Where to start?

I'm a finance undergrad trying to break into IB from a target school. I have startup and VC experience.

When does recruiting start? Does anyone have a guide to cold outreach? Should I be looking at top firms? I have lots of questions, and am unsure where to start. Would appreciate advice.

7 Comments
 

Does this apply to FT recruiting too do you think? Just completed a summer analyst position this summer in NYC in one of the top groups at the bank I was at, did not get a return offer. Pretty torn up about that. Got good feedback and developed great connections, only problem was they had very few spots to offer and too many interns in my group. Trying to cast that wide net like you mentioned, but it feels impossible when I have no “real” finance experience other than a 3 month internship, and most FT positions I’m seeing right now call for 1-3 years of experience and skills I don’t have. I have financial modeling experience from my internship and am planning on taking a course through Adventis or Wall Street prep, but I don’t have the real training that a first-year analyst program would cater to (usually from a return offer from an internship). Would appreciate your advice.

 

Facilis ab voluptatem id et assumenda. Quod natus voluptas sapiente omnis deserunt impedit vitae occaecati. Eveniet ut omnis eaque laboriosam a tenetur earum et. Quos omnis aliquam ea omnis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”