Ok, so my buddy and I are having this debate over which candidate would BB banks prefer. All things being equal (same target school, GPA, clubs, etc), only difference being that candidate A has an IB internship under his belt and candidate B has a military background like Navy SEAL or Army Special Forces. Who do you think a BB bank would pick?
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So let me get this straight. You got one candidate who was on the front lines risking his life serving our country in one of the most elite groups within the armed forces vs. another candidate who spent a summer in his cubicle making profiles and changing fonts. Tough choice.
Yeah that's cool, but can he spread the comps?
More importantly, how much of a hardo are you that you and your friends discuss this?
Lmfao banking is life for these kids
Definitely would not consider myself a hardo. I am actually candidate B and was debating with a friend who says that banks will be fighting over me given my "elite" military background and great stats at a top 10 school (not Columbia General Studies), but I am not so sure. So far I've had a lot of success networking at one of the mid-tier BB (BofA/Citi), moderate success at one of the top-tier (GS/MS/JPM), and not much success anywhere else. So we'll see, but thanks for the confidence boost.
thanks for your service! GS has a pretty good Veterans program for internships and networking, I’m sure you already have but I would check that out if you haven’t.
Have you tried to reach out to Service Branch alums on Wall Street and not just school alums? Given the military background, that's an easy connection and fit. Also, all banks have Veterans programs, not just GS. I'd look into them too.
I really think being a vet is a big advantage in terms of recruiting. Not only do you have a wealth of stories to use for behaviorals, but you also are considered a diversity candidate for many banks; which has its own benefits.
the real question is - which is it? no Ranger would ever mention the SEALs, but SEALs would absolutely mention army SF to not flex on people. I'm partial to Navy/Marines as that's what I recruited for (ended up staying civilian), but just sayin.
thank you for your service, you're much more desirable than a finance hardo who knows more excel shortcuts than you do.
Yea I've been using the school alumni network as well as reaching out to veterans on LinkedIn. I'm not really seeing too many veterans specific programs. GS actually recently cancelled their Veterans Integration Program. BofA and UBS each have a Veterans Associate Program, but that's for after you receive your Bachelors. I'm trying to do the SA then A2A route.
Toss up. Both backgrounds are equally impressive so it would come down to fit.
Alternatively, if this was a post-MBA associate hire, assuming candidate A had 4 years of normal corporate background + IB summer associate gig versus Navy SEAL / Army Special Forces, i'd probably lean towards the SEAL. Likely better leadership and communication skills that matter at the more senior levels
Equally impressive to serve as a SEAL and do one job in IB? The way everyone thinks of themselves in this industry blows.
Just goes to show everyone in finance has their heads stuck too far up their own asses. My answer: spec ops, no question. I’m curious, did you enlist or go the OCS route after getting a bachelor’s? I’m thinking heavily about joining the Navy via OCS to get into the BUDS pipeline. Any tips would be much appreciated.
Watch out, this thread is gonna get some finance nerds to try to go to the military for the recruiting benefits
I know certain places have a military culture more than others, and once you get a few ex-military people at the senior levels they obviously try to bring in more. Know WB for example has a bunch of former navy guys that I interviewed with, I assume there's similar situations at other banks with different branches of military.
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