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Get 1st internship

Joined
3/5/21
Messages
33
Points
18
My question is about IB and not quantitative finance but the answers are the same.

I have read a lot of posts on this forum and others about how to secure an internship however it is harder than we believe.

It is really complicated for me to get this first internship since companies are looking for some people with at least one professional experience.

I have a bachelor degree in mathematics and economics and I didn't have any professional experience yet and I would like to do a summer internship or a 6 months long internship in IB. However, what can I do to maximize my chances of getting an internship (even if it is not the biggest banks...)? What companies should I apply to?
 
Just so we're clear, by IB you mean M&A, ECM, DCM yea?

Your profile tells me that every company should give you an interview. Then it's just reading about the technicals like how to build a DCF and how items flow in the three statements, as well as prepping behavioral questions. Check walstreetoasis for more comprehensive guides. Though admittedly I don't know what the recruiting timeline is like in France. Does your school have career service? If they do, I would definitely ask them.
 
Just so we're clear, by IB you mean M&A, ECM, DCM yea?

Your profile tells me that every company should give you an interview. Then it's just reading about the technicals like how to build a DCF and how items flow in the three statements, as well as prepping behavioral questions. Check walstreetoasis for more comprehensive guides. Though admittedly I don't know what the recruiting timeline is like in France. Does your school have career service? If they do, I would definitely ask them.
Apparently there is no career service in my school. But it is hard to get positive answers because I didn't have any first experience yet. Therefore, I would like to start looking for smaller companies doing M&A for instance but I don't know how to find the name of such smaller firms.
 
Here are some links maybe to help guide you:


I'm really having a hard time believing that any french bank won't at least give someone with your profile an interview....
 
I'm really having a hard time believing that any french bank won't at least give someone with your profile an interview....
There are a lot of supply of bachelor in economics and because it is IB--i.e. there is no specialized knowledge requirement--a lot of supply of bachelor in XYZ. I am not the least shocked.

You're better off spending time in WSO. All the questions you have, have already been answered there.
 
Unfortunately for these jobs it's the employers' market, there is more supply than demand as @jeffsnguyen said above. This is probably also the reason why employers like citadel aren't bothered by the high turnaround rate at their firms since there are countless potential employees queuing to get the chance to work there.

What you can probably do is to expand your search area and try some of the less desired roles or less well-known firms, and once you've gotten some experience you can do a master's program to pivot into the higher paying roles/firms. As much as the folks at WSO look down on certain roles (accounting, risk, mid/back office), they're still better than nothing. Being jobless won't pay the bills and certainly won't improve your chances for future job interviews.

You can probably try to talk to some recruiters, they might help land you interviews (or even provide information) on some firms/roles you're not familiar with.
 
Here are some links maybe to help guide you:


I'm really having a hard time believing that any french bank won't at least give someone with your profile an interview....
I will try more then. Thanks for the help!
 
 
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