Houston IB SA Recruiting from Target

I am currently a sophomore attending a lower ivy looking to go into IB. I am from Houston and would much rather prefer to work there as opposed to NYC.

Do any of you guys know how difficult it is to break into Houston IB from a school outside of Texas?

Any tips on how to approach the Houston recruiting process from a school that is not a regional target there?

 
Best Response

Banks in Houston like to recruit students from schools like UT, A&M, and Rice mainly because they want students who will stay in Texas. Houston banks are pretty wary of kids who ultimately want to end up in NYC. During the recruiting process, be able to have a solid answer for why energy and show that you really want to be in Houston.

 

Take advantage of the guys that come to campus or alumni you have to network with, but after talking to them, mention that you're looking to go to Houston and ask if they know anyone in the Houston O&G or Energy group. Your best bet would be someone in a related industry vertical where they might share some coverage or someone in a product group where they might've worked on the pricing or M&A modeling or what not for an energy deal (although many O&G groups do their own modeling, CapMarkets guys definitely see a lot of them, and M&A groups are still on most M&A mandates). If you live in Houston also see if you have any family connects and ask your parents if they know anybody. Look for any alumni in Houston IB, even if they're not at a firm you're super interested in. But ultimately, also network the NY guys hard too since you don't want to go all in on Houston where there are fewer spots.

That being said, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do this fairly easily. Coming from Houston if you're able to articulate a strong connection to the region and you research O&G stuff (it's super different - I don't even know shit about energy modeling) then you'll actually probably have an advantage. They like texas schools because they have alumni pipelines in those offices and because they think TX guys will stay as other posters have mentioned, but if they think you want it, then the brand name of an Ivy and solid creds will still trump some kid from UT.

 

Appreciate all the responses. I am in the process of networking with alumni there but there aren't that many. I think the main concern I have is getting my application looked at and I am not sure if I will be able to do that by applying online.

 

Sequi eos maiores corrupti expedita voluptatem excepturi. Expedita adipisci praesentium architecto magni in reprehenderit consectetur. Vel blanditiis natus eum possimus praesentium.

Possimus qui doloribus modi dolore aut quia. Et qui quod assumenda vel. Illo velit saepe qui. Aut aspernatur facere similique architecto sint id autem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”