SA 2026 - No 1R Interviews Yet?
Hey, thought I'd put this out there and see if anyone else was experiencing something similar.
International, non-diversity at West Coast target w/ 3.9+, PE & IB & other finance-related internships. 2-3 calls at most groups, of which I'd like to say that most went quite well (randomly noted that I was conversational, no foreign accent concerns, down to stay in touch, etc). Also left some solid impressions when meeting in person for networking.
With that, I would've thought it was fine to assume at least one first round somewhere, but I was very wrong about that. Now, with most of my classmates receiving offers or traction somewhere, I must say I feel left behind. Recruiting seems to be wrapping up, and I’m unsure whether to keep pushing networking (which hasn’t yielded much) or focus on interview prep (for interviews that may never come). Any advice?
depends on where you’re targeting but in a rough spot for sure with major banks. i’d say dial in rn on MMs still running & west-coast boutiques as well as try to diagnose why 0 1Rs. from my personal experience—if you also got 0 1Rs for buyside at a target, it’s resume, and if u got buyside 1Rs but just nothing in sellside, it might be a networking issue? could be anything really but you need to figure out ASAP
There’s an issue here… I feel like everyone’s getting 1st rounds this year. OP has typo on resume or something
hmm maybe — i don’t agree with everybody getting 1st rounds point, i know a few qualified kids who have rly struggled so far (nondiv at semi target), but maybe this is not the same as at target — would have to be a major typo on resume / something off but yeah that could be an issue
Int’l at Y/P/S, 3.9+, zero first-rounds, many direct/auto-rejections. Did 5 networking calls total (across all firms) but attended most on-campus info sessions. Mindset is fairly laissez faire or Buddhism, though.
Exactly same boat last year. Asian male, first-gen/low-income, HYPSM 3.9+, managed to strike out on every single US IBD/PE/HF SA app last year (no post-HireVues interviews). Barely networked either (knew I should, but couldn’t hype myself up).
Didn't stress at all even though I should have – felt like being stuck in that post-nut clarity phase without the nut. Somehow in junior year, landed 2 US MBB offers and 1 GS/MS IBD HK/Singapore.
Looking back, my half-assed hustle probably came down to: 1) Not actually wanting IB’s rat race/WLB hell, 2) Never seeing myself putting down roots Stateside long-term.
You’re articulating exactly my headspace. I’ve been attributing this post-nut clarity mentality to my daily Ashwagandha/L-Theanine regimen, though I started those supplements way before recruiting season.
If we were both homosexual men, we might’ve had the makings of a great compatible couple.
maybe polish more on your hirevue? If you are getting networking calls I would assume your resume should be pretty solid. Or it is just tough luck man. Try to apply to as many as possible. At the end of the day, all you need is one offer.
well there’s your answer to everyone saying they did 2-3 calls per firm. you need 2-5 people to pull for you at an EB and at least 6-7 people to pull for you at a BB to be looped in. Those are minimums. As nondiverse, you have to be locked in especially at targets since everyone competing with you is competent. I got on 100+ calls during recruiting, and you should be at a point where it’s nearly impossible for one of these calls to go poorly. A lot of kids on this forum just don’t want it bad enough. Simple as that.
Hey appreciate the honest answer. If I'm starting now (given it seems a bit late in the process), is it too late to aim for 7+ calls per group, or is there still time to build that momentum?
there’s always time you may need a little luck or to recruit again after a summer at a MM but i would just be direct and ask if banks have filled their SA class. everyone knows why you want to talk to them so going about it in a way that saves everyone’s time and doesn’t feign interest isn’t gonna be looked down upon. People like people who don’t waste time.
Simply untrue and stop spreading unnecessary anxiety. BBs like JPM do not do ntwking at all and EBs like EVR only accept one call/applicant. For EBs one solid contact can go a long way. It is not the more the marrier. If you do too many calls and one of them goes poorly, you could get dinged at the bank entirely.
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