kinda scared i won't land anything good

I'm a HYPS kid and have done 130+ networking calls and spend 100+ hrs reviewing technicals. I'm looking at SF/MP tech groups, and it seems like almost every firm only takes 3-5 SA's, with half going to diversity. 

How do I stand out? It seems like such a crapshoot and with only 1-2 spots available for regular kids, not sure how I'll end up with a good offer

15 Comments
 

Sorry man… feels like a lot of these offers just take some luck.

I won’t even tell you about me, it’ll definitely piss you off.

Prevent yourself from overthinking in your interviews, best thing I can tell you.

 

I’m at a nontarget, above average gpa but nothing crazy (should be better considering the school)

Applied to probably 100 positions, gotten 9 rejections. Still waiting on almost all banks, but got a BB offer. Did zero networking there, very little technical prep. Thought I did bad for the superday but got offer 2 days later.

Cliche but really all it takes is one man

 

Ngl 130+ networking calls from a target is pretty crazy. Sure, recruiting is a numbers game, but when networking you should focus on quality over quantity. Reach out to alum who you knew in undergrad, who have close mutual friends, or were in the same clubs/sports as you. All it takes is one referral to get the interview, and then it’s all up to you. Look up all the firms you’re interested in, find one to two good connections at each, apply to them all during their timelines, and do your best. 

 

Yeah I go to Stanford so basically very few alums in banking, hence the numbers

 
Most Helpful

By the time you make it to SD, its no longer just "do you know your technicals" it's also "do we want to work with this person". To stand out, you need to be yourself and personable. Don't get in the room and be awkward. You've made it this far and know your stuff. The rest is just relaxing and trying to connect. If you get a stiff interviewer, that's tough, but the above still apply. It seems you're also putting a lot of weight on getting a 2023 SA offer. Ask yourself why this is. Ask yourself, "what will happen if I don't get an offer?" It will absolutely suck, especially after putting in a lot of work. The thing is, if you don't get 2023 and you really want to do this, recruit FT. If you don't get that, take another role. Go to business school. Recruit summer associate. Lots of options if this doesn't work out. If none of the above work out, you're probably not going to be in your 30s wishing you were responding to slide comments at 12am. Wherever you go will end up working out (especially if you go to HYSP). Take a deep breath. Keep at it. You got this.

Edit: saw this same advice on another post. Idk the link, but it helped me a lot develop this mindset. Don’t get fixated on things such as “diversity” and “undergrad business schools vs me” or else you’ll fulfill a self fulling prophecy

 

I’m sure they were tough for everyone. 80% is pretty good. If you don’t know the answer, that’s ok. How do you respond when asked a question you don’t know? Do you stutter and get nervous and break down? Is there a big shift in your demeanor? Is it hard to get back to a calm state after? Can you show them that despite not knowing an answer that you can walk through your thinking?

Don’t dwell on the 20% too hard just learn from them and figure out how to bounce back from those situations. I’m sure the ones that got offers goofed a question or two but were able to respond well under pressure and show what they do know.

 

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