Diversity programs exist get over it
Rewriting this post:
I get frustrated seeing the comments about diversity programs on this application. Some of the threads are just blatant racism. I already deal with the typical assholes of banking on top of my peers claiming that ur a diversity hire if you’re black or a woman.
No bank hires just based on demographics. Unconscious bias is real and it happens in every industry. Banks found a way to combat it and you’re not getting your spot taken by a diversity program applicant.
Oh yes they do, and been involved in those decisions where HR puts a figurative “g*n” to our head if we don’t prioritize women. Far too many times, we have been made to manipulate performance ratings to ensure female juniors are moved up the ladder. A lot of resentment has been building against these decisions for some time now. Often when we push females up the ladder, we have to push out a non-nepo competent males. How is that fair. If we weren’t lowering the performance bar for inclusion purposes, nobody would be raising these questions
while I understand ur frustration diversity initiatives aren’t meant to kick men out, which is why analyst classes are still overwhelmingly monolithic
unconscious bias slips through the cracks, even if you don’t know it you may be have been unconsciously prioritizing those who are similar to u it’s just a human thing and banks use initiatives to combat that
If performance ratings have been manipulated than that’s a concern with HR but I think this app makes it a bigger problem than it actually is..
In some shape or form, most banks are aiming for ~50% female target in hiring and promotions. How is that even fair when ~80% of candidate pool is male. Gender quotas equate to modern day corporate theft and nothing else. Also, manipulation of performance ratings is an ethical issue and we are forced to do it otherwise we can’t promote and retain women.
I've been told verbatim that the bank (think low tier BB) practices affirmative action, with a strong bias towards female applicants. This information came from a VP in the bank. HR also told the VP that he will be 'assigned' to a female applicant to guide her in the process. Meanwhile male applicants find it difficult to even get a coffee
my frustration is in the rhetoric on here that labels anyone that’s not a typical candidate a diversity hire Discounting my 10000 coffee chats and hard earned experience regardless of my demographics
it’s not my fault that banks have bs policies
If you are actually as locked and deserving as you say you are, nobody will see you as a diversity hire given the current standard for diversity hires. Determining whether someone deserves to be where they are is a very simple assessment, and one that most people make days or even hours into you hitting the desk.
I don't think you should be as wound-up about this as you are as people will see you for who you are eventually. And it sounds like that's a good thing in your case.
Coffee chats are the norm and not the exception. Your just confirmed OP’s point
Bro please shut the fuck up. What unconscious bias have you faced so far. The only diversity hr pushes for is gender. You had all female teachers, got into college easier, could stat pad resume with diversity bullshit, and get an offer with no technicals 2 months early. You don’t get to impose your thinking on other people.
Throughout my whole career I will discount diversity hires after this process and go out of my way to fuck over people in that category. In your words get over it. No one needs to validate your feelings that you worked hard.
Only works when we push back.
I’m an incoming intern. I am not we yet, but I’m never going to forget my recruiting process tbh.
I’m gonna do the same, will screw DEI hires as hard as I can moving forward to balance the scales. It’s screwed so many good people
They are scared bro Asians have already ransacked tech. Only reason we haven’t done the same here is because daddy’s degree from tsingshua or IIt doesn’t get him an SA. With the new generation of Asian and Indian grinders this will follow suit and just like the tech Asians I will practice my own kind of nepotism.
Here is the typical “girl boss” playbook in IB:
1. Get in through the diversity door despite having an affluent background
2. Collaborate with DEI bigwigs internally to sabotage male peers and gain sympathy
3. Label constructive feedback as misogyny
4. Complain about work culture privately to senior execs / HR in order to gain a leg up on peers
5. Foster inappropriate situationships with senior bankers under the disguise of mentorship and use that influence to further their careers
6. Above all, turning IB into a 9 to 5pm, weekdays only job at the cost of male juniors
This is only because of the greasy pieces of shit at the top rn. They have 15-20 years max.
Would love for someone to explain how it is fair for asian people to be penalized, given that we also face racism while not having access to legacy connections as many of us are immigrants.
They don’t care bro, they never will think about how double digit the average voter is. Accept it and be the exception.
Irrelevant, but what do you mean by double digit?
What a load of BS. Asian beckys are having the easiest time in recruiting lmao
Sure. Now how about the guys?
American born, asian male here currently a top 5 mega fund associate (think KKR / BX / Warburg / Apollo) and previously worked at a top 3 BB at a top group and came from a semi-target state school.
