How to make application stand out in online applications
For online applications (non-OCR) that essentially lumps me in with thousands of kids from community colleges or state schools with 3.2 GPAs, how do I make sure my application is actually read by a human? Is there a specific box I need to tick or specific keywords on my resume/application that will ensure this?
This is for my occasional online applications that are a shot in the dark compared to OCR, but I want to maximize these long shots and make sure my resume isn't just going into a black hole where nobody reads the 6000 applications made by people like Ted with a 2.9 GPA in Communications from a college with an 80% acceptance rate.
bump looks like making a post on WSO is also the equivalent of sending stuff into a black hole
bump
You need to network with people. Like, dozens or even hundreds of people. They they pass your resume along to HR or the people running recruiting for their group.
There is no magic way to get through a resume scan because they are essentially black holes. People do not frequently get interviews/jobs from just applying online. In my group, we do not even take portal resumes from HR because we have far more than enough kids who reach out on their own. Why interview someone random when you've already vetted the networking group + they had the initiative to reach out?
I'm not talking about BB/EB IB or PE MF, I'm talking about front office roles at no-name firms or middle office/less-than-desirable front office (like S&T, corporate banking, credit, etc). There is no way there's enough qualified kids networking for BNP Paribas Corporate Banking for them to not look at online applications.
Those all still get strong networking for intern positions, believe me.
That said, the simple answer is "have a strong resume with solid finance experience, 3.8+ GPA and known school" if you want to consistently be top of the stack. There aren't keywords to optimize for this, these are just have or have nots. Obviously make sure your bullet points are well-crafted with action words and such, but that is table stakes.
Talk to the people who will be reading your application
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