Hey all, I'm a target at warwick which lucked out for spring weeks but want to try my hands on summer recruiting - i know that this is probably going to be even harder. For some reason boutiques gave me hard technicals that I missed and this time I want to be fully prepped. Any tips for navigating the cycle and best materials to prepare for tough technicals?
Thanks all!
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In a similar boat :((( can anyone chime in
we all lost out it seems like... i would do anything and everything for a summer internship
Harsh truth: There is probably a strong correlation between asking these very basic questions (which are asked and answered constantly on here) and not getting where you want to be. Asking might feel proactive but it also kind of indicates to me you haven't really bothered looked at what info already exists out there. You're waiting for others to feed you info that is already out there in abundance (on this very website). Maybe I'm wrong but if I'm not, be more proactive. (Even if you wanted to be lazy, you could probably just type this question into Chat GPT with the caveat to use WSO and I guarantee you you'll get a very decent answer).
In this particular instance, there were probably elements outside your control - springs are random. They're also not really the be all and end all in any capacity. I don't think any of my banking friends did a spring week. And anecdotally, banks seem to be less and less satisfied with the quality of their spring cohorts.
So, relax. There is no hidden secret formula to recruiting. Everything you want answers to has been discussed ad nauseum. Just do the work, show up, and hope for the best.
Generally think a lot of your comments are fair but not this one.
Maybe I'm being tough on this particular individual on this particular post but I suppose this isn't a comment just for them, but for anyone in their position. Use the information at your disposal, then come back and ask better, more thoughtful questions. It's a good rule of thumb - it will ultimately serve well in a career.
Though maybe I've just become an old man who yells at clouds.
if spring weeks are "random", then how do some people get 10+ offers?
DEI gimmick after being son of a nigerian prince and going to westminster
That wasn't supposed to be taken literally. I meant parts of the process of getting springs exhibit some randomness. Ofc there are people who get more or less but tbh i doubt there's that much difference between someone who got 1 and someone who got idk 5.
They aren't that random in my view: there is a certain level you have to pass.
I'd say it does depend on your degree subject, University, extracurriculars amongst other things that you have to stand out from the rest to get more than 1 spring (I got 2).
In my view, it's a fine balance between being good on the CV but also being normal as a person because no one wants a try-hard but also no one wants a pure nerd.
Springs are a numbers and luck game. FYI, I got 2 summer IB offers with no springs - semi-target too but worked super hard for it
dude what this website is nuts... thankfully i got spring weeks but are many people using this seems to be unfair advantage?
at UCL and the finance society told us to use it last cycle not sure about how well known in other schools
what is this?
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what was it? comment was deleted.
hi, may i know what website is that? (can dm me just in case it gets deleted?) thank you very much!
Any tips for an incoming year1?
A lot of people have mentioned it already but springs are very luck based. However, there are a few things you can control to maximise your chances:
Apply early: use the Bristol tracker to apply ASAP. Try attending official insight events and network with HR, as they sometimes disclose the opening dates in these events. This allows you to get ahead of the mass application wave that occurs when a spring gets updated on the tracker
OA Score: most banks just take the top percentile of scorers, so try and do the best you can on the OAs. If you can, I’d recommend using JobTestPrep as they have very similar tests, if not the exact same for some banks (Rothschild, BNP, etc this year). If you’re feeling unethical, you can even apply with a fake account to practice the questions beforehand. Didn’t do this personally, but know people who have and got multiple springs with no issues
Hirevue: pretty well documented on how to approach hirevues, so I won’t get too much into this. I would only add that some banks just reuse the questions from previous years, so you could ask applicants in the years above for past questions
Phone/Video Interview: they’re not normally technical, so spend time practicing your behavioural and motivational skills. Prepare some recent news, recent deals done by the bank, sustainability related news with the bank, and remember to ask good questions. Would also echo the same point as above.
In general, while springs are a crapshoot, I know a lot of non-diverse applicants who got multiple springs, and they all mastered the application process above. Would highly recommend speaking to people who have went through the process last year to get some guidance.
I got Natwest, is it over?
Solid advice
I get that you should apply early and do as best in OA and hirevues but are there ways to maximize getting that interview/past the resume screen? Do most people make it through? I'm incoming at LSE
Reframe your perspective. It's probably not "lucking out" or "Missing hard technicals". You probably did not prepare enough.
WW has had insane spring week placements last few years, lots of people with 3+ spring weeks. But the name is not enough for good placements - you still need to grind.
What did they do that you didn't? Learn from the mistakes of last cycle and start preparing hard for the summer internships.
It's completely doable. Springs have a very large luck element and generally fewer spots. Competition is tougher for summer but if you submit everything on time, have a polished CV + CL and can nail some HireVues you should at least get interviews.
I’d say summers are pretty random too, atleast the CV screening /who gets first rounds are sometimes a pick out of a hat unfortunately. Until you actually get into later stages when you’ll interview with actual bankers you get tested truly.
What I mean is you can ride out the entire process for a spring mainly out of luck. To actually get the summer offer (passing all rounds) you need that luck element, but you also need to be a good candidate.
found that I never really understood a lot of the technicals until i actually built a model myself and you see how everything ties in - you should definitely try that
Recommend everyone to do this. Gives you a much better overview of how concepts tie together
Interesting, what about incoming freshmen? Any tips for us. Im assuming joining the campus finance clubs, try find some more adhoc internships and keep grades up? Thank you guys!
Apply early, have a decently formatted CV. Be personable and crush HR interviews if you get them
How do you know when they open
Was in a similar position and it ended up fine. I landed an IB offer in 2nd year. Pm me, happy to help!
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