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Expert #7451 said:
I've already posted in the CV thread, but as I'm just preparing to send off the first applications proper now I'd just like a quick evaluation of my prospects. I'm looking for a spring week.

PPE at Oxford. A*A*AA at A-level (plus an A* in EPQ). Two week internship in 2013 at a bulge bracket bank's investment management EM equities desk, although I never had the chance to do much (it was more of an access event for people from families with low income); it was more talks and workshops than actual work. I'm monolingual. My volunteer work consists solely of helping out at a local library throughout last year. My interests are esoteric and not the sort of things you'd put on a CV (tabletop/p&p RPGs, reading excessively, writing, etc). I've yet to start uni to get stuck in to extracurriculars.
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You already know, you are set for spring weeks.

I know this is obvious but really now you should just make sure you score well on the tests, get the competency questions in an OK standing, get your CV 100% 'correct' and prepare for your interviews. There's hardly anything you can add to your resume by the time you'll hand in your apps so that it would increase your chances; you have now a very strong profile anyway.
 
Applying for IBD summer internships.

Engineering at Cambridge. Perfect A-levels (in Asia). 6 week internship at Bank of England this year. President and co-founder of a Cambridge society. 2 years military service before uni with substantial leadership positions. Cambridge commonwealth trust scholarship. Ethnic minority, bilingual. However I did not manage to get any spring weeks this year. What are my chances?
 
So I have a peculiar situation. I will be as succint as possible;

A levels: C,D, As Level: A,C
Undergraduate: Kingston (1st class) F-Econ BSc Hon
PostGrad: CASS (Distinction) - MSc Investment management
Societies: M&A research and finance.
Papers on: PE in developing markets.
Experiences: None in IBD, None in Finance at all. General experience like Retail, Freelance design to cover costs did a few interns and media companies.
Skills: VBA, BLOOMBERG, REUTERS.

Very knowledgeable in the M&A PE sector as my research papers and stuff, I can do DCF, APV, CCF, ECF. LBO and VC valuations. Frequent analyst of FT.COM annotations. My MSc has equipped me with all I need to know and I have good backing academic wise in my MSc.

As of now, my A levels have fucked me over; cant even blag the HR. All they ever say is apply online but we dont accept anything lower. Grades were shit because of Mitigating circumstances. Hence why opportunities to get into any banks for 2-3 years was impossible, but now I have MSc maybe I have bigger chance.

What you reckon?
 
hardworkdetermination said:
So I have a peculiar situation. I will be as succint as possible;

A levels: C,D, As Level: A,C
Undergraduate: Kingston (1st class) F-Econ BSc Hon
PostGrad: CASS (Distinction) - MSc Investment management
Societies: M&A research and finance.
Papers on: PE in developing markets.
Experiences: None in IBD, None in Finance at all. General experience like Retail, Freelance design to cover costs did a few interns and media companies.
Skills: VBA, BLOOMBERG, REUTERS.

Very knowledgeable in the M&A PE sector as my research papers and stuff, I can do DCF, APV, CCF, ECF. LBO and VC valuations. Frequent analyst of FT.COM annotations. My MSc has equipped me with all I need to know and I have good backing academic wise in my MSc.

As of now, my A levels have fucked me over; cant even blag the HR. All they ever say is apply online but we dont accept anything lower. Grades were shit because of Mitigating circumstances. Hence why opportunities to get into any banks for 2-3 years was impossible, but now I have MSc maybe I have bigger chance.

What you reckon?
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I'm still concerned as to how you will get through the online filters?
 
What do you think about my chances to get a Spring Week at some of the BB-banks?


Stockholm School of Economics Stockholm, Sweden

Bachelor of Science in Business & Economics Expected 31st June 2017

· Relevant Coursework: Microeconomics 1, Marketing 1


Upper Secondary School, Sweden

Natural Science 9th August 2010 to 14th June 2013

· Grades: 19/20; HP 1.9/2.0 = Top 0,4 % in Sweden


WORK & LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Big industrial company, Sweden

Worked in an electrical maintenance team at the Steel Mill 1st September 2013 to 15th August 2014

· Worked in a team where I took part in different projects related to production optimizing problems, resulting in me gaining strong teamwork and analytical skills.

o Advised in a potential new investment of £40-55M in a new electrical furnace and related equipment.

o Improved the spare-part system, resulting in everyday time and cost savings for the team.

o Developed, tested and incorporated automation systems into the production.


