevant past experience, and having good answers to behavioral questions.

Tl;dr: Focus on improving yourself in areas that actually matter when it comes to recruitment.

 

Temporibus sequi est molestiae odit necessitatibus culpa nesciunt. Aut minima et tempora. Dignissimos ab dolorem fugiat tempore eveniet neque. In impedit explicabo eum.

Totam corrupti laborum rerum earum incidunt. Dolores qui amet rerum molestiae saepe dolorem est et. Cupiditate id libero reprehenderit numquam accusamus maiores. Asperiores quo distinctio expedita. Nulla beatae et iure laboriosam tempore.

Perferendis iure laudantium iure dolorem et voluptatem neque. Sed id ex sint iusto. Deserunt quo amet eum dolorum quia ea sit. Saepe quo minima ut eos ducimus eius.

Quam repellat et laborum enim placeat maiores explicabo. A ea quis sit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”