Starting a career is giving me nightmares
Hi all,
A bit about me. I'm a final year international university student studying STEM at an elite university in the UK. Spent last summer in strategy consulting in a regional office at home in Asia then this summer in M&A at a Tier 2 Investment Bank (think Barclays, UBS) in London.
Enjoyed this summer, got really good reviews, but am still on the hook about the return offer because: 1) the bank's IBD division is restructuring, and are not expecting to hire much 2) some of the other interns were hugely experienced (1-3 years in a professional job + Masters of Finance) 3) a VP/AD that I was close to has been trying to network me into a different team but its unlikely because of the overall situation with the bank
As such, I've been applying to IB jobs in London. I've got a few issues: 1) I really seem to struggle with getting to the face-to-face interview rounds. Last year I only had one final-round AC (which I then converted and spent this summer there). Have put real effort into applications and I think the CV is decent, everyone at internships say I communicate well etc. but for some reason it only seems to work in person because I'm not getting through CV screenings / video interviews... 2) Trying to get a job before getting deported (student visas) is concerning. I've applied for a mix of summer internships and full time roles but have heard a lot of places, especially the smaller firms, aren't keen on sponsoring work visas.
I get that it's a bit early, most applications haven't been processed yet etc. but wanted to get some views on this. I feel I got hooked into IB, particularly M&A, because of the 'prestige', and obviously the pay. I'm actually really interested in tech (which my degree syncs with - do machine learning/bioengineering stuff) but would prefer to work at influencing companies at the management level (rather than go be a software engineer/data scientist at FAANG or something). In that sense I felt IB was the perfect first job (good learning curves etc.) before I'd leave to go do something else eventually.
However, it's now concerning that I might not be able to get a job. Does anyone have some advice on other ways of starting a career in this space apart from the traditional IB route? Am unsure about strategy consulting still because not sure how exit opps will be if I don't get a MBB offer. Just feel that the uncertainty of it all while having to do my final year is starting to get to me (and that it's quite different from the stress of actual work). Would really appreciate any advice / past experience on the thread or PM. Cheers in advance
Why aren't you making it past screenings/video interviews? You might not need any advice if you can figure out where you're falling short, land a final round, and a job in IB.
Hey - can't seem to figure it out. Have had friends who've landed in BBs and EBs look at the CVs and CLs and it looks good to them. Spent more time looking through WSO and other forums (and company sites etc.) to get a better idea of what HR/Dartmouth types are looking for, will see if that makes a difference this year.
Any other ideas of what to do if things still fall through though? Thanks
Yeah, I can't say the process is perfectly fair. Sometimes it's just a crapshoot when it comes to deciding who moves on, that's why everyone says "it's a numbers game". The more opportunity to interview, the more chances you're the lucky one. Anyways, keep looking for areas to improve.
I'd offer you other advice, but I'm not as well-versed in other areas of finance and how to break in outside of the traditional process. Good luck and stay hungry.
> this summer in M&A > (think Barclays, UBS)
> the bank's IBD division is restructuring
lmao just say that you’re at UBS
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