I'm curious to know whether most of the people on here got their current role through applying or networking?
Before landing my current position, I had gotten a few offers through previous connections but actually accepted an offer from a firm that I applied to online and knew no one there.
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Applied online
Networked when I had a job in industry. Then applied online.
Good thread.
Always curious how the guys here in acquisitions/AM land their gigs. Straight networking and offered something? Apply first then reach out?
first job, - applied online through craigslist second job - recruiter received a few job offers from networking as well during my job search (but had already accepted my current position)
Built the relationship and kept in touch, eventually openings came up at their shops and I was able to interview.
Lmao Craigslist? interested in this
Yea I was surprised myself! My first shop was really small and I got lucky by finding them on CL.
A cold, online application
Online Application. Unlike BB IB. PE Firms who have career tabs on their website don't recieve thousands of resumes. Some of the most prestigious REPE firms post jobs on their website and never get picked up by indeed, select leaders, recruiters, etc.
Out of curiosity- which firms are you referring to (that aren't getting picked up on the mainstream sites)?
A lot of companies are posting jobs on LinkedIn now. Coming out of school I didn't have many contacts in AM... the way I got my job was finding a LinkedIn post, applying for the job, then searching out people on the HR team in that office. I would send very brief individual notes to every HR person I could find basically letting them know I applied and that I was very interested. That method landed me the most interviews BY FAR, and is the reason I got a buy-side job fresh out of undergrad.
Weird question since, by applying, that's exactly what you're doing... but I would say something like this.
"Hi XXX, I saw your firm's job posting for XXX position and just applied. I think my experience and career aspirations would lend well to the position and I am very interested. I would love to be given the chance to further discuss the opportunity with you, or another person in charge of hiring for the position. Best, XXX"
Don't waste their time with babble, just be short, sweet and to the point.
Applied online.
First: On-campus recruiting Second: Applied online through my school's alumni jobs site and reached out directly to the MP via LinkedIn
Networked.
A client of mine at my part time job in school hired me for my first job. I called up my current boss for advice on the second job. Instead, he offered me a job.
i accepted the invite to get in their van (with no windows). i locked down the job inside.
my first job at 16 (i turned down an offer from McDonalds at 15) was being a busboy in a restaurant in safeco field (baseball stadium in seattle)
after that, i believe every job i've had i got because of someone i knew, referral, etc (non finance roles)
Why woul dyou interview at McDonalds if you werent going to accept?
i was with a friend and while he was sitting down doing the application the manager came and tried to recruit me
Got my job by applying on LinkedIn. Most firms post their jobs on LinkedIn these days
FLDP
Networked at university events. Interviewed, internship, offer, etc.
Online application with no prior networking. On campus interview and then superday. Surprisingly the only bank I did really do networking for.
Working in PE - sent a cold email and convinced them to get on the phone with me and then meet me in person.
First job: cold application - applied online Second job: contacted by HH
1st job: Networking and then applying online 2nd job: Applied online and then contacted by recruiter.
During a job search, I called a guy to be a reference for me. He said "why not just work here". They weren't hiring but he made an opening for me
Very lucky
Honestly the top top jobs will be posted somewhere and you'll go up against everyone good to get it. I don't really think 100% networked jobs exist unless you are taking a step down and have a lot to offer. If you are winning you are likely applying. It's like a broker from Eastdil calling you about an "off market" or "lightly marketed" opportunity #doubtItBruh
First two jobs - applied online, third job - networking
First job- IBD from on campus recruiting. Second job- recruiter contacted me about the role
Cold email turned into a phone call, into a coffee, into 2 or 3 more coffees and then asked to come in and interview with 4 others. Received offer the next day.
Every single job before this past summer I acquired through networking. Usually cold emails or "warm emails" from mutual acquaintances.
This past summer I got the job (summer associate) through OCI.
first job - cold emailing second job - stayed in touch with someone at a company I would have worked at over my first job third job - network through second job
it's all about the network after your foot is in the door
First Job - Networking Second Job - Applied Online Third Job - Recruiter Fourth Job (Internal Move) - Networking Next Job - Networking Every Job after that - Networking
First job - Applied online Second Job- Applied Online Third Job- Recruiter
Everyone knocks applying online but it really does work if you know how to put together a good resume that hits key words. Here is a brief list of companies I have interviewed with from a cold online apps only (not including referrals/relationships and recruiters) from when I started interviewing in college and beyond-
Out of these interviews i received - 4 formal offers, one informal offer (turned down before formal offer), and 6 rejections.
Applying online works you just have to have design your resume well.
I should note that despite my winding interview path I made my way into real estate. All's well that ends well I suppose.
