Not getting offers as a target student
Hi everyone, as the title suggests, I am a rising junior at a target. I have a good GPA (3.7+), had around 6 or 7 first rounds, made it to 3 super days so far (including a BB). But I haven't received any offers so far.
I feel very prepared for technicals from my WM and IB internships. I also have multiple leadership positions. I also think I have good stories prepared to talk.
I feel pretty frustrated right now. What can I do to get an offer? Any advice is appreciated.
Have you come out of every superday thinking it went great? How are you on Zoom - do you look at the camera or yourself, are you fidgeting etc? You're good on paper so it has to be something with your interview or delivery.
Ultimately though, you just have to keep pushing. Are you networking a lot? If not, there are still firms hiring that you should focus your efforts on.
I've definitely networked a lot. I've talked to 80+ alumni at this point. I think the biggest thing should be that I can be a bit awkward to be honest. I do think I have a tendency to get a little nervous and fidgeting too. What would you suggest to be less awkward at least in interviews?
Get friends to mock interview you on Zoom, or just put your Zoom camera on and practice yourself. Be conscious of fidgeting - don't swing your chair, look around the room, or do stuff with your hands. IB interviews are 80% the exact same questions so you should have all of the common ones absolutely down cold (including delivery). It's easier in person, but you just need to practice this setting more.
you are probably socially awkward. Try and ask for candid feedback on social areas where you are lacking from family & friends.
I do consider myself a bit socially awkward, sadly. What do you think some things I can do to make it better?
Breathing/Warm-up exercises, and also really knowing your shit and comfortable speaking to anything you might be asked about. Be confident
Copy pasting my response from a similar thread posted recently:
I've only ever made it past the resume screen and Hirevues twice. Both times I passed the first round interviews, and the consequent superday for an offer.
I'd echo what others have said here and that's don't be too vanilla. In both my years of superdays I developed a connection with an MD by not acting cocky, not being vanilla, and just being genuine. The primary area to do so, in my opinion, is when its your turn to ask questions. I found an old reddit thread that had some good questions, and I've personally used a combination of these in all dozen or so of my interviews, and most of the time I get a stellar response:
1. What does success look like for an intern on the (team your interviewing for)?
2. What's been your favorite aspect of working for X company on Y team? Results in good followup convos
3. What advice do you have for someone in my position? Makes for a great segue into follow up convo and ultimately closing the interview.
4. Ballsiest- Besides a pay check, what keeps you coming back to work? I once asked this to an MD who I was quite comfortable with (although I knew him to be a hard ass from other interviewees), and he almost fell out of his chair and had to stop and think.
Additionally, SUPER important is having personalized thank you notes. My personal format is:
1. Thank them for taking time to discuss position X with you
2. Mention a part of the convo you had. If it was difficult, call it challenging and thought-provoking. Try to crack a joke here and keep it very personal.
3. Thank them for their advice in a non bland way
I've personally heard from directors that thank you notes separate and distinguish candidates, so don't sleep on them.
Lastly, try to have a surprising amount of knowledge / expertise in a specific topic and make an effort to steer the conversation (naturally) to a topic where you can show this off. For me this was Options Greeks, market-making, and other derivative strategies and I would bring it up when asked what I'd invest in if given a sum of money.
Thanks for the advice. Yeah, my answers would definitely seem a bit canned because I have a lot of them written out sentence by sentence. I guess I need to sound a bit more genuine
Yeah, in my opinion, writing out responses and following them to a tee is quite damaging. For Hirevues and overall interview prep, I stick to bulleted talking points, which ensures some of it being off the cuff
Just a guess here so take it with a grain of salt - but there's a chance that your profile is just too generic to the point where you don't stand out.
Unless you have an interesting and unique testament to your hustle that you can use to demonstrate your dedication to IB (which some nontargets have had success relying upon), there's a good chance that your 1 out of hundreds of very similar candidates - targets with 3.7s with WM/IB internships. The (somewhat) advantage of being a nontarget is that you often don't have to compete with other kids from your college, but still have to compete with the broader pool of candidates.
What was your networking like at these firms? I feel like your best edge (against others from your similar background) in this scenario would have been really hitting it off on a handful of networking calls, converting them into coffee chats, etc.
On the topic of social awkwardness potentially being a factor, I would recommend what someone above said. Deep breathing, just trying to relax, maybe supplements (some of my buddies had success with taking L theanine for jitters). Trust me, it will get better with 1) relaxing 2) repetition. I used to get very anxious even before networking calls.
Thanks for the advice, I totally agree. I've definitely been trying to network as much as I can, but I usually only have 1 or none that really connects for each firm. I guess I should make more calls and try to really connect with them
Go gay
bro shut the fuck up
Voluptas dolorum et laboriosam nesciunt delectus. In error nobis dolorem repudiandae nihil. Placeat odit ipsum id. Quas magnam id deserunt aliquid assumenda ad et.
Sint voluptate nostrum labore praesentium nemo non cumque. Est corporis magnam nesciunt. Libero eligendi dolorem reprehenderit consequatur qui pariatur.
Dolorum odio eaque asperiores ullam molestiae fugiat. Sit non omnis et. Atque quia quaerat libero dicta assumenda est.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...