Advice for recent UK Graduate? (2026 cohort)
First post. Recently graduated from a strong semi-target (Durham, KCL, Bristol).
First Class Honours in an economics-related course (not straight econ but very similar). Completed a summer internship in MM Corporate Banking (London), secured return offer and currently in a "Second Internship" before FT.
Looking to move into a bigger/better name (Currently targeting MM as I think my chances for BB/EB are next to nil). I think we can all agree the current job market is terrible for recent graduates. Interest lies in Markets but currently have no relevant experience in the field. Currently looking to apply to "target roles" i.e. roles where I would be a strong candidate and maximise chances of landing an offer.
I'm looking for some advice on moving forward over the next year going into 2027. My current options are:
- Apply directly to graduate schemes for 2027 intake
- Apply for OCs
- If nothing arises in the next year, looking into a target MSc Finance/Economics related (LSE, Imperial, LBS), but would need a scholarship of some sort since the fees are insane!
My questions are: How is my current profile looking? Do I stand a chance in today's market? What roles/schemes should I look at targeting?
Any advice would be appreciated.
bump, hope u get in somewhere nice
Don’t think you could land an AN1 role right now given how competitive the market is but I think OC is definitely possible.
Do you know about the OC application process compared to grad? They seem similar at face value but I'm not too sure on what and how much they expect you to know and be competent in beforehand.
Process is more or less the same but less crowded than grad apps so obviously that makes it easier to land something.
Nothing is impossible mate. Network as much as you can. Corp Banking is a really sweet gig of good WLB to comp. If it's a solid bank, you can try to network your way into their IB as a good stepping stone or lateral to a better name in the corp banking world. I know people who did corp banking to private credit, corp banking to IB, corp banking to MM PE. Lots is possible really!
I'd also ask myself why specifically IB? After a few years in the job market, life looks different and for many, it's a game of finding good WLB and decent pay and that can happen in many shapes and forms.
Be proud of yourself to have secured a decent job in a terrible grad market!
Just to add onto this, you'd be surprised how senior folks think about their own career and what they actually do. Sure there's the odd one that really loves what they do but most of the time it's "yeah it's a good challenge but I actually care about spending time with kids/wife and see my parents" or some form of this.
And don't forget, if you stay healthy, life is long. Presume you're 25-30? You still got 40 years of work ahead of you. More than 2x you can make it from fresh grad to MD :)
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