Something I learned from interviewing was that if you don’t get the feeling that you can be yourself during the interview (while answering or asking questions), you probably won’t be yourself on the daily at the job either. Maybe it’s because you’re still lacking technical knowledge and are uncomfortable as a result, or maybe you feel intimidated by their personalities, there can be many reasons. The best interview experiences I have had are where I don’t need to change my personality to feel like I’m making a good impression, and those interviews just happened to be the ones I secured an offer from. TL:DR if you can’t even be yourself in the interview, why would you think it would change when working there?
I'm always myself in interviews, still cannot get an offer even though I have good grades and intern experience. And I'm not talking about top tier places, but shitty east european firms.
@@youtubeaccount1718 doing an internship is nothing like becoming an actual employee at those investment banking firms. Multiple internships are like the basic specs to get into those firms.
Great advice Afzal! My advice to candidates: the last reason “you don’t want it enough”, or more specifically, you want it for the wrong reasons, is crucial at the interview stage. Candidates are interviewed by those in the business and we are acutely aware of genuine motivation. Those who pass the “why banking/why us?” question demonstrate a strong understanding of the bank they are applying to, the culture, the division and the work, but also the wider market and the trends/challenges/opportunities. A tip applicable for both CVs and competency based questions: be specific. Questions are designed to understand what the candidate specifically did/contributed. Being vague will not provide evidence of the behaviours assessors are looking for. Re calibre of university, most applications, tests and exercises have been designed to level the playing field.
Even though I am a 2020 grad, this is a great video I would have loved to know several years ago. I went to a semi-target uni (sponsored by Big 4 and other balance sheet banks), and did everything possible to maximise my chances. Student finance societies, investment clubs, sports, Model UN etc. I got a mid 2:2 but managed to break into a FAANG ops role. What I'll say is not getting into banking isn't the end of the world and can often be pushing you in a new direction. Networking is key across all industries and was the biggest reason for my success despite average and sub-par grades
Thx a lot for this video. Especially for the last two topics. I think a lot of people lack compassion in their job and when you spend up to 100h/week(investment banking) without compassion or interest in your work you can hardly have a good time
How fulfilling are investment banking jobs? Working as an equity research analyst was interesting for a while, but there is a lot more to life than picking stocks. Doing my hobby as a "job" quickly burned me out and made me somewhat depressed.
Recruiter in finance here: your CV will be scanned by an ATS first and foremost before even being passed on to someone to look at. Thr ats will auto discount about 70 percent of applications!!! Make sure you research how to beat the software!
This thing is such bullshit I can’t stand it. So does this mean 70 percent of resumes go unread by an actual human? I read a recent article on LinkedIn saying that usually pretty much every resume does get read by a person (I’m not saying the WHOLE resume).
I've mentored people and their CV is literally blank - nothing. They have done absolutely nothing of note. It's painful they want to apply for these opps but they really got no chance.
@@sahibsahota2368 nothing to scream they’re driven, have initiative or anything to contribute in the role they’re applying for. No jobs, no relevant experience, no outside passions or extra curricular.
I don’t know why people are being so mean to you lol I always knew they worked a lot of hours but definitely wasn’t thinking 100 a week. I thought closer to 80
Never worked 100 hours per week both as an intern or analyst. It was around 65-70 but not more. There were two types of people whilst I worked as an intern/analyst: ones that worked 100 hours just to “secure a full time offer” (bc they thought that just bc they work 100 hours a week they will get it lol) or ones that was constantly complaining and whining about hours. People know what they go for when applying to IB so why do you guys complain ? Don’t like it ? Find a better job with a better pay and hours.
Great video. I feel like another thing though that I would add is applying to firms where you know someone or have a connection. A lot of people get interviews because they are a referral. You must have a good CV and cover letter nonetheless, but it helps to know someone and strategically apply to firms rather than cold-applying to tons of firms.
Literally was talking to a friend who works in banking and we were talking about him buying his first Rolex, I told him I need to switch industries and this video was the first thing to come up on my feed! 🥴😂
That’s because your phone listens to your conversations and sends the data to large tech firms. They use ai to decipher what you’re saying and send you relevant ads and videos. Try talking about buying property in berlin for 30 mins near your phone, and Facebook google RUclips Amazon etc will send your real estate ads in Germany.
Once you have grades / experiences / extra curriculars etc the biggest factor is ethics / likeability - is this person going to be helpful , is he/she a 'good' person. Is this someone I can trust?
trust me the list is MUCH LONGER why I WOULDN'T EVEN WANT !!! to get into IB rather than being rejected and that applies to many regardless to say that Ib isn't the same as it was before !
