No Return Offer from Goldman IB, Seeking Advice

I didn’t get a return offer from Goldman Sachs for investment banking, and now I’m worried about my future career.

During my feedback session, my MD told me a big reason was headcount and my midterm performance was considerably worse than the other interns in my group, despite my final performance showing immense improvement. All my MDs and the rest of my team told me that they’re more than happy to be a reference to me and help me in the future for my job hunt. 

So, I was wondering how re-recruiting without a full-time offer from GS looks like, both in banking and also other finance industries like PE, VC, etc. I come from a target school and I didn’t pursue PE recruiting this summer because I naively put all my eggs in one basket at Goldman. Now I’m worried it’s too late for PE, consulting, and other investing roles.

What should I be doing now? Will Goldman IB on my resume be a good look for me even if I didn’t get the full-time job if I apply to roles outside of finance, like consulting or corporate development? Should I be mentioning if asked about if I didn’t get a return that my MDs can be references for me? How do I reach out to alumni in banking again about my situation without it being awkward?

9 Comments
 

I think you’ll be okay. As long as you try to network and recruit even if it’s LMM, you’ll be back in investment banking. I’ve seen plenty of people go from MM to BB without a return and have seen GS to Cantor/Santander. Ive seen people go from spectrum to MM IB. Growth and PE is def possible depends on how you portray everything and come off confident and ready to learn and be better. You’re good bro. Good luck!

 

Upgrading is pure luck, and I’m sure some of them lie about RO. And some banks don’t care. For growth and PE you just gotta start now for recruiting. But yes I do believe if you wanted to go to really good boutiques you def could. It’s kinda rare to see Goldman ib not get back into IB. I think if you do consulting like no one is gonna ask about the RO. If they do just say it wasn’t a fit and you like consulting better. You could go to MBB if you case well. 

 

why is it rare to see gs ib not go back into ib? do you know anyone who didn't get a return offer and where they ended up?

 

I mean not GS. But I can think of people yeah, just not gonna say cause you can then see their LinkedIn lol. It’s possible, they didn’t lie they just said headcount. Guy below is right to an extent, but if you’re at GS IB and recruit for LMM. I don’t think they’ll care if you didn’t get a RO as long as you prove yourself. 

 
Most Helpful

Officiis aut corrupti qui autem et ullam natus. Saepe necessitatibus ipsam aperiam non. Quas nisi non enim aliquid voluptas tempora.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”