No Offers- I Feel Like a Failure
Hey guys,
So long story short, I go to a target school but ended up with no offers for SA recruiting. It sucks so much because its the only thing I wanted to do since I was a senior in hs and I prepped my ass off for the interviews and networking, and even had a pretty good ibd internship last summer at a boutique. It managed to make it to a few super days for some big banks but ended up not getting offers despite feeling that I did well in a few. Now I don't know what to do since all the banks are done recruiting and I'm left with nothing and I don't really want to intern at the same place I did as last year. Looking for any suggestions on what to do as I'm completely lost and miserable right now. Thanks
Don't want to intern at the same boutique isn't the right attitude to have right now, unfortunately. If that's an opportunity jump on it because it will be far better than not doing banking, and you can spin it well for full time recruiting at other banks - interned there sophomore year, were good enough to be invited back and chose to return for xyz reasons, then decided to move elsewhere for abc reasons hence the full time recruiting. Obviously continue looking for better opportunities if you can find them. Network during summer as much as possible and try again when full time recruiting comes around.
Next best option if that doesn't work out is start at this (or another) boutique bank full time. Can lateral to a better bank after a little while if you want to. If all else fails and you genuinely, sincerely want to do IB you can always go back to school for an MBA and enter as a post MBA associate.
Ain't over till it's over.
While it may be easier said than done, but this one's solid.
Is there some prohibitive reason why you don't want to return to the same boutique?
I don't want to return because it wasn't very structured and I want to work on bigger deals. I also didn't like the overall environment but most of all I just want to improve and do something bigger.
Fair enough, but if that boutique is still an option and you haven't locked anything else down I would lock it down before someone takes that one out from under you...best bet is that boutique unless you have made solid progress with others.
Regardless of where you end up (I'm sure you know this already) you need to do some serious due diligence to determine where you (as someone with a seemingly very competitive profile for sa applications) went wrong - sounds like it must have been the interviews, and you need to practice that a lot because full time will only be harder than sa recruiting.
I don't want to return because it wasn't very structured and I want to work on bigger deals. I also didn't like the overall environment but most of all I just want to improve and do something bigger.
I would prefer a lack of structure myself, but completely understand if the environment was poor. Nonetheless, it would be preferable to have any SA experience than an empty summer.
Is the boutique still an option?
I am sure it feels like it is killing you to have no offers, but bear in mind that there are hundreds who would practically kill for that boutique offer. The process of getting offers is quite harsh, and I am in the midst of it myself, and more than once I have felt like a failure. Try to keep things in perspective - you have a great profile, were in contention for several spots until the bitter end, but didn't seal the deal. Try to get that internship at the boutique, do mock interviews/read up on how it is done, and try again when the next window opens.
I do not know where you are applying, but I am applying to grad programs here in London. I have talked to several people at my AC's, and the vast majority has had a year post graduation to build up work experience in order to build a desirable profile before applying to grad roles. Hell, one of the guys I spoke with even went to do banking in Iraq because he had no other options. Recruiting is brutal, but the longer you feel like a failure, the more your competition will have the opportunity to go one up on you.
To be frank, I am confident you will end up in a great grad scheme if you get that boutique internship over the summer and then apply for FT jobs. Your profile is simply too strong and you have already been to super days. Prior to this recruiting cycle, I hardly knew what a super day was. You have a major advantage in the next recruitment cycle. Use it to your advantage.
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