As an alternate, I'm allowed to sign up for an interview if there are any open slots after the candidates they are primarily interested in get to sign up. Before alternate sign ups open, all interview slots are already taken.
Do you guys think it would look bad if I sent the campus contact an email expressing my interest in the firm and asking if there is any way I might still be considered?
It can't hurt. You never know someone may cancel last minute due to signing an offer with a competing firm, superday with another firm or candidate is sick. For the most part, I'd focus on other opportunities.
getting an interview as an alternate (Originally Posted: 01/26/2008)
hey has any of you ever gotten an interview after being selected as an alternate (hence no preselect). I would think chances are very low as most preselects are expected to accept an interview?
I did.
I was an alternate for a first round with BlackRock. They called me the morning of on-campus interviews and told me to come in. I made it to Superday. It does happen every now and then.
It depends on the firm/job. Your chances are better for getting on the sheet if it's say BS IBD in NY over UBS LA, because NY recruiting is much larger than West Coast recruiting. What you can do if you don't get on the list is to contact HR or the intervieiwers themselves on the day of to see if they'll accommodate you.
i did too, made it to super day.
in this job market, if you go to an east coast target school, an alternate for GS/LB/MS/JPM/DB IBD is pretty much useless. Almost everyone is getting burnt and is signing up for whatever he/she gets. I have an UBS Houston interview and I tried to switch it to another time, and it was all full. But if the job is in equity research, credit risk management or something, chances are good.
there is still hope though. my friend who's grabbing interviews with lazard/greenhill/blackstone/mckinsey/bain/bcg is cancelling his merrill NYC IBD interview. so someone will get lucky.
I canceled my ML interview for IBD as well as Citi Cap M and a few other. Hopefully someone will get them!
In general it's HR and analysts who are making decisions at the preselect level, and (hopefully) people who know what's going on at the first round level. If you do well on your interviews, you should be fine...
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