Big industrial company, Sweden

Economic assistant, Finance and Pricing & Profitability team 17th June 2013 to 23rd August 2013

· Supported the Finance and Pricing & Profitability group in different activities, got a job offer and significantly improved my analysing and communication skills.

o Analysed the key accounts profitability and presented the results for top management, which led to higher customer knowledge for the management team and to a job offer for me.

o Initiated and led a project to make an inventory of all computers at SMS Sweden (one of the divisions of Sandvik AB) and used that data to negotiate with the leasing company resulting in an annual 12 % cost decrease (about £90,000).

o Created a new method for importing and exporting documents from local software into SAP, which led to sufficient time savings for the Finance team.


Young Enterprise

Founder 1st September 2011 to 31st May 2012

· Started and run a profitable Young Enterprise together with five fellow students with the result of winning a price at an international fair and me notably improving my leadership and people skills.

o Won a competition in Sweden which made the company travel to Estonia as one of ten Swedish companies for participating in an international Young Enterprise fair with the result of winning the price “Best International Potential” in competition with more than 100 companies from 12 different countries.

o Pitched the business idea to potential investors and sponsors with the result of getting enough capital to run the business and sponsorship worth of about £1,500.


SKILLS, ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS

Languages: Native in Swedish; Fluent in English; Basic knowledge in Spanish

Technical Skills: Basic knowledge in C#

Activities: Was board member in a project to increase the numbers of upper secondary technology students.

Interests: Bandy (where I was a part of the regional team), my stock-portfolio, cross-country skiing, volleyball, gym workouts, reading, family and friends.
 
@roguetrader This is a good base for FO BB, you are going to land interviews if you get your CV/CL/comp questions right and get your psychometric testing skills up to speed.

Just on a side note, don't list "family and friends" as an interest. If you'd like further feedback on your CV upload it here, or alternatively try our premium service.
 
Academic Background:
- Studying Banking & Finance at a national target uni (continental Europe), High-School GPA was >80th percentile

Working Experience:
- 2 months at a commodity trading firm in an accounting position
- 2 months at a non-profit firm in an arabic country meeting/negotiating sponsorships for some projects with major Oil/Gas firms
- Part-time job as a sports writer at a well-known newspaper
- UBS Explore (1 day event, only selected students)
- I have recently been accepted for the LSE Investment Banking Conference

Extra-curr.:
- Co founder of a trading society at my uni
- Former Member of the Board of a finance society, organised a few events with GS there
- I did 2 months charity work/helping out at a kindergarden in a non-european country.
- I was captain of a sports team (one of the highest leagues in my country), won several tournaments in my region

Additional stuff:
-I speak fluently 4 languages, I travel often to some messed up countries in other continents (think North Korea etc.) just for fun
 
@swiss_bliss This is a quite strong base to work with. Saying you have a great profile would be just as valid, but don't forget it's the interview where you have to prove yourself.

Make sure you present these well in your CV, don't mess other parts of the applications up and you'll get a number of interviews.
 
@lofaszjoska Many thanks. Two questions remaining:
-On Monday I'll have an interview for an off-cycle M&A-Boutique internship (Nov-Jan), therefore I am waiting to apply for the SW. Do you think end of Oct. is ok to send out my apps? And do you think having an off-cycle M&A internship would be an overkill based on my actual profile?
-Could you also review my Cover Letter/some of the competency questions if I pay for the Resume review?
 
@swiss_bliss
1. End of Oct is fine. An offcycle internship would definitely be an overkill, just go for the spring/summer/grad route.
2. We don't do cover letters as of now, but send it over via PM I'll take a look.

@hardworkdetermination
I never understood why people think attending a conference is worth putting on the CV. You attend a conference because you want to widen your network and become more aware of the industry you are applying to.
 
Hi all,

Background Info:

Im currently going into my second year at UoM's (University of Manchester) Business school with a Bsc in Management, specialising in Accounting and Finance, I finished the year with a First and would like to replicate my results for the second and third year. Work experience wise, I've spent two years in the Military (I was an officer) and after that I worked in Citibanks private wealth management department for 4 months as an intern. This summer I am currently a Summer Analyst at a BB private equity firm (name with-held but it is one of the top 10). Leadership roles include peer mentoring, executive committee member in the Uni's Accounting society and a leadership courses that will be attended in September held by PWC

Do I stand a shot at competing with other higher tier Uni's such as Oxford, LSE, Warwick etc? Will I be able to secure a penultimate internship with the available experience? What are my prospects for a full time offer from a bulge bracket firm if I were to do a penultimate year internship in IB?

If anyone here could give me advice, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Hi there,

Just wondering if I could get some quick feedback on my chances of securing a Spring week placement at one of the middle to top tier investment banks?

