No return offer - feeling like a failure is an understatement
I feel so gutted and that is an understatement. Basically I was told during mid summer I was a top performer. I then unfortunately didn’t do very well on my final presentation. I was dealing with some personal issues which I’m not using an excuse but an explanation. I was barely sleeping (I was spinning my wheels like a maniac) and trying to perfect every little thing in my presentation (in the materials I submitted) that in hindsight I should’ve spent that time on maybe actually practicing presenting or practicing my conceptual understanding.
That got me cut.
I guess it’s the name of the game, but I cannot help but think how I was a great and proactive asset on my deal teams (which has been corroborated), spent so much time getting to know people, tried so hard to meet the bar despite not coming from a finance major background, and my project is what ultimately got me cut. My group had like a 50% ro conversion.
I feel super dejected. I worked so hard to get here and while I really enjoyed the work (truly I did), and I’d love to work in the industry FT, I also want to be realistic and don’t wanna fit a circle peg into a square hole. I feel like I’m almost embarrassing myself.
Looking for some advice, or stories, I guess. I just wanted to vent or hear from people who have gone through similar instances.
Wow, are you me? This is exactly the boat that I am in. Im so sorry, it’s such an awful feeling. Would love some advice as well.
Yeah this fucking sucks, feel like I could’ve done better but several people clearly came in with the upper hand politically, and that gap only widened even with persistent intros w/ my team. Combined with little reps and several failed deals just leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. I knew it was coming but how can my future be decided on ~2-3 weeks of work that actually mattered.
Same situation man, don’t let this be a reflection of yourself. This is just a job, and those are just their opinions at the end of the day. We gotta prove them wrong
Replying as someone who was in the same boat last year with no return offer. Honestly it’s not worth your mental energy to go and try to prove a bunch of assholes wrong who only knew 1 aspect about you for 10 weeks. I’ve had and still have that feeling a lot but honestly it’s just better to focus on your own success and be proud you refused to give up even when major adversity like that comes your way. You prove people wrong when that’s not your main intention, it’s a powerful feeling but ultimately just unsustainable and only does damage to your mental health. Go kick some ass
I didn’t get a return offer from my internship. It was the first time I’d ever failed at something so important to me, and it led to a real reckoning with myself over what would make me happy and why I wanted to pursue finance in the first place.
I landed in a spot in IB I’m very satisfied with, but wasn’t something I would’ve considered a massive win when I was a sophomore gunning for a name-brand firm. My gratitude for what I have is tenfold even though it was a notable step down in prestige.
I’d suggest you hit the ground running on full-time recruiting, but also take the opportunity to do some soul searching on what mistakes you made and whether the path you’re on is what you want anyway. I’m not going to BS you and claim “this will help your career in the long run” but it’s 100% true that your setbacks can be your greatest gift if you want them to be. What you can stand to gain from this is much greater than your career, and you control that narrative.
Feel free to PM me, I’d be happy to speak. Keep your head up.
Guessing this is Wells Fargo, very similar situation. Cuts in my group made no sense
Yep, right on the money.
Same for me rip
I just interned at wells too and didn’t get a return offer. My group only gave out 50%. Shitty feeling.
Really sorry to hear this brother. But no time to lament now. As Alex hormozi says the world does not care. It will never care. But do so much work that is unreasonable for you to not win. Shoot everyone in your network w message and explain you were a strong candidate and outwork every damn mf who sits by lamenting. I hope it works out brother. Stay strong and envision success and try to lean into the law of attraction. Best wishes.
this - get back on the apps, no complaints - just go forward
There are better jobs, with better pay and work life balance. Don’t be pulled into the vortex of fake banking prestige. It’s prestigious because it’s kept behind a very high gate. I’m sure you saw the work is incredibly uninteresting. unless moving logos around for 15hrs is your thing. There is more out there for you, high performer, cares about his/her work. Rejection is Protection, it wasn’t meant for you. Find the place that wants you. As you said round peg in a square hole. Find the round hole, maybe it’s not banking. You’re young and ambitious, there are so many better opportunities out there for you! Just imagine being at a job making comparable pay and having a life after 5pm, or the ability to enjoy your weekends, the same career trajectory with all the benefits. Stay positive.
I appreciate this sentiment, but what other paths are there that offer a similar trajectory or at least comparable? It feels like everything, at least in the niche of finance, is centered around IB being the stepping stone to launch any successful career
There is none tbh. People say this on here to make others feel better. I missed my window 10 years ago and see all my friends in private equity making millions of dollars a year all while saying how horrible it is; yet when I ask them why they don’t quit they don’t have a good answer. I also get told “there’s plenty of ways to make more money with less hours” which simply isn’t true. Finance is the most risk adjusted way to become a multi millionaire. I’d try to find some other way in. I think about it and beat myself up everyday. These people will lie to your face sadly.
Some kids came up with total nonsense, but still managed to present their way into offers. The staffers don't evaluate your excel or ppt.
Makes zero sense given they join next year with zero expectations to speak up and will offer sloppy execution. The way decision-making works in this industry is insane at times.
yall need to get over it, we all face failure in our lives as life is a bumpy road. You could spend all day thinking about how you were unlucky or how things couldve gone differently but theres no point. just accept the facts, learn from it, and start working towards the next goal
Your story hits home because it reminds me so much of myself during my SA stint. I gave it absolutely everything, sometimes to the point of looking haggard and unprepared relative to those who put in a B effort but got their sleep. I got the offer, but barely (a spy told me they debated over me and decided to take a shot on me because they knew I'd work hard).
The good news is, people like you tend to crush FT. You might think that you're entering FT recruiting with some kind of stigma as someone who didnt get the return offer. In reality, it's almost the exact opposite.
The strongest candidates in FT are those with offers, but guesss what: there aren't many of those in FT. The next strongest candidates are people like you: good internship, no offer, and most importantly people who will vouch for you. Bankers trust other bankers. Find 1 or 2 people who will say you did a good job, and they're worth their weight in gold.
I think you'll do well in FT. Get ready for it.
Every time I got rejected from a job it was a blessing because something much better was waiting for me down the line that I couldn't see yet. Looking back I'm actually thankful because my life would have sucked if I had gotten what I wanted back then. Very possible you'll land something way better than WF IB in the coming years.
Chin up, I didn't get a full time return offer during my summer and 8 years later made it to PE buyout. Life has swings for everyone.
Can I pm you ?
For sure!
unfortunately it’s a lot less fair and a lot more luck based than you could ever believe. trust me, don’t take it personally for one second. FT recruiting is hard and it sucks but teams are in dire need of juniors so an upgrade is definitely not out of the question. It’s not 2023 anymore
Same situation a year ago with the same reasoning too. Depending on your bank, you have maybe ~1 month of the "log jam" excuse saying "did well on my mid-year report ended off good with my old team, but no official communication yet due to business HR and all that shit. Meantime contact your team and see if you can market yourself like you got a RO that'll help immensely. If they're not assholes they'll be chill with it cuz people get it. Blast everywhere, IB & non-IB (adjacent roles), big and small. Network with people and fuck the WSO advice follow up every 2-3 days if they have a live process. If you land something in the next 3 months, then chill tbh and wait for the next window (1st year lateral, 6-12 months of FT employment), otherwise the big wave ends like October, and then you'll have tinier processes throughout. If you're still out by then, then you gotta be honest - emphasize everything you did right (strong mide-year, etc) and emphasize you got knocked by deprioritizing the final project over live deal work that ramped up the same time and it was an honest mistake you learned from.
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