How to Work with a Recruiter
If a recruiter is trying to reach you to discuss an opportunity, they will (most likely) want to talk to you as soon as possible. If you are hard to reach or unresponsive, they will probably move on to another candidate. Speed is one of the most critical factors when working with a recruiting firm, especially contingency recruiters. Telling a recruiter that you will reach back out in a week or so conveys the message that you are “not that serious” about making a move. The hotter the market, the more responsive you need to be.
How to Ace your Goldman Sachs Interview
We’ve assembled a list of interview questions which Goldman Sachs candidates claim to have been asked in the past. Most of these were asked of candidates joining the firm at analyst or associate levels.
How to Network Your Way into Investment Banking
Networking into a role in investment banking can be really daunting. Most people don’t even know where to start. Introducing yourself to new people can be intimidating, and knowing what you want to get out of a conversation can be super confusing. To help get rid of ambiguity (and awkwardness), here are 5 tips that will help you succeed.
Recruiters Not Getting Back to You? Here’s Probably Why
Although an investment banking recruiter may reach out with a connection request on Linkedin or send an a email regarding a position, it does not always mean that you’re a perfect fit for their open roles.
Recruiting On-Campus Will Super Suck This Year and Here’s Why
On-Campus recruiting for investment banking has always been somewhat brutal. You arrive back to school in late August, early September bright eyed and bushy tailed, happy to see your friends, new laptop charged, #2 pencils sharpened, ready to tackle Economics and then WHAMMO!X$% you spot a flyer out of the corner of your eye – Goldman Sachs IBD is coming to campus next Monday. MONDAY – WTAF. You were literally on the beach last week and you’re still wearing flip- flops. Guess what, your summer is officially over and recruiting season has begun.
Everyone Gets an Offer After Their Summer Internship?… Right?!?
No offer after your summer internship? It does happen. Some years it happens a lot. For instance the 2020 Covid summer, the 2011 World Financial Crisis Summer, or further back the 1998 currency meltdown / Russian debt crisis. Some years it is a...
How to Be a Stand-Out Candidate During Interview Process
In addition to technical aptitude, investment banks are also looking for very specific qualitative characteristics in the candidates that they interview. Although some of these qualities may be listed in the job description, unfortunately most are not. The good news is that these soft-skills are pretty standard across most banks. You can prep the technical all you want, but your real key to getting an offer is to utilize your resume, cover letter and interview to highlight as many of these qualitative traits as possible.
How to Recover from a Bad Job Interview
Uh Oh, I’m Pretty Sure I Just Bombed My Interview. Sometimes, no matter how much you prepare for an investment banking interview, something goes wrong. Maybe you didn’t sleep well or woke up with an awful headache. Maybe you got stuck in an elevator (yes this really happened to one of my clients). Maybe the MD you are interviewing with just lost a mandate or she missed her train. Maybe there was a long line at Starbucks or they were out of chocolate croissants. Who knows? If the interview feels weird, it probably was weird.
Ghosted by HR, Now What?
In recruiting, as IRL, ghosting is NEVER a good sign. If you have not heard from HR, a hiring manager or the recruiter within a week of your last interaction, you probably won’t be getting an offer. If you do eventually hear from the firm, you probably were NOT their first choice. As you start to negotiate an offer, their lukewarm vibes will be apparent. I understand this is NOT what you want to hear. In investment banking recruiting, no news is most likely bad news.
5 Epic Investment Banking Job Interview Fails
Congratulations, you’ve made it through the resume screening process and now you have a couple of investment banking interviews lined-up. As a recruiter, I often hear candidates bragging about where they are interviewing. Wake up. Just because you snag an interview slot does not mean that you are a shoe-in for the job. Now is not the time to kick-back and relax.