I'm just about to start my first year reading an Arts degree at Cambridge University and my A-level grades are A*A*A* in English, Maths and Economics. Unfortunately though, I'm lacking in relevant work experience (no insight days etc. though I have held down a number of unrelated part time jobs and voluntary positions). How badly is this likely to disadvantage my application? In terms of extracurriculars, I am a county level golfer, keen trail runner and published poet. I've also done a fair bit of reading around the field (5-10 books on IB in general, M&A, trading etc.)

I'd really appreciate any advice or information I could get on the matter.

Many thanks,
WibWob101
 
Hi chance me please,
I am a first year student at the University of Warwick, studying International Management.
I am a French student coming from Paris with the highest French academic records.
Unfortunately I don't have a lot of experience in IB but a lot of Extra Curricular activities and a really international profile. ( volunteering, working in a startup, living abroad...)
 
PDG14 said:
Hi chance me please,
I am a first year student at the University of Warwick, studying International Management.
I am a French student coming from Paris with the highest French academic records.
Unfortunately I don't have a lot of experience in IB but a lot of Extra Curricular activities and a really international profile. ( volunteering, working in a startup, living abroad...)
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You will be fine. Warwick is a great name. Network.
 
Hi, Could you please chance me for a Big 3 & IB Internship in the UK

Really keen on Bain&Co + P.E Consulting as a career path.

Incoming Second Year in Int. Management - Warwick - Expected 2.1
IB Diploma 38 - Extended Essay of Market Structure
President of a Society
Founded a Conference
Exec Roles in 3 Other Society
Conference, Competition, and Volunteering in South America, Asia, and Europe
2 Internships, Retail Banking - Standard Chartered, Investment Services - PwC (Both Back Home in South East Asia)
 
Hill said:
Hi, Could you please chance me for a Big 3 & IB Internship in the UK

Really keen on Bain&Co + P.E Consulting as a career path.

Incoming Second Year in Int. Management - Warwick - Expected 2.1
IB Diploma 38 - Extended Essay of Market Structure
President of a Society
Founded a Conference
Exec Roles in 3 Other Society
Conference, Competition, and Volunteering in South America, Asia, and Europe
2 Internships, Retail Banking - Standard Chartered, Investment Services - PwC (Both Back Home in South East Asia)
Click to expand...
You are good man, but work hard at networking. Goes without saying I guess but attend the events at your school, I am not sure though if Bain comes to your campus, so if it doesn't, cold messaging on LinkedIn is your best bet. Heres a guide for that.
 
Is it impossible to get a grad job in IB if my only relevant experience is a summer internship in restructuring at a boutique?
 
Hey could you give me some help: @Trigger

-Hopefully headed to a semi-target university to study BSc Economics
-Alevels:A*AAB (With one A being done in a gap year)
-Only 1 PRE-U insight day at a Bank
-Work exp in retail approx 2months
-Work exp in a small company 2yrs (started of just admin work slowly progressed to working within sales)
-Bit of paid mentoring ect.
-Voluntary work too

Hoping to land a FO SW, any comment on my chances/ stuff I can do to improve?
 
AspiringB said:
Hey could you give me some help: @Trigger

-Hopefully headed to a semi-target university to study BSc Economics
-Alevels:A*AAB (With one A being done in a gap year)
-Only 1 PRE-U insight day at a Bank
-Work exp in retail approx 2months
-Work exp in a small company 2yrs (started of just admin work slowly progressed to working within sales)
-Bit of paid mentoring ect.
-Voluntary work too

Hoping to land a FO SW, any comment on my chances/ stuff I can do to improve?
Click to expand...
Network. You'll be fine provided you get in to Warwick.
 
I've not mentioned Warwick at all, its not my firm/insurance unfortunately. Any thoughts with what I've got so far;

-Hopefully headed to a semi-target university to study BSc Economics
-Alevels:A*AAB (With one A being done in a gap year)
-Only 1 PRE-U insight day at a Bank
-Work exp in retail approx 2months
-Work exp in a small company 2yrs (started of just admin work slowly progressed to working within sales)
-Bit of paid mentoring ect.
-Voluntary work too
 
UCL - Management course. (Unconditional)
Aiming for BO Technology Spring Week internships..
A levels - A*AA - Maths, CompSci & Econ
Fujitsu and GSK work experience in Tech
Managed to complete EC's in various projects, designing real life impact projects on businesses..
NCS project
Programming skills in - MATLAB, C++, JAVA and VBA.
 
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