Hey everyone,
I'm currently a sophomore going to college in Canada after high school in California. I am looking to break into investment banking for the SA2019 positions but I'm not sure what the best way to do it is. I have reached out to the few alumni working in New York from my school for phone calls but I feel like that isn't going to be enough. I also currently have a summer internship lined up at a large pension fund in Canada in their private equity group. What are some things I could be doing to help increase my chances and get my name out there?
Thanks in advance and any advice would be much appreciated!
Bump
If you’re going to a target school in Canada (e.g., Ivey/Queen’s), then they’ll have US banks recruiting for US offices come to you. I don’t know if this new Trump-Visa shit will impact anything, but if you’re American this could actually work to your favor and something you could highlight.
If you’re at a semi-target/non-target where US banks don’t actively post and come to your school, all you can do is network and reach out to people like you’re already doing. A large Canadian PE team (like a cppib, teachers’, psp, etc) is a very attractive internship and will get some looks. In addition to reaching out to alumni in nyc, check other major cities (SF, LA, chi, etc), and you could consider asking professionals at the pension fund as they likely come from IB, or have buddies in IB. (This latter advice comes from my assumption that you’re not interested in returning to said pension fund the next yr, though as a sophomore it’s not like you’re hurting FT opps with the pension fund’s PE team. Actually, I think it’s be good if you get to see both before FT). I would ask in the way that you’re asking ppl for career advice - kind of like “I understand a lot of people in PE come from an IB background as it’s a good training ground, I was wondering if you can tell me about your exp in IB and how it has helped you in PE”. Or if they were always in PE, phrase it as you wanting to hear more about their career... then ask them if they know ppl from IB you can talk to, to provide some comparative views.
Hey Kanon, thanks a lot for your insight. I am currently at a semi-target in Canada (UofT, Schulich, Waterloo) which has made networking a bit more challenging. I will certainly look into other major cities to increase my chances. You raise a good point about reaching out to my coworkers at the fund as I know a lot of them have come from banking. From my understanding, the fund I am going to does not actively recruit out of undergrad so I don't think its realistic to work towards returning for full time. Additionally, I am a US citizen but hadn't considered the whole Visa thing. Do you think it makes sense to bring that up during my informational calls or while applying or at another time?
You could consider putting it as a line in the resume at the very bottom, something like: “citizenships/ work visas: U.S., Canada” if you want to highlight that you don’t carry any additional admin burden. Or just bring it up in conversation.
One other thing to consider if it’s not too late to do so - apply to ivey’s HBA program. There’s a very material difference in the number of recruiters and job opps that go to the Cdn target schools if you’re interested in US opportunities.
As a Canadian/US Permanent Res that went through the IBD recruiting process, I highly agree that you should highlight your ability to work in the US. Additionally, the trump visa shit is serious and I know that many of my friends are stressing about TN's etc., which should give you a notable advantage in recruiting.
Im in the same position, except trying to break into NYC for FT recruitment as Im in my junior year. I have an IB internship lined up with one of the top Canadian groups this summer and have been calling Canadians currently working in NYC (mostly EBs) + planning an NYC trip during my reading week, but I dont know if that will suffice.. Anyone whos made the lateral for FT that can shed some light??
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