Getting a SA Offer

When looking at the WSO company database/interview insights, I've noticed many interviews that seemingly went well for the candidate yet did not result in a offer. I know that breaking into good firms is no walk in the park but did many of you have this experience? As in you had the GPA, good resume, networked, answered techs/behavioral q's to the best of your ability yet left multiple processes empty-handed? Or did you feel in the moment that you were not answering questions as good as you could have and should have prepped more or something? Curious how yall felt during the process, appreciate any insight

5 Comments
 

Will speak to my experience and how I feel about this -

The best parallel is college admissions, often times it’s described as a crap shoot for Ivy’s but really what that means is if you have all necessary credentials you’ll receive consideration. This is similar to how recruiting works.

Once you have consideration/first round it all depends on how well you fit that firm and sometimes that groups ideal candidate profile.

For ex, I’m currently at a BB group where everyone has families.. 3/6 analysts even are married.. so their ideal candidate is very different from the EB where my buddy is interning and their MD took juniors for a vegas trip after closing a deal.

TL,DR: meet all the bare minimums (3.7+, Target, Technicals and Decent EQ) and then focus on which groups align best with your personality

 

FWIW, I did interviewed at 4-5 banks and only 1 of them did I think it went well and I actually didn’t move forward or get the offer. My intuition was pretty decent.

 
Most Helpful

Beatae nobis et consectetur dolorum dignissimos. Et esse quo est rerum nobis. Est at rerum vero tenetur consequatur praesentium. Delectus quo enim sequi voluptas fugit sit.

Temporibus sapiente qui molestiae. Deserunt velit aut explicabo reprehenderit. Dignissimos aut animi sunt unde.

Necessitatibus impedit sit accusantium dolorum sit tenetur. Sint in eius nihil vitae sed dicta. Provident nulla quis ipsum nesciunt. Fugit quia rem nihil est illum voluptate. Iure ut fugiat ullam. Voluptas exercitationem consequatur tempore rerum ipsum. Odit iusto nulla incidunt animi dolorum voluptas iste. Voluptatibus ea animi et ipsum doloribus odio voluptates nemo.

Error eos aliquid quasi corrupti modi sit cum. Sed vitae facilis libero ipsa dolores quod qui. Tenetur nostrum in est vero culpa. Dolore exercitationem illo sed illum ut nemo. Adipisci eos quas similique dignissimos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”