AM I ALREADY COOKED
no r1 yet... netowkred at over 30 banks with 1-3 chats at each. No one got back to my follow ups to reconnect. Feeling pretty hopeless.
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Based on the most helpful WSO content, you're not "cooked" yet, but it's time to refine your approach and keep pushing. Here’s what you can do:
Reassess Your Follow-Ups: If no one is responding, your follow-up strategy might need tweaking. Keep it short, polite, and to the point. Wait a full seven days before following up, as suggested in the WSO networking guide. If they still don’t respond, move on to other contacts.
Expand Your Network: If you’ve already reached out to 30 banks, consider targeting smaller firms or boutiques that might not have as much competition. Also, leverage alumni networks, professors, and even friends in the industry to open new doors.
Set Measurable Goals: As highlighted in WSO threads, set daily or weekly goals for networking, applications, and informational interviews. For example, aim to reach out to 10-20 new contacts every other day or schedule at least two calls per week.
Diversify Your Approach: If traditional networking isn’t yielding results, try attending industry events like CFA or ACG meetups, as these can help you meet new people and gain fresh leads.
Stay Persistent and Positive: The process can be demoralizing, but persistence is key. Many WSO users have shared stories of rejection after rejection before finally landing an opportunity. Keep refining your strategy and don’t lose hope.
If you need more detailed guidance, check out this WSO thread for networking tips: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/want-to-get-me…</a">Want to get me on the phone? Here's how - a networking overview.
Sources: Want to get me on the phone? Here's how - a networking overview., Unemployed and living in parents' basement, losing hope, Want to get me on the phone? Here's how - a networking overview., Honestly it is feeling hopeless, Unemployed and living in parents' basement, losing hope
Given, your lack of detail...probably? Where do you live, what school do you go to, what's your GPA, have you had internships? Since you don't know that these are obviously necessary data points, I assume you are f'ed.
Bump
del
weak exp. why didn't you get something somewhat finance related in freshman year? plenty of kids from your school at least do a search fund or lmm shit bank part time for 10h a week in-semester, you expect to get a r1 in a hyper competitive environment with zero finance experience, good but not great gpa and from targeted but not 'oh-i-don't-need-to-worry-cuz-im-at-a-target school(ie. hypw etc). i hope u land something, but i would find some bs remote part time lmm ib in semester internship asap to improve your resume
EDIT: and before people come at me saying 'oh its hard to land that first exp with no exp' i literally did both of those style internships from a non-target from literally a foreign undergrad, simply by brute force. most of the kids in these firms im referring to are exclusively from targets (ie. one part time remote ib role i did was exclusively nyu, ucla or usc, and then me). anyways i would just get something quick even if its a sourcing bs internship to have on ur resume to show you're in the game. best of luck bro
I know a lot of smart and qualified students (at target) who haven’t gotten first rounds. It’s still early, head up. But we need more info on u
del
If you rly are at a target then it's probably attributable to resume/exp. I'm at a semi and have gotten 5 first rounds (2 w/o networking). Then again, we are only ~1/4-1/3 done with cycle, so there's a lot of time left. Just the EB's are cooked as of now.
Not cooked yet, but it’s crunch time. Keep pushing, refine your approach, and don’t be afraid to pivot to off-cycle or lateral opportunities. It only takes one yes.
Idk why nobody else has said this yet but it's honestly probably your GPA. If you go to a banking target like Ross / Mcdonough / Stern you have OCR processes at banks which means when you apply on handshake / your university career portal all the resumes from your school will get sent as a pack to the bank and then reviewed by grads from your school. I've been part of resume review before to decide who gets interviews and the easiest filter for me to get through the dozens of resumes to the 15 first round spots for our school is just axing kids based on GPA. 3.75 is not good enough as a sophomore business major who's mainly only taken easy gen eds - there will be tons of your peers that have 3.9+ GPAs for me to choose from instead. Also for the Ross / Mcdonough / Stern type places, being involved in the right clubs is really important and matters in resume screens. All of this doesn't matter if someone flags your profile based on networking calls, but it sounds like that didn't happen.
Overall, you're not cooked for BBs, but the bar for getting an EB interview from a Mich / Georgetown / Penn / NYU / Notre Dame / Texas / Indiana type undergrad b-school program is pretty rigid. You have to have a high GPA, be in the right clubs, and be vouched for by the right alumni / analysts.
targeted almost all mm not any eb or bb
Error magnam et nesciunt non repudiandae tempore totam. Sunt molestias tenetur nostrum et.
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