Preparing for Summer 2028 investment banking recruiting

I’m a rising sophomore at a non-target in the northeast with a 3.85 GPA. I’m interested in investment banking, but I’m not currently involved in any finance clubs and do not have much relevant work experience. I’m trying to figure out what I should prioritize before recruiting begins. 

When should I start networking and should i use some email software
What should I prioritize most to improve my resume? Clubs/search fund/gpa
How important is joining a finance club at this stage? 
Should i pick a specific group / product to recruit for now? 


Would appreciate any advice from people who have recently gone through recruiting.

9 Comments
 

join a club cause thatll help you network and they can give you advice on how to recruit and basically do everything 

 

Start networking in September/october and don't use an email software as you want to be deliberate with who you network with and what you say in the email 

 

Start networking in September/october and don't use an email software as you want to be deliberate with who you network with and what you say in the email 

 

would stay away from automated emails as they can be very obvious

just be intentional with your networking, use calls to figure out which team you want to focus on

otherwise just stay on top of applications, check trackr, linkedin, handshake all the time and keep a gpa >3.7

 

the timeline is the main thing. SA 2028 apps probably open in the spring of your sophomore year and banks keep pulling the date earlier, so the real runway is 6-9 months once it counts. from a non-target, start on the early end of that and show up more technical than the average applicant.

networking is a pipeline, a few emails a week over months. warm leads first (alumni, upperclassmen, hometown), then cold email once you've worked those. don't read silence as a no.

I came out of a non-target myself and got here through an MBA. you've got two years. start the spreadsheet.

free ib technical flashcards → offergoblin.com
 

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