Love your vids. Would be good to see one on breaking into IB/finance after spending a few years in another career following graduation. Ie is it still possible if you’re in your mid to late twenties/early 30s.
it’s a fucking pain. i finished my target school bachelor last summer, doing my 6th internship currently, and starting a top 5 worldwide mfin (obv target too) in summer, at one of the two european schools where ibs recruit most. i know i can do it, i have the grades& references for it but recently i’ve had my doubts simply because i don’t know if working 95hrs is worth it. i’ve done it before but never for years on end
7:03 well not really.. you dont need to tweak your cover letter at all.. for example if you apply for the same exact position with different banks, you will talk about the same EXACT stuff in your cover letter and how you will bring value.. The only thing you need to change is the name of the company and the job description. It makes no sense to constantly tweak and tailor cover letter, that takes too much time in the long run.
I know in your case this was probably not the reason (considering your profile pic) but what if someone didn't get in or left a bad impression because he/she couldn't get his/her hair cut because of salon being closed LOL
@@andrecorreia4301 Am I too handsome for Investment Banking? Can you tell me more about my application process and your thoughts on my performance? Thanks!
@@CodingJesus No I didn't mean it like that. Considering what you said in your comment, you didn't get into IB because of your hair (part of your identty, I suppose) but what if someone unwillingly had his hair long because of rona and didn't get in because of that
For people who can't get into the banking or finance industry. What should they do? Because most of their education and experience is in finance. They are pigeonholed. They can't get into finance yet they can't get out of finance.
I just made a group chat at my university with the intention of bringing future invstment bankers together to share feedback from failed applications and interviews. To help eachother apply aswell as interview and 80 people joined in a day. Im going to make a society now, should look good for the cv. I have to credit you for the idea. thanks!
Great idea! What uni? To add to your ideas, bring in current analysts/associate to discuss common interview errors and AC mishaps - good to get both sides of the spectrum
Great vid man, literally just graduated and haven't yet secured a grad role or entry role in banking, Im in sydney so not as many opportunities as US or Uk I believe but theres no excuses really. I know really all I have to keep doing is network like crazy asap all year, get face to face with decision makers in these banks and be ready to start when an opportunity arises. I've taken a sales job to refine my people skills which I believe will help heaps. Keep the good content mate good to see your channel growing close to 100k!
In the uk, only Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, Warwick get the attention of IB, the other Russell group institutions have very little or zero chance at all.
I wish I could go to an ivy league so bad, but my parents make too much to qualify for any financial aid, but they aren't going to help me pay for college anyways. So paying 70k to go to harvard is way too expensive for me ;/
How should one go about getting the relevant internship experience? I see a lot of people saying “do internships” but how do you get those internships?
I would also like an answer for this question. Although it might seem lazy on surface level, there are a lot of people who are transitioning careers or missed crucial hiring cycles pursuing something else; now that they've decided to go into banking, they realize how behind they are in the game. A lot of internships are not accessible if you don't have a student status, regardless of your age, GPA, and abilities.
Have you even tried googling investment banking internships. Finding them is not the problem. It is getting accepted onto them. His advice still applies.
@@baz1184 exactly, finding them is not an issue. But his advice was “get relevant experience like internships and use that to break into a grad role” right? Thats exactly what im trying to do, except needing internships for internships makes no sense
Can you make a video on how to go about writing speculative applications for small hedge funds, private equity firms and other financial institutions? Would be a big help since I am currently trying to do that.
Do you already have investment banking experience? If not then buy side is going to be much harder than it already is for those who do have IB experience.
@@baz1184 I don't have IB experience. I am a university student (currently in my 3rd year) completing my undergrad in business and have completed one placement in the healthcare industry. For my second placement, I wanted to work in the asset management industry and since IB in bulge bracket seems quite competitive and difficult to get into for those who do not have extensive experience in finance or spring weeks, I was targeting small scale asset management firms or other financial services firms since those seemed easier to get into.
I've always wondered, lets say you've amassed a large portfolio from home trading. say I turned 10k savings into 50k savings over the course of 5 years. Do banks take this into consideration when hiring? Or would it really matter at all.
No. This would only apply if you were going for hedge funds and that's given you already have a PhD in something like math or physics. You'd also need to articulate how you devised your trading strategy and what sorts of algorithms you wrote to execute on those strategies, and for the very top funds this sort of information should be public and verifable on google, in other words, your at home trading strats are so effective that the media has even covered it already.
Does your Asset Management online course provide advice on the technical questions that will be asked during interview? Or maybe the terms or processes a person needs to know whilst working in an Asset/Fund Management?
