Guys,
This is a serious and sincere plea to any of you undergraduate kids who're using these silly titles on their LinkedIn profiles. Please for god's sake, take this out. It just looks stupid and wannabe-ish. I don't know who started doing this and where, but it's just annoying to see. We get that you've received an IBD internship. We get that you're going to fancy shmancy investment bank. We also get that you worked really hard to get it and now you want to show it off to the world. But please... DON'T do this.
When Should You Update Your LinkedIn Title?
For all you wannabes who don't agree with me, think about the number of times you've come across someone's profile on LinkedIn who has an "Incoming Private Equity Associate at Carlyle/Blackstone/Blah Blah [insert PE fund here]" or an "Incoming Research Analyst at Viking/Lone Pine/Blah blah [insert HF] here". Never, right? Not once? Because its stupid and immature. Its ok if your internship or full time role starts in 6 months. Just fucking wait for it and you can happily update away on Day 1 of your dream job.
But What About Recruiters?
....And finally, for anyone who pulls up the "I'm doing this for recruiters" argument, calm your tits. It can wait. You can start networking with headhunters the day you enter your IB gigs.
Please be mature about this. I beg you.
- JD
Mod Note (Andy): Best of 2016, this post ranks #7 for the past year
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Also, I have gotten emails from undergraduate students with the signature saying "Incoming Summer Analyst"... in your email signature?? Really??
But they're usually the people who include their school/major/minor/certificate/whatever-anyone-who-didn't-go-to-your-school-wouldn't-know and also their leadership roles in campus clubs on their signature. Some people just need validation in that form.
In those situations, I give kids the benefit of the doubt -- they're young and probably excited to show others what they've accomplished thus far. I did once receive an email with a legal disclaimer (the ones that go "CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: this email including any attachments is intended only for the use of the individual or entity...") from a college junior. Who was writing from their university email. Where they manually and consciously put that signature in. For every email in our correspondence. That was just bizarre.
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I think the writer has a valid point and should redirect the poor kids somewhere else. Maybe they should keep that for Facebook, Twitter or something
lol I was just thinking about this: gives such a try-hard, amateurish impression
Cool story bro, care more.
I'm sure there are far more important things you can spend your time on
... I do not understand the monkey shits!? This is on point.
Agreed!
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If life--and perception--were merely a calculus equation to be balanced/maximized, you'd be right.
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I agree!
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Sounds like you're right with them with that Wharton display pic. Nice job.
Pretty sure he's the guy that lists his title as "Private Equity - VP" but is still in undergrad. Wouldn't put any stock into anything he says.
The problem for me is what it says to your company: that you're already looking for the exits before you even start working there.
After all, isn't the main point of this to impress recruiters?
People MS'ing OP = college kids who use these silly titles
Spot on.
I've never really cared about this, nor anybody else should. However, just for amusement purposes, I've actually seen people with "Incoming Spring Week Analyst" titles. "Springs Weeks" is a UK phenomenon, so for those of you who don't know it's basically when you spend 2-10 days at a bank shadowing people, going to presentations etc. during spring time of first year university.
Lol, I’ve seen ppl put in their one week summer at Harvard on their education too
Equally annoying: people use "MBA" as a designation who did their MBA at Southwest Dakota State University.
It's still an MBA. If you did your undergrad degree at a non-Ivy, would you say you don't have a degree?
I never said it's not an MBA. My point is: don't use MBA as a designation. "John Smith, MBA" makes no sense.
Hey man, Don't talk shit about Southwest Dakota State University. It's on the target list; I heard it's a main feeder for some top megafunds...
Sorry about that.
Maybe they worked hard for it. Maybe that's their biggest accomplishment. You don't get to shame them for education.
It's just a way for college kids to boast about their accomplishments. You'd be surprised by how many posts I see on Facebook starting with: "I'm so happy to announce that I will be interning at..." People simply want recognition and social media provides an outlet for them to get it. Those who don't do such things are usually annoyed by those who do.
who cares? nobody
Nothing wrong with using it on your linkedin, thats what linkedin is for...
