19 Comments
 

in college, EVERY single posting i've seen for a full time job. just remember it only takes one offer. but to get it you will probably have to ride a large wave...

 
  1. After talking with an MD of a middle market bank for a while at a networking event last month I got an offer without applying. That being said, it is not a bank I am interested in, although the people there seemed great.

I have submitted about 15 applications so far and am waiting to hear back for interviews. My entire life right now is investment banking and will be until I finish the recruiting season.

 
vanillathunder12I have submitted about 15 applications so far and am waiting to hear back for interviews. My entire life right now is investment banking and will be until I finish the recruiting season.

Wait until you start working, then see what your entire life is like :-p

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

illini : my career services counselor gave my resume the nod of approval and said my cover letters were "exceptional". not sure how one gets to the soft skills part in paper? have only had 2 personal interviews recently. in 1 I made a very good impression, the other, I didn't quite hit it off with them too well. The one where I didn't hit it off; I am pretty sure they made up their mind in the first minute they weren't interested. how is this possible? (all the obvious things are fine: i.e. attire, presentation,etc. ) Helpful comments are really appreciated! I need a job !

 
Best Response

I don't know man, I'm still looking to land a SA position myself!

General advice: Be the most vocal / ask the most questions in every one of you classes. Figure out how to engage your professors quickly and use this skill on bankers. Get contact info from everyone you talk to and thank them for their time right away (24-48 hrs). Email them again when you apply asking them a few questions. Get them to remember your name.

Focus on the junior people. They are ones that pick out resumes for interviews anyway. Think about who you would want to work with for 80-100 hours a week and be that person. Make sure that person comes across on paper. Talk to the junior people about other things than finance / banking. Stand out a bit.

Most of all, don't get discouraged. At best this is a crap shoot. Be honest with yourself about what you want, tell that to the bankers you meet, and let the chips fall where they may. You can't really do much else.

 
illiniPride General advice: Be the most vocal / ask the most questions in every one of you classes. .

Please read Monkey Business about annoying applicants who ask too many question for the sake of asking too many questions. And then stop giving such shitty advice. I see the correlation between annoying brown-nosers in class and annoying brown-nosers on info-sessions, and these are usually the same people. These people are looked at with an immeasurable amount of disgust and nausea. Don't be that guy.

 

i'm in the same boat as vanilla. I got a verbal offer after talking to a senior executive whom i met through a MD. I did take the initiative to visit the BB again, do some job shadowing, and had to talk to various professionals - so it was kind of like an extended interview.

Granted it was a verbal offer, I'm sure a senior executive wouldn't go back on his words. So that's my backup for now - it's not official so there's always some risk, and of course we're always looking for better ;)

Moral of the story: Networking is king.

I don't accept sacrifices and I don't make them. ... If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the pain of the other, there better be no trade at all. A trade by which one gains and the other loses is a fraud.
 

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