If you really believe what you're saying, then you should advocate for abolishing these programs and allow these DEI candidates to compete against Non-Nepo Indian / Asian males who are complete masochists. I could have easily whined and claimed that there's some unconscious bias against me that I didn't grow up going to a Trump International Country Club. If you really think you're 100% worth you salt, get rid of these DEI programs and compete to be in the top 1% like I did.
You can either believe in group quotas or merit, you CANNOT have both (Vivek Ramaswamy). Before you blame "nepotism" for why cannot get a job, I have yet to see a bank post an application for "White Male Lax Bro Nepotism Summer Analyst 2026". Work hard, and you can develop a system of nepotism for your future kids and family.
DEI MUST DIE.
Awesome bro, then you got lucky. 90% of the folks in your bucket don't
You sure? I'm an indian / asian male that went to a state school, didn't get into all the feeder clubs at my school (passed up for blonde sorority girls who didn't know what a DCF was because the Dean of the College wanted to prioritize DEI), interned at a Chicago Middle Market, then lateraled in 2021/2022 to a top bank when the market was hot which essentially changed my trajectory. Did I get lucky with the year that I graduated? Sure, but there's no excuse to not be a top-bucket performer. If you graduated in in 2023 when the market was crappy, stay at your current bank, be a top-bucket performer, become an associate for 1-2 years and lateral banks when the market because more friendly in a lower interest rate environment (2025 / 2026). PE firms will still consider a top A2A candidate and will be understanding of a less-favorable lateral market.
Not sure what you mean 90% of the people in my bucket don't get to my position. No part of my journey was was massively luck induced, I was a highest bucket analyst every review, had a top decile GMAT score and high GPA. I am advocating for DEI programs to be abolished and to allow all these white / Asian Beckies from Andover to compete against state-school hustlers like me without these early insight programs. The reason more people like me don't make it is because they are filtered out at the summer analyst level where these banks legit have a 70%+ DEI quota. Once PE recruiting becomes more merit focused at the Associate / Senior Associate / VP level it's clear who the real hustlers are.
I'm really not sure if you're pro-DEI or anti-DEI based on your above comments, but I stand by my prior statements, Merit >>> Group Quotas and DEI must DIE. Give it another 15 years and next you're going to be complaining that all the nepotism hires are children of first-generation Indian / Asian immigrants who busted their asses off in the 2000's / 2010's / 2020's. Keep crying wokies, 1/20 coming quicker than you think.
Very interesting how you just tell people to accept it instead of providing an argument for its existence. You are simply an enemy and support DEI because it benefits you. All your arguments are post hoc rationalizations. You are not in search of justice or truth, you are just self-seeking.
Well said OP. Spots aren’t getting taken by diversity candidates. Feel like the diversity candidates I’ve worked with are usually just as good or better at the job. Even with all the DEI initiatives they make up a small percentage of the total IB workforce
DEI Tyga spotted
It might be hard to accept or conceptualise, but the reality remains that there are other nations outside USA / North America that contain investment banks—where certain statements can be true irrespective of your localized American experience
lol the DEI OP immediately gets bodied and deletes their account. Bitch couldn't even make it 24 hours 😂😂😂
Don't necessarily agree with DEI quotas. Do believe that unconscious bias exists (probably far less than history but exists nonetheless). I mean if you scroll down twitter every now and again and see what kind of vile racism people spew from behind closed doors - can you truly tell me that some of these people don't exist within finance? Even perhaps in a tamer form?
You still hear men make misogynistic jokes about women relating to their abilities and emotions etc. (not claiming that I have not been at fault here too, I have), can you truly say that this doesn't or will not affect a man's judgement in recruitment? I don't think I can.
Arguing whether any action should be taken on DEI is basically answering 2 questions: "Is the recruitment process truly meritocratic or are their prejudices?" And "should we make effort to fix those prejudices and if so how far should we go?"
I find it hard to argue that the recruitment process is truly meritocratic as some of you so vehemently believe. Again though, I don't agree with quotas. But I do believe some effort should be made to combat racial, socioeconomic, and gender prejudices in recruitment.
What unconscious bias exists that is so bad. Isn't this just pattern recognition at the end of the day?
I've never heard of Asian / Indian culture glorifying icons who host Diddy parties, create raps about committing crimes, spend $1000's of money they don't have on Gucci belts, glorify gang culture or have baby mommas out of wedlock. If you're so upset that there is so called unconscious bias against your demographic, it might sound harsh, but time to have the difficult conversations and re-evaluate how you raise your youth and what you want you want representing your culture.
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