Final year student who's had no luck so far, I'm thinking of getting into a small investment management firm then use that as experience to get into Blackrock or fidelity next year. Does the same advice apply to 'pure' asset management company's.
Out of curiosity - how many places did you apply to and what % of applications got to the interview stage? Starting at a boutique investment firm is a possibility, then move later in your career - in addition, you could do a post grad masters at a “better” uni (the unis in the analyst class we just recruited are all “top” unis); but overall, a decent plan
@@garythewise3440 Thank you for your response, honestly really appreciate it. I've applied to around 20 (these weren't all solely boutique investment firms), and so far only one has reached the interview stage which I'm still waiting for a response. I'm going to keep applying as I'm genuinely interested in asset classes and financial markets, though. Getting a masters does seem like a good idea but I just know it is no substitute for real experience - so it's definitely a final resort kind of thing.
@@kanieraliapeng724 asset management is better in my opinion (same bank/ workplace just a different division) this RUclips is in asset management and they don't work crazy hours.
Not relevant to IBD, not working in S&T, but haven’t seen IBD resumes with portfolio returns tbh, best to stick with the good ol uni investment society to display interest
Great points Afzal! Do you think you can do a video on fintech opportunities and roles? I've been hearing from many bankers that this is the route to go to now. Just wanted to hear your insights on it.
Hey, I’m looking into IB and I’m not sure what would be better to study at uni, is it better to study an unrelated degree like medical sciences at Warwick or UCL target schools or somewhere like Nottingham or Exeter (semi-target) and study finance there? Any help would be greatly appreciated
What would you say look better on a CV a CFA level 1 and 2 or masters in Economics? only reason I am asking is this question is CFA are usually cheaper than a masters degree?
@@AfzalHussein thank you for the reply, I was thinking private equity or venture capitalist firms, I found this video really helpful so thank you for such great content :)
@@laurencebunney9553 neither are useful for PE and especially VC. VC is a crapshoot and the "easiest" way to break into it is to establish a successful career in startups, yes, you'll need a proven track record you can create viable companies on your own. The other option into VC is to attend Stanford or Harvard business school and recruit into VC or megafund PE. Typical route into PE is IB to MBA to PE or skip the MBA if you're a stud in IB. Also, I'm writing assuming you want to enter the cream of the crop. You could get into some random VC firm with much less effort, but you'd also get paid much much less.
Yes, Exeter too. However, this isn't to say that if you don't attend any of these universities you can't break in. They're just the universities that a lot of front office UK graduates join from.
@@AfzalHussein I got offer from Exeter for business economics, should I go? I am an international student. worth it? I hope you answer me. Thanks in advance
Could you make a video talk about yourself? You will build a closer and stronger connection with fans. ie. Where are you from, and where did you grow up? If you come back to your 18-year-old, what suggestion would you give to yourself?
Is there a community for high schoolers who are interested in finance or would like to see if it’s really their thing? I’m lost where to get opportunities to see if it is really my thing. It would be much better to talk and meet other high schoolers to determine.
Yeah, so if I want to get a well paid job at a top bank, and there's 100 applicants, it is enough if only one graduated at Ivy League or Oxford, I'm rejected. Sounds promising.
What a great video. Thank you so much Afzal. I have a question what about people from countries where investment banking is not popular like in my country no top tier Investment bank is operating. What should I do or what steps should I take? Please make a video on this.
What about a career change? I’m way older than the normal college graduate age, I know it’s not realistic at all to get into “investment banking”, but I’d like to transition from music to banking (finance more generally). I’m wondering what a great option would be for me (and yes I do want to make as much money as I can and I’ll do whatever I need to to do it). Also, I don’t have a finance or business degree, is it basically a MUST that I get an MBA in finance if I want to proceed in this field?
Great vid. Besides an IB Analyst, what other roles are at the entry level? I’ve heard it can be hard to move back-middle to front. That could be people being naysayers though.
I’m currently in IBD, yes, very difficult to move into front office from the back and middle - analyst remains the entry level role across all front, middle and back office areas, obviously, there’s intern too ;)
Hey, I'm halfway through my engineering degree and I wanna give IB a shot. Do u think engineering internships (and perhaps one IB internship) would still interest IB recruiters?
Subjects don't matter per se. Just ace them best you can. Securing an offer is a combination of things: good grades, work experience, voluntary/extracurricular activities, commercial awareness, good university, nice person, smart, hard working, etc.
