How to proceed with job search (college senior) after recruiting season ends?

Happy Sunday everyone,

I'm a senior in college who still has not gotten a job offer that I want to take for next year (looking at buy side, banking, equity research, but also open to trading). Recruiting season is dying down and I'm in a bit of a bind. It seems that I really underestimated the recruiting process and thought that it would be a lot easier and less competitive than it actually turned out to be.

I think that I've learned from the mistakes that I've made throughout the process and believe that I am now a much stronger candidate than I was in late August. I know that I have a good resume and I attend a target school so there is definitely a solid base from which to approach this, but still, I am not sure how to proceed,

How would you guys recommend that I approach this process? Any feedback is very appreciated - especially from people in the industry who would be familiar with how to position myself for any openings that, for whatever reason, open up around this time.

I'm very grateful for any help that anyone can provide me here. Thank you!

11 Comments
 

At this point, the only thing I could suggest is to start relying on your university's network. Reach out to Alum, explain your situation, and don't come across as desperate, but do come across as hungry. There is a big difference. Past that, I have a buddy who got an offer this way from a regional GS office in PWM in early January. It happens, it's just not going to fall in your lap. Good luck OP.

 
Best Response

Sorry to say, but much harder. On-cycle recruiting is your best entry point with no-experience.

Most banks hiring off-cycle are usually looking to fill a spot of someone who quit and are generally looking for experienced hires.

Having said that, this is for the large Canadian banks where the recruitment process is fairly rigid. You should try your luck with the large Canadian "boutiques": GMP, Cannacord, Cormark, Jacob, Origin etc. I think their recruiting is more on an as needed basis for entry level.

Generic advice for someone in your position: get a role which uses similar skills (equity research, corp fin, corp banking) to position yourself for a move to IBD later if that is something you are interested in.

 

Aim for smaller MM shops, you can talk to BB contacts, but don't keep your hopes up.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

It's definitely much harder after the recruiting season has ended, but your best bet is to follow up with BB sources to see if anything didn't work out, or focus on boutique wealth management and hedge fund shops.

www.wallstinsiders.com www.facebook.com/WallStreetInsiders
 

Aliquid modi molestiae dolores tempora odit iste quia. Est molestiae dicta et sed.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 04 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”