Need help with confidence - networking
I’m an undergrad from a non-finance background trying to break into banking. For personal reasons, I did not recruit successfully for banking last year (had no finance experience) and took a gap year/extended grad date. I’m trying again this cycle, but my record has been a massive hit to my confidence, and I feel foolish competing with all of these people younger than me with better GPAs. It’s been affecting my confidence in networking and feeling entitled to reach out to bankers, since I objectively just do not feel like a catch. Anyone have advice for this problem, and for articulating my story in a compelling way?
I’m an upperclassman and changed my career plans relatively recently (transitioning out of an unrelated industry), so I lack the typical spring weeks and finance clubs on my resume. I’m trying to network and find a boutique PE internship ASAP for summer 2028 recruiting but have no idea how to position myself given my unconventional profile. I’m completely on my own (non-nepo) and need money soon for uni-related expenses. My resume is also weird, because I’m relatively experienced in one industry, but with minimal finance-related exposure. Does it make sense to completely remove the other experiences from my resume and position myself as a lower-classman and look for boutique internships? Would the prior experience in another industry actually work against me?
(For those who might advise getting an MBA- I do not want to delay my career, and financially cannot justify it right now. The MBB cycle is also over at this point.)
On the confidence thing, a lot of people in banking got there by believing it belonged to them and then put the work behind it to achieve it. If you never stop, continue to ‘level up’ and don’t give up you’d eventually break into IB, whenever that is. Therefore, you’re destined to break into IB (assuming you have the basic prerequisites of a 3.7 in a STEM/finance-related degree at a minimum ok non-target top 50 school) if you really want it, it’s yours. You just have to go and get it. Believe you deserve it, and that you are owed what you want. Then follow through with the attitude and work.
Sounds corny and might not have been explained in the most concise and cohesive manner, but it does work.
Gl
Neque harum ab dolorem nemo porro est. Et nulla qui et dolorum. Iusto eum fugit distinctio incidunt accusantium. Exercitationem illum provident repudiandae et.
Qui quis quia corrupti quod dolores omnis. Non voluptas sapiente ea sed et. Illum commodi numquam harum fugiat. Assumenda corrupti inventore autem velit accusamus laudantium unde.
Dignissimos molestiae voluptate voluptatem similique. Voluptatem quis quo veritatis quia dolorem quibusdam architecto. Fugiat sunt et dolorem rem veniam ut rerum. Quaerat commodi impedit maxime facilis.
Velit ipsum veritatis repellat dignissimos voluptatum porro dolorem repellendus. Qui nulla totam neque quo tenetur ipsam.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...