What am I doing wrong?
Recent December graduate from T20 school (think Notre Dame, Cornell, etc.) job hunting for 9 months now. Uniquely admirable internship experience (2+ years commitment and have since gained a stakeholder interest), and other cool and classic things that make a strong resume/profile.
~20 firms, ~35 interview rounds (not including case study rounds) with a handful of fourth/fifth/final/ superday rounds but haven't closed on an offer. I discovered a niche but high-profile sector in IM two years ago and have vehemently pursued this sector since. ~15 of my firms interviewed have been from this sector having gotten the look on the strength of my cover letter and impossible-to-ignore tone/passion of my cold emails (not including conversations with firms not actively hiring/no job posting). Some of these roles prefer the standard 2+ years IB/buy-side/consulting experience and some seek to train from scratch. Having gone multiple rounds with multiple firms (including for some post-MBA/CFA roles that use case studies as a first-round filter), it is unlikely that my skillset, knowledge base or qualifications are holding me back. On the behavioral front, my conversations go well, we connect on a personal level, I synthesize my story well, and am able to demonstrate my passion, knowledge, personality, humor, etc. just as you would expect in any engaging conversation with any good friend, acquaintance, interviewer, professional or senior (maybe worth mentioning my overwhelmingly different background from middle class suburban folk but I don't think I lack in any social/cultural capital).
Nine months is an awful lot of time for self-reflection, especially considering how humbling this process has been. In nine months, I have sought advice, perspectives, guidance and wisdom from my Wall Street uncles, parents, un-schooled grandparents, professionals, finance friends, friends, finance executive search partners, my professors, boss, barber, gym front-desk hotties and everyone in between and have considered, recognized and applied any valuable insights however minute to my approach (although the most common advice I hear is "you're doing nothing wrong, keep doing what you're doing..." or "people don't like people smarter than them, you should start your own thing..."). I stay up every night reflecting on signs from heavens above to criticisms from the woman I love and while this period has certainly been my biggest lessons in humility, resilience and relationships, these are simply inner aspects of growth that any human being will always experience. But I cannot ignore the numbers that illustrate my failure, especially when all the external cards seem to be in my favor.
- wallstreetoasis > forum > success > from homeless to front office
- Stephen Schwarzman's first fundraise
- other stories on this forum
I also cannot give up as long as stories like these^ exist.
What am I doing wrong?
"Uniquely admirable internship experience (2+ years commitment and have since gained a stakeholder interest)"
explain further?
Exec Sum
https://www.forbes.com/sites/soulaimagourani/2024/03/14/pain-and-suffer…
I would try to stay in touch frequently with those 'uncles' of yours on Wall Street. Especially if you're close with them.
Family members and (sometimes) close family friends will go heads over backwards to help someone start their career.
It's a brutal job market out there right now. The only interviews I've been getting are purely through connections. Even at companies / roles I consider myself very qualified for, I either get rejected or ghosted.
Also Anjali Sud's story (now CEO of Tubi) is great and gives amazing perpective https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/25/news/companies/anjali-sud-vimeo-reboun…
Certainly lots of inspiring personal stories that help me keep my head up and stay motivated. Considering how close (yet so far) I've come in multiple recruiting efforts, I don't think my problem is with the job market as much as it is with something personal.
Idk what I'm doing wrong to get dinged at numerous final stages and idk what to do any differently.
I stand by what I said yesterday, it's likely the job market and not you.
Only thing I'd add is maybe consider doing a 1 hour mock interview with someone you trust and ask for candid feedback.
Yes, have certainly mocked with lot's of individuals and have gotten a range of valuable feedback.
Thanks for your insights. I'll try and keep broader circumstances in mind as I navigate this whole process.
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