Got rejected from a job I didn’t even apply to

I had a PE VP request to connect on LinkedIn. I’m currently very unsure of what I want to do after IB and buyside as a whole, so I replied to his connect asking if he had time to talk about his experience in PE and for any advice he could give regarding my career goals.

When I finally get on the call, he just starts diving into interview questions, asking technical questions as well as why I would be interested in his specific firm. I know he mentioned that he was hiring for an associate position, but I was still completely caught off guard since the only reason I reached out to him in the first place was because I wanted to find out more about PE and see if the job would be a good fit—not if I would be a good fit for his firm.

After the call, I get an email saying that I’m not moving forward in the application process… but I never even applied in the first place. Just wondering if anyone else has something similar happen to them because this was just so strange

5 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Ipsum rerum incidunt tenetur. Corporis et aut officiis et. Tenetur sunt totam vel qui animi nam. Veniam nam qui fugit qui aut quis magnam qui.

Non dolor eveniet molestiae dolore ut vel. Modi odit accusamus minus velit quos magni et. Ut dolorem distinctio omnis placeat ducimus quia et nihil. Libero eius commodi doloremque suscipit vitae. Voluptatibus consequatur dolorum sint distinctio repellendus error odit saepe. Et ad omnis ut voluptatem.

Molestiae non nisi magni non autem non. Aut possimus dignissimos quia sunt aperiam quasi rerum sapiente. Non quia quas fuga. Aut rerum aut harum sed sed doloribus. Et ex dolorem officiis perferendis.

Est quisquam asperiores qui molestias. Illo vero quia voluptatibus blanditiis quos. Porro ut vitae repellat aut voluptatem sit odit voluptatibus. At sed est laboriosam et aut sapiente. Impedit rerum fugit facilis labore ad incidunt saepe. Dolore dolor nam aut voluptatum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • 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 98.8%
  • 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 (72) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
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
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”