Breaking into IB without relevant work experience and internships?

Hey champs (or chimps)

I'm an aspiring monkey looking to break into IB in London. Currently I work full-time as a financial consultant at one of the big 4 somewhere in the not-so-fancy continental Europe and from September on I'll be studying finance at a graduate level at the top school in London.

The thing is that my job sucks, I haven't learned anything useful or worked at something meaningful and I've got no idea how to sell my experience to BBs, etc, during interviews. At the same time I don't have any relevant internships (don't ask, monkey shit happens).

On the other hand it's still ft experience at a big 4's finance consulting (though not strategy or m&a), I've got really really strong academics, test scores, an advanced language diploma in an east asian language, and will be coming very well-prepared in London as I'll have done a lot of preliminary reading.

So the question is: do you think my complete lack of financial analysis experience (including even taking just a look at a balance sheet) at my current job matters? What if everything else is maxed out? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time off eating bananas.

Monkey out.

 
Most Helpful

Dude if you wanna reply to comments, you have to actually reply to the comment, not your thread.

Regarding your sitch, yes the lack of experience is going to matter cos you're competing with people who have everything you have (bar maybe the non-relevant FT exp) + relevant internships. I don't think you walk into an FT BB IB position with just what you have. BBs pretty much only take FTs who've also done SAs at BBs or similar tier banks, if they take any at all (which in recent years hasn't been a given). 

That said, provided your visa/university schedule allows it, you could probably get into a summer internship.

 
nutmegger189

Dude if you wanna reply to comments, you have to actually reply to the comment, not your thread.

Regarding your sitch, yes the lack of experience is going to matter cos you're competing with people who have everything you have (bar maybe the non-relevant FT exp) + relevant internships. I don't think you walk into an FT BB IB position with just what you have. BBs pretty much only take FTs who've also done SAs at BBs or similar tier banks, if they take any at all (which in recent years hasn't been a given). 

That said, provided your visa/university schedule allows it, you could probably get into a summer internship.

Yeah, I was actually thinking about SAs, not FT. Thnx

 

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