Industrial EngineeringInvestment Banking Analyst
Self-attested. The author confirmed their identity to us. The content itself is unchecked.Starting conditions
- Institution
- Large State School
- Major
- Industrial Engineering
- GPA band
- 3.8-4.0
- Graduated
- 2020
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Financial need
Limited exposure to the destination field at the start.
The sequence5 steps
- Coursework6 mo
Self-studied accounting and valuation outside the engineering curriculum
- Application7 mo
First recruiting season
First recruiting season. This took 7 months and was slower than expected.
Obstacle
Applied broadly without understanding what the reviewers actually screened on.
How it was resolved
Narrowed the list and applied early in the cycle rather than late.
- Setback5 moPivotal
Cut after first rounds at every bulge bracket
Cut after first rounds at every bulge bracket. This took 5 months and was harder than expected.
Obstacle
The plan stalled here, and it was not obvious it would recover.
How it was resolved
Asked the people who rejected me what the specific disqualifier was, then fixed exactly that instead of everything at once.
- Networking3 mo
Converted three alumni calls into referrals
Converted three alumni calls into referrals. This took 3 months and was harder than expected.
Evidence for this step
Outcome
Investment banking analyst offer
Reflection
Would repeat
- Starting the outreach earlier than felt comfortable.
Would skip
- The first application cycle, which I entered underprepared.
Biggest obstacle
Underestimating how long the prerequisite work would take alongside everything else.
What was luck
- One person answered a cold email who did not have to.