International Losing Hope in FT Recruiting

Semi-target, decent experience over the summer did not get a return despite positive feedback. No luck with FT recruiting at all, even tried recruiting SA 24 at a few shops still open but things are not looking good

Any non-diversity International Asian male experiencing the same...? Graduating May 24 and really need some guidance here, would going for a MSF degree a decent option if IB is still the goal?

14 Comments
 

perhaps look into Big 4 Corporate Finance roles, can lateral after 6-12 months, it’s been done by many. Doing a masters is an option, but it’s an expensive bet, and you risk still not landing something in IB, whether it be due to the economy or your interview performance. Will see what input others add to the thread. I’m in the same boat as you minus the international part, this is just my thought process

 

asian international student here as well. definitely feel u as many firms don't sponsor in general and it's only gotten worse in this down market. keep ur head up and keep networking, esp with smaller MM shops. as mentioned above definitely look into valuations or the IB arms groups of Big 4 firms. A lot of other smaller accounting firms, Cohn Reznick, Plante Moran, etc. also have similar groups (although many may be down recruiting already)

 
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Hiring is down across the street and it’s unlikely to pick up in the next 1-2 years. I’m the reporting manager for a posting we put out recently (Associate level role) and I got 450+ resumes in a week (this is on the buyside at a global MF though, not banking).

While I’m not in the same boat as you, I have friends who are and I do emphasize with your position. It’s not easy trying to make it in a foreign country with no family support - especially as you wouldn’t qualify for any kind of diversity programs either.

Here are some misc thoughts (some have already been mentioned). Hope they are somewhat useful.

- Pursue positions abroad in places like Dubai, London, Singapore and Hong Kong.
- Apply for relevant jobs at a Big 4 or a consulting firm (transaction services, restructuring advisory, valuation services, etc.)
- Do one of those coding bootcamps and try to land on a quant desk
- If you have money, apply for a Masters program to buy you some time (you can stay in the country on your student visa and still recruit)
- Keep your mind open and consider the fact that the world is bigger than finance. You can still have a meaningful career and personal life without doing IB. (Note: this will be hard to accept for some people on this forum)

 

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