Should I give up?
I am sure most of you have seen enough of these, but any response will be valued. Coming from an ok-ish educational background (BSc Durham & MSc UCL both in finance and related courses with good Grades) and work experience/internship wise, I have been around places (Consulting Big4, Corp Dev at unknown small commercial bank, Random Fintech company) simply I feel like they are better than nothing on my CV as I didn't land any IB role. I thought the Master's degree was going to help in this job market but no (sometimes I even feel like it is holding me back as some programmes only want undergraduate). I have been through some interviews and a few reached the final round, but only one of them is IBD (rejected after the interview) and the others are things like RFP or Big4 TS. But most of the time, it is just countless rejections from the over 600 applications I have done. I guess there are 2 questions that I really want to ask:
Should I even bother to try my luck and try to break into banking now or should I just take any offer that comes to me such as RFP at AM, (The reason that I am asking is that I am starting to feel that my diverse working experience is really not helping me getting anywhere and I don't want to mess it up even more.) as I am tired of waiting around.
Where did things go wrong? I do get some interviews so I think my background is ok enough at least (maybe not for BB or EB), I do get moved to the final stage a decent amount of time when I get tests and interviews to be confident that my ability is not below par. But it can't just be luck, right?
Apologies for all the grumbling, but any insight or response will be cherished. Thanks in advance
Based on previous WSO threads and the most helpful WSO content, here are some insights and advice for your situation:
Should You Continue Trying to Break into Banking or Take Any Offer?
Evaluate Your Goals:
Consider Alternative Paths:
Where Did Things Go Wrong?
Application Volume vs. Quality:
Networking:
Interview Preparation:
Fit and Presentation:
Additional Advice:
Resources:
Remember, many have faced similar challenges and eventually succeeded. Keep pushing forward, and good luck!
Sources: graduated may 2019 and recently laid off first job, If I don't get a banking offer, what's the next best thing?, Would appreciate some advice, Failed to "Break In" at my MBA Program - Next Steps?, Failed to "Break In" at my MBA Program - Next Steps?
You might be the same poster who anonymously posted about an RFP role, and just so I don't duplicate I'll avoid answering the first question.
On the second, I'd highlight that (1) there is a shocking amount of luck in this industry from recruitment through to finding a wild card bidder for an asset, (2) I do think that your CV seems extremely scattergun. My immediate reaction may be something to the effect of "does this guy / girl have any idea what they're doing?" I do agree on your "better than nothing" point for sure, but versus the hundreds of candidates with more standard CVs, yours may have struggled.
As for "where it went wrong?", you can't study your way to a role in this industry; a lot depends on your networking, positions in university societies, extra-curriculars, and (of course) your performance in interviews. So maybe it's luck, maybe it's a lack of "wow" factor in your CV (when you were applying for spring weeks / summer roles), or maybe it's your interview performance.
It isn't too late, but it'll be hard from here. So make sure you want IB before you spend more time and heartache chasing it. There's no holy grail here, and it can be quite the opposite for some people.
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