My full recruiting process for [role] – timeline, missteps, and what actually mattered

I went through the recruiting process for Role this cycle and figured I’d share a full breakdown, since a lot of posts either skip details or only focus on the final outcome.

Background:

  • School / background:
  • GPA (if relevant):
  • Prior experience:
  • Target roles:

Timeline:

  • Early stage: Resume prep + initial networking
  • Mid stage: First rounds and superdays
  • Final stage: Offers / rejections

What helped more than I expected:

  • Having a clear, simple story for why this role
  • Following up consistently with contacts (short and specific)
  • Spending more time on behaviorals than I initially planned

What mattered less than I thought:

  • Over-polishing technical prep early
  • Prestige signaling

Big mistakes:

  • Waiting too long to start outreach
  • Not tracking conversations well

Outcome:
Didn’t get everything I applied for, but learned far more than I expected about how this process actually works.

Posting this in case it helps anyone going through the same thing.

1 Comments
 

Qui consequatur repellendus ratione rerum esse ullam. Ex laborum sunt doloremque dolores blanditiis. Est deleniti voluptates nesciunt enim excepturi corporis.

Ab voluptas possimus quia sed commodi. Quia quam aliquam excepturi sint est ut ipsam. Corrupti ut magni necessitatibus earum tenetur debitis. Ut pariatur itaque sint nihil. Esse impedit necessitatibus vitae est fuga. Saepe nisi quia eum quasi ut. Ut pariatur deleniti voluptate iusto.

Voluptas vel earum provident fuga consequatur doloribus. Temporibus quia rem doloribus repellat explicabo sed quos. Et nemo quis enim quia ut. Et fuga qui at itaque voluptatem impedit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
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...”