Everything wrong with using it as an email signature
I can see why it upsets you but let the people enjoy their achievements. It gets funny when, like mentioned above, people put Incoming Spring Week Intern etc on LinkedIn. Or when they use the title for incoming SA in December.
It does reek a bit of insecurity and validation seeking. It's just follow the herd mentality. I also find it a bit strange that people feel the need to put "MBA" or "CFA" after their name. IMO if you're currently attending college and not doing an summer internship, just write "Student at _____ College"
The reason why you don't see "Incoming Associate at _____" is because they're still employed somewhere else whereas many never put school as their title as they believe it should always be something employment based.
From perusing LinkedIn, it's pretty individual dependent (those who put the CFA letters after their name if they're a charterholder and those who don't). Some just put it as one line on a resume. Of course, outside of finance nobody is going to know what "Joe Blow, CFA" or "Joe Blow, CAIA" is going to mean. On a side note, I had a teacher in HS who earned a PhD from nowhere important in nothing special and got pissed whenever a student would call him "mister" instead of "doctor." I thought he was just a stuck up douche.
CFA, CPA, CFP, etc. are designations earned. I think they belong after a name. I do agree with you about MBAs, though. That should not follow a name.
One thing that annoys me is when college students put "President & CEO at (some $50 business they created)"
Or they're part of the school's investment club and their title is "Portfolio Manager at (name of mickey mouse school fund)"
It's just cringeworthy.
Just makes it nice an easy to filter people out who were not good enough to get an actual job / internship.
I did an entrepreneurial thing early in college (yet didn't view it as a long-term thing), and the only fear I had about it was that employers for next the summer might think I did it because I wasn't good enough to get a "real" internship and had to resort to doing that instead. Never bothered calling myself "CEO" or some "head honcho" equivalent though.
For VC's (those who recruit SA's or entry-level analysts) it might be okay, but for those wanting to do IB I'd probably limit something like that to freshman summer, if at all. Somewhat unfortunately, if you don't follow the cookie-cutter path starting no later than sophomore summer they'll just think whatever you did is weird and irrelevant. Naturally the most successful SA candidates at BB's and EB's have already had IB experience.
"Mickey Mouse School Fund" haha even though you're hating, that was funny
Why does this bother you so much? Its really not that deep
Right?
It could be worse. I've seen "Incoming IBD summer analyst at JPM", and in the description of the job "Offers from Lazard, DB and Citi"
lol this takes the cake
That's not bad, that's just boss.
If you look hard enough you will find "Received superdays at BAML, CS, Evercore". It's almost like you're living in some alternate dimension like the Matrix.
Do these people not understand that it's obvious that you'll take the best offer that you get?
>Hire a bunch of wannabes and showoffs >Complain about the fact they are wannabes and showoffs
Something is wrong in the IBD culture.
Hit the nail on the head here
I can see both sides of the issue. When I first got my offer, I was really proud but resisted the douche temptation. Then people started asking what I would be doing after graduation, and I felt this would just be a good cover. I didn't want people in my network to think I was unable to score anything....
I got an email from HR a few weeks ago telling me to update my title as future analyst, or whatever. So really, it seems like most banks are advocating for people to do it. Not just some point of pride or one-upmanship.
Highly doubt HR actually told you to do this lol
I mean they actually did, so thanks. It would be pretty lame to be making that up. LOL, right?
This is my situation. I'm graduating in 2 weeks and signed for a job back in October. I don't want to be a try-hard and put anything in my title, but I also don't want my network to think I couldn't land anything. Someone else made the point that later in life, you don't put "incoming associate at ____" because you currently have a job. People do it in college because they don't have a job yet. I think that's spot on.
It's really classless and you will already have a bad rep at the shop you're going to if anyone there sees it. I know it's super exciting, but not worth it.
I think it's fine as an undergrad. What's sad is the 25/26 year old "aspiring investment banker" or "motivated self starter" as their job titles.