No Idea how to proceed - Down Under Edition

Going to try my best not to make this sound like I'm having a winge.

Student at Aussie target school doing MComm (Finance major, and yes, I understand this is less than ideal), was left with no choice but to pursue postgrad after torpedoing my grades in the first two years of UG during COVID. I wasn't even interested in high finance, let alone IB, until later in UG, but have since made a drastic improvement in my grades (85 WAM), taken multiple internships at boutiques, done modelling courses, and aggressively networked.

I still didn't get a single first round at any BB/EB/MM for SA, regardless of referral or not.

I feel like I am quite competent in an interview, can efficiently financial model, and am all-around easy to get along with. But getting to the interview has been the highest barrier for years now.

Am I always going to have to live with being dinged for mistakes I made at 18/19? I understand the odds are already incredibly stacked against me, being a bloke in a market with very few seats, but it surprises me how little of a difference any kind of improvement/resilience makes in the midst of a past mistake.

Has anyone else been at this stage before? Would appreciate any advice.

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

AU associate here working in coverage for a BB

Recruiting here is very superficially selective given limited amount of spots. Your WAM and prior experience is enough so that isn’t an issue

Might just be bad luck not making it through screening. If you’re comfortable with your interview skills and CV, I’d recommend just giving it another shot.

I failed to secure a SA gig and still ended up here - there’s always a route if you try hard (although it might take a bit longer). 

Can always PM if you want to chat.

 

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