Union Square Advisor SA 2021
Any updates on USA’s SA recruitment process? Anyone have a superday yet? Haven’t heard back since first round
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what's the best comparison of Union Square to another bank in the sf area for tech?
Idk just based off their transaction history maybe like Qatalyst's younger sister. Which is really good.
seems like the deals are no where near the size though. maybe top mm player? assuming you would take GS/MS/Q and the other EBs over them any day, but could be wrong
maybe ft partners or gca
Have a first round in a week, do you have any advice on it / how did it go and what were the technicals like?
West Coast Semi-Target candidate FYI
Very strong in the tech space if that's what you want, lot's of ex-BB leadership, smart people all around and above street comp.
Generally, some of the hardest and most techincal interviews you can have. Will stress some interest in tech for SAs but primarily will focus on a very deep understanding of valuation/accounting. Brain teasers expected
I think you're being very generous here. Most boutiques are formed by people who have years of experience in BBs and EBs. This is nothing special about USA. Moreover, as others noted below, USA goes for upper-middle class talent. They're not able to consistently recruit from top schools like Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, Cal, etc. Their name is known in the Bay Area, but if you go to New York or anywhere else, not so much. Their deal flow has improved but still stuck in the MM range. They rarely work on massive deals like some of the stand-out boutiques in SF.
Which stand-out boutiques are you referring to? A quick linkedin search brings up 2 Cal, 3 UCLA, and 3 Vandy alum at USA just to name a few. I don't think those school are necessarily the "top of the top" but they're pretty good for west coast banking. If you check Qatalyst, they don't have any Harvard alumni at all.
How many "first rounds" have others in the process had? Two analysts have reached out so far, not sure how many more I should be expecting.
Lol if you're doing well prepare to get used to it. You're going to have people reaching out every few days or so as you progress. So to answer your question technically 6-8 "first rounds"
I had 2 analyst calls seperately as part of a "first round" followed by a more structured first round organized by HR with a few bankers. That was about 2 weeks ago and haven't heard back since...do you think I'm still in the process or did I get ghosted
Can anyone comment on the exit ops?
I heard last year -- Permira, CapG, etc. Solid exits with senior support.
Anyone have a superday yet?
Superday'ed waiting to hear back
how many rounds/calls did you have
How long after your interview did it take for you to hear back + how did they let you know?
Bump
USA gave out a handful of offers at the beginning of the month. I know they gave offers to at least 6 candidates
I would've taken usa, but they really dragged the process (approx. 7 weeks). Started in early-march and ended in late-April. By the time they gave me an offer, I had offers waiting for me from other firms. I think they should reconsider their process. Not sure how many solid candidates r willing to do endless phone screens for a mediocre shop.
So where are people taking offers from then besides USA?
Citi, Lazard, Raine, HL, etc. They all wrapped up while USA was taking its sweet time lol
where did u hear that they are reducing their number of interviews??? like are u 100 percent sure about it?
what was the time between your first round and when you heard for final round?
Incoming analyst here. Yes, it’s true that HR is trying to speed up the process. Not sure if they set the exact number of screens, but we are speeding up. It usually take ~6 weeks from the first contact to offer. Would really appreciate if y’all didn’t discuss interview questions/contents though.
How long did it take for you to hear back after your superday??
There was no superday. I got a decision the same day I had my final set of phone screens with senior bankers. One week to respond.
Process here is a bit ridiculous. You want to toss me in an room/zoom call and interview me for 6-7 hours straight? Sure, go ahead. You want to spread it out over months? Sorry, already hate it here so just gonna sign at the places that wrap up their process in 2 weeks.
I have a first round next week. Anybody have tips on what that was focused on or what I should know??
Just know that there will be many more phone screens if you move on. Also, they start interviewing in march, so they could be wrapping up soon (although based on what's been shared above it seems like there are a few seats open)
oh god. im not so great at these behaviorals but guess i'll have to figure it out
Do they give you your offer quickly?
USA has very few analysts with most of them not being from “top schools”. Personally, I don’t obsess about school prestige but firms usually do... Can someone explain why USA isn’t filled with “top” undergrads? Especially since I’ve mostly heard good things about them (in terms of reputation and exit opps)
I go to a target on the west coast, and the (obvious) answer seems to be that we typically find jobs at better firms. Don’t mean to sound like a wise guy, but it’s just the reality. My friends and I all finished recruiting, and we’re going to better shops than USA.
USA generally guns for B+ talent that match with the culture, not the smartest kids but get along well with one another
Remember the old saying: A’s hire A’s and B’s hire C’s.
Is it worth even applying for USA at this point. Networked with a couple analysts just didn't know that there recruiting already began. I mean the application is due August 30 on my handshake lol
Ya couple of people from my school just had interviews. Bunch of guys turned down offers so they're still recruiting
See if the analysts you spoke with can push your resume. And as the other guy said, a bunch declined their offers so wouldn't be surprised if they are still reviewing applications.
Anyone have a "first round interview" (mini-superday) this week or know when the superday/final round is?
Are they still interviewing? I thought they did first round interviews in March.
Yes lol, I think they started a new batch since many people declined their offers.
Anyone still interviewing ?
Had first round 90 minute interview last week haven't heard anything, what about you?
exact same situation, I had mine last week and still haven't heard back yet
Anyone get any updates? Last I heard, the process manager is working through a "scheduling backlog"
I haven't heard anything -- did you reach out to them and they mentioned "scheduling backlog"?
Yeah that's what one of their analysts told me last week
Update just getting word that their class is now full from HR
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