Recruiting is straightforward?

I've recently seen lots of reflection posts regarding 2024 SA recruiting. It's a difficult job market and more competitive than ever, but I wanted to give my two-cents, for what little it's worth.

For some background, I'm a non-diversity male at a 'non-target' school. Middle-class midwestern background with no connections or family in the industry. Full scholarship D1 athlete majoring in Econ with one other volunteer experience on campus. 1600 SAT & National Merit semi-finalist in HS. No other relevant EC's.

Freshman year: Knew nothing about Finance, got a good GPA (3.8), and applied to ~200 internships in everything from marketing to politics to VCs. Landed an unpaid internship at a search fund where I realized I enjoyed finance and learned about investment banking, the recruiting process, and some basic principles of accounting & valuation.

I have to say, even in a difficult year, I believe my experience in the recruiting process was incredibly straightforward. I wasn't the most qualified, didn't work the hardest, and am definitely not the sharpest, but genuinely believe the difficulty of this process is dramatically overstated. 

Sophomore year: I play a fall sport, and only thought about banking at the 3 info-sessions I attended with the firms that come on campus. GPA dropped to below a 3.6 and started networking in mid-February after hearing BofA had given out offers through its diversity program.Spent a Sunday sending ~75 cold emails from which I got 8 calls. Every person I spoke with connected with me more members of their respective teams and I ended up having ~30 networking calls and earning referrals at 10 banks(Regional/MM/EB/BB) without sending additional cold emails.In my first interview process, I got to the Superday stage at an EB and was waitlisted before being rejected. In my next process, I landed an offer at a solid MM bank and was able to leverage that to accelerate and accept an offer at a top BB(GS/MS). Pulled out of process at the other 7 banks(I had received 1st rounds from 3, and had 1 Superday lined up).

The following is my opinion, and I'm sure people will disagree. I may well be wrong on certain points, but these are my honest reflections/advice on the process.

I write this because WSO was incredibly helpful for me in navigating the process and directing me to all the information that I needed. However, I believe that the glorification of the recruiting process on this site is largely self-aggrandizing and misleading. WSO contains an abundance of helpful information, it also contains a lot of misleading information.

The idolization of RX groups at top EB's makes students believe that they're not successful if they aren't able to land such roles. In turn, landing these limited positions becomes such a critical goal to students that it becomes a defining personality trait. WSO teaches students that mastering all technical, networking as soon as summer ends, and perfecting your behavioral responses is a necessity to land a job.

1. I'm not saying we shouldn't master technical questions and network early - one should indubitably be as prepared as they can and starting early will make life that much easier - but nothing is more important than being a real, normal, person. Cannot stress this enough. I was average at best in both intelligence and technical knowledge(didn't quite get through the whole M&I guide), but I was personable. Interviewers and people you speak to during networking can 100% tell if you treat recruiting as the most important aspect of your life. There are some exceptions, but most people do NOT want to hire the kid who lives and breathes banking. Nothing is more important than being authentic, somewhat interesting, and connecting with people. If you get people to like you, they will refer you and get you interviews. If you interviewers like you, they will give you the job. It's that straightforward. (At times, in-reality, you might get passed up for someone else they prefer better or for some reason you can't control, but focus on controlling what you can, and you will be fine.)

2. Too many students only aim for Top banks. Not everyone can work at PJT RSSG. I had no expectations going into the process, and as a student, you should not be predisposed against any firms. Networking at regional and MM banks gave me incredibly helpful practice, and gave me an excuse to stay top of mind with contacts at 'better' banks. Demonstrating that other firms are interested in you is very helpful in accelerating processes and getting referrals in the networking stage.

3. Attending a 'non-target' is not adversity. Never, ever, use the term 'non-target' anywhere other than on this site. To real people, or at least the kind of people you should want to work with, this does not remotely matter. There are 100s of 'non-target' students that get into banking every year. Do not 'other' yourself and make yourself a victim. Even if you go to a community college, embrace your school - whether you recognize it or not, it is a part of your story and if you can convey that effectively you will be more successful. 

None of this is to say the process is easy. Being straightforward cannot be conflated with being easy. Based on luck, your inherent likeability, and your capacity, you will need to work hard to varying degrees. 

This isn't rocket science. If you have never been on WSO before, you would implicitly follow these basic rules. Do not be scared by WSO and dramatizations of the difficulties of the process. You cannot control the entire process - there will be times where there's nothing you can do - but you have more control of this process than virtually any other job search you undertake. The path to success is clearly outlined. Don't get distracted and mislead by superfluous advice, unrealistic expectations, never victimize yourself, and never feel entitled to anything. SA recruiting requires you to form connections and above all else, is about likeability. Understanding who you are and embracing yourself is confidence. Be confident, be authentic, and you will connect with people who like you and end up where you belong.

My two cents, would love to hear all your thoughts.