Hey Afzal! Big fan. I didn’t do too well in my A levels, and kinda want a whole career change which involves me studying 3 new a levels. Now I’ve also got the option to do a access to Higher education diploma in sciences - providing that I do well I’ll be able to goto my Uni of choice (kings). The HE diploma only takes 1 year whilst the other three a levels would take me another 2 years. Do you think if I took the access to Higher education diploma it’ll be “marked down” as such when I apply for spring weeks and internships in comparison to taking the a levels. Is it better just to get the a levels? Looking forward to your response. Your videos are great!
My advice would be to email the campus recruitment teams at all of the different investment banks/asset management firms that you want to apply to and see what they say. Best of luck 👍🏾
Hey Afzal, great video yet again. Just wondering if you could potentially do a video on your advice for good questions to ask at the end of an interview?
not entirely a target for banking but if you have good EC’s and internships then you should be a decent candidate compared to clear cut target students
@@maximillianclark7360 Alright so let me make it clear Loughborough are not outcompeting the target unis for Banking at all. You are at a disadvantage at Loughborough compared to if you attended Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, Warwick, Durham and say Nottingham. However after those Unis Loughborough competes with the other RG Unis you mention so I will not accept Lough over and of the other Unis I mentioned above if you are deadset on Finance. Also EC being sports, finance society, nonprofit org participation etc
Hey Afzal do you think alevels may affect people getting into top tier firms and do you think it may be judged differently given that alevel exams have been cancelled 2x in a row.
I'm from South Africa and about to attend the University of Liverpool. Is that a good enough uni to get into banking? Great videos btw. I've been watching your channel for a while now and have learnt a lot.
Thanks and congrats on your offer! Liverpool is a great university. But I must stress, going to a top tier or lower tier university doesn't guarantee anyone anything. It only plays a fraction of a role in what it takes to secure an offer.
Nice vid! It would be very useful if you made a video focusing on the lingo that we might want to know when going into finance. Sometimes some people (interns) may feel a little out of the loop when they just overhear a conversation and only get 40% of what is being talked about. It would be great value if you could expand a little on it. 😀👍
Great vid and very eye opening. I’m curious what routes you’ve seen taken into IB from different backgrounds and what you’re recommendation would be to grads who haven’t had industry relevant experience. Is that the end of the road? You’ve missed the boat?
From personal experience (currently in IBD), for the analyst class, can come from any degree background as long as the uni is good (less relevant degrees are compensated by better unis, I.e. Languages at Oxbridge >> Finance at Coventry/Kent etc.) and you have relevant experience For professionals, can always work for a few years then either a) start as an analyst (but you’ll be “restarting” at an earlier point in your career ladder) or b) MBA then come as associate
Really good video bro - if you were a recent engineering undergrad from an ok uni looking to do a masters at a top uni to break into investment banking/boost cv, what course would you do and why?
@@AfzalHussein all degree backgrounds? Been actually wondering if it is possible to break in a front office role with a psychology undergraduate, or do u still need to have further studies/MBA?
Not to my knowledge. In the UK, I don't think you can go to a community college and then transfer to a uni, like I heard you can do in the USA. However, they may exist in the UK and I just don't know about them. I am just an 18 year old who isn't even at uni yet.
Something I learned from interviewing was that if you don’t get the feeling that you can be yourself during the interview (while answering or asking questions), you probably won’t be yourself on the daily at the job either. Maybe it’s because you’re still lacking technical knowledge and are uncomfortable as a result, or maybe you feel intimidated by their personalities, there can be many reasons. The best interview experiences I have had are where I don’t need to change my personality to feel like I’m making a good impression, and those interviews just happened to be the ones I secured an offer from.
TL:DR if you can’t even be yourself in the interview, why would you think it would change when working there?
Couldn't agree more! 👍🏽
I'm always myself in interviews, still cannot get an offer even though I have good grades and intern experience. And I'm not talking about top tier places, but shitty east european firms.
So true
I friend of mine did physiology. One day he called his dad to get him an banking internship. One month later he got an offer from hsbc
It’s about who you know
@@samc7381 wtf did he do to know his father? 😂 Bruh. I‘m low-key getting tired of these pseudo-business quotes.
@@eg7879 most people don't even have a dad better yet a dad who can get them a job at a bank. so his reply still stands.
lol if your father knows people its a wrap.
@@eg7879 lmao
The problem is my soul, not ready to give up on it.
It be like that sometimes
You'll get there one day. Strangle a few orphans you'll be fine. I believe in you 👍😌
The university is massively massively important. And frankly a lot of firms won't look if it isn't their preference universities.
Basically a Suits and Harvard. Might have to do a Mike Ross. :3
@@Disclozure rly? There are a bunch of ppl doing internships at JPMorgan Goldman etc at my college looking at Linkedin and I go to a no-name college
@@youtubeaccount1718 doing an internship is nothing like