Could you PM me some more details into some keywords and such that would set you apart? I've typically had success through networking but not so much through strict online applications.
Except the first job, always via connections / head hunters.
Got this job from applying through LinkedIn. Most of the other jobs I got before this were all networked though
Got my foot in the door through a connection. Then once I went through the rounds of interviews it seems they were genuinely interested in hiring me.
Angelist
First Job- On campus recruiting Second job - Cold email, phone chat, coffee chat, then in person interview.
I've never applied online, only networked. I come from a family with no connections but was always told that it was "who you know, not what you know" growing up. Obviously, that saying only rings true to a certain point, but never underestimate the power of a strong network.
I sent the head of the company (regional developer) an email from out of the blue. Completely different market, absolutely no connections. I called him a few weeks later to congratulate him on one of his projects in the news, as well as asking if he got my email. He said next time I was in town to call him and he might be able to meet for coffee.
Met him a few weeks later for 15-20 minutes he had in between meetings downtown. A few weeks after that he emailed me asking if I could make another trip back to meet more of the team. About a month after that meeting, I received a text asking if I was still interested in a potential job opp. I accepted, he outlined the offer details, I packed my bags. All in all the process took about 2.5 months.
First job- friend of the family contact. Second job- linkedin by headhunter. Third job- campus recruiting from H/S/W MBA.
With the help of online websites.
How did you get your job? (Originally Posted: 03/24/2015)
I am freshly on the job market and looking for advice on the best ways to go about getting my next job. I hope this forum can serve as a discussion for what people have found in the past to be the most effective ways, and ineffective ways, of gaining employment.
I found my current role through the linkedin jobs section
How did I even land this job? (Originally Posted: 03/09/2007)
I've been reading the forum for a few days now, and I can't even begin to understand how I landed a summer internship in a top 10 bank. I go to a non-target (top 40 undergrad business school), and from what I've been reading you shouldn't even have a shot if you don't go to Harvard, Yale, Wharton, etc. My gpa is a 3.2, and again everybody says that you shouldn't even bother unless you have at least a 3.5. I also have absolutely NO previous real world finance experience. I think I'm a pretty good interviewer, but def not out of this world. I look at other people's qualifications and it seems like they've been preparing for ibanking all their lives...I didn't even know it existed until last year. Maybe if I had some connections I would understand but I have absolutely none. What the hell happened??? Is it just not as hard to get into as everybody thinks? I realize it might sound like I'm bragging...but I'm just genuinely shocked...I almost feel like I don't really deserve it.
Luck has a lot to do with it as well :)
Two words: affirmative action. Just kidding, but I've heard they really like to pick up minority kids, even if they don't stack up as well as everyone else.
In my friend's analyst class, he said they brought in some random girl from Howard (an all-black school)who was woefully inept and dumb as a brick. Not to say you're any of those things, but there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to getting into IB.
hires from Howard, Spelman, Morehouse b/c of affirmative actions. In my experience, most of these students are not smart at all and wouldn't have even got an interview at a target school. They get in because of affirmative action, but can't even get to FCF in a DCF.
Ha, I guess maybe a little of both.
i smell bullshit
I do think that many people on this site only offer a lot of hype/second-hand information and I do think there are other factors to explain discrepencies/anamolies.
1) I think what people say is that information which gives you the 'best possible chance'. Nothing is guaranteed, one way or another. But obviously a kid with a 4.0 from Harvard w/ 3 summers of BB internships and who is quant-strong and whose dad, uncle, and closests neighbors are all MD's is going to have a better chance than a 3.2, non-target, non-quant, non-everything who just shoots an app. in on a whim.
Obviously a polarizing case, but you get the point.
2) I think a lot of people here either a) puff themselves up because it is "cool" to be "cool" on an internet message board or b) there are actually those people who did have a 4.0 from Harvard, etc. and they are protecting their turf/confirming themselves as part of what really is an exclusive club.
3) Don't hate me, but this is my impression, or at least this seems to be the case with Doostang... many people on these boards are non-US citizens from India, China, or Korea who are fighting/scratching/clawing to get into a US IB and in order to differentiate themselves from the 400 Indian/Chinese/Korean fellows who have a 3.65 gpa in engineering at Cal/Michigan/UCLA/UT, "THEY" need to have a 4.0 in Math from 'Harvard' as there will only be a handful of them.
In my opinion, call me crazy or whatever, but I really think #3 is the most accurate.
but most of the kids are 2nd generation Indians, Koreans, or Chinese. They speak fluent english and are citizens. Most of them are very competitive, but people you can talk to about sports, partying, and girls. However, at the associate level, they're non-US citizens and have very tough time acclimating into banking envrionment.
