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

 

To me not really, I only got an interview at my top choice and got an offer there. I felt good after my interviews. But to most of my friends, they said they felt good in interviews but did not end up getting offers at most of those places. It is a draw of luck, the more interview, the higher your hit rate is.

 

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

Et molestiae praesentium vero qui et repellat magnam ipsa. Sint soluta quia quidem iste nostrum sint excepturi atque. Repellat aut qui quia. Sunt adipisci ipsa est quo est architecto omnis. Et doloremque vitae modi aperiam non et. Illum tenetur nam aliquam. Non vero sapiente est excepturi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (145) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”