I realize that might happen with some, but I think my situation is a little different...I will admit that I don't always put as much effort into things as I should, but my IQ is over 150, and they get us started on dcfs sophomore year at my school. I think people tend to have one or two bad experiences with minority students who aren't very smart and tend to generalize it to everybody...just my opinion
Congrats. Don't let whatever negative comments you hear about AA affect you. Bust your balls, work your ass off this summer, and make the most of this opportunity. You deserve it. Forget the people who tell you otherwise, I'm sure whatever BB you're working at knows better than your detractors on this board.
An IQ of 150 isn't out of the ordinary in banking. And we DO put a lot of effort into everything. I know of one analyst whose Wechsler test topped out at 187 who still busts ass 120-130 hours a week and is only barely doing well enough.
You can rely on your brains to sail you through college. You can't rely on your brains to get you through a two-year analyst stint.
Thanks ivybanker :)...and Mis Ind, my point was just that minority hires aren't dumb by definition. Besides, from what I've read on this forum and others, it seems like being an analyst isn't necessarily that intellectually challenging.
It is and it isn't. Certain bits of it will require every ounce of your intellect -- not your training, not your education, not your memory, but your raw intellect, the tool you use to approach and solve brand-new problems. Most of it will simply be a grind. Sometimes it will be a twenty-hour a day grind for an entire week. What gets you through that isn't intellect; it's either desperation or mule-stubbornness.
I think I have plenty of the latter
I wouldn't worry about how or why you got the internship..the point is, you got it, so make sure you do a good job and get that full-time offer. That being said, I should warn you that people are going to be able to tell you're an AA hire from the resume book. While it's true everyone isn't a 4.0 from Harvard, most of your summer analyst class will be 3.5+ GPAs from ivys or other top 20 schools. No one's going to say anything to you or be overtly obnoxious, but just don't go in there bragging about how smart you are or acting proud about getting the internship, because people will scoff at you since race clearly played a huge part.
Also, you may have to prove yourself more than the other interns since your group will have your resume. Just keep that in mind and don't get discouraged if you're given the easiest work starting out..once you prove that you can do work as well as the guy sitting next to you from Princeton, you'll be fine.
luck honestly has a lot to do with it in my opinion...i got an internship lined up for the summer with a top 10 as well..and my GPA doesnt even reach 2.8..hahaha
but through 8 rounds of interviews, i was lucky they didn't ask anything to hard..
so bless the opportunity..and as ppl say here..bust your balls off and pull off the full time offer this summer
then u prolly lied on ur app. theres no way they wouldnt ask for ur gpa. if they asked and u said 2.8, then i quit.
Ever look around the office and think...really?? you got in??? I think that would be the most frustrating thing of all.
Haven't started yet but will be working with a moron this summer as an SA and I have no idea how they got the position (we were recruited from same school).
I ask myself the same question everyday....how in the world did I land an internship?! I'm glad I came on this board after I got the offer (to find out what IBanking is, since that's what I'll be doing), because otherwise I probably would've thought that I had no chance at all. Ignorance is bliss, and helps the confidence during interviews and helps you to be yourself. Maybe that's why?
lol! "expecting" are you allowed to list your expecttations? If that's the case, I expect a 4.0!
if its sth ridiculous like a 4.0 you'd have to point your previous semester average to substantiate.
or else they'd ask for transcripts
I am a junior finance major at University of Florida. My GPA is 3.82 and I have some studying abroad experience. What are my chance to get a job in I Banking. Thanks in advanced
Think about the number of kids who have the exact same stats you just listed: non-target, 3.8+ GPA, other experience. How many people do you think have those stats? Upfront, those are your odds.
Ya gotta give more than the first 2 lines of your resume.
any thing is possible...but you have to seek opportunities for yourself. If you haven't started seeking opportunities yet, then I dunno because the recruiting season has almost ended...
I'll say get a finance internship with a fortune 500 if you can this summer and network aggressively for a FT offer in your senior year
Hey xistgurum thanks for the reply. Besides the orher stats I also speak fluently spanish and very good french.I have lived in Cuba, Spain and France.I havent really worked in the field yet. However, I am very informed in the banking world, and rad lots of banking books.
Ack. The English is not so good. In English, you would say, "I speak Spanish fluently," but never "I speak fluently Spanish." In English, adverbs don't always directly follow the verbs they modify. Also, past tense of the English present-tense word "read" is "read". "Advanced" is a past-tense verb; what you actually meant was "Thanks in advance."
I know it's frustrating -- English has got to be one of the world's least logical languages. Unfortunately, it is essentially the language of global banking. It's tough to make it through those interviews if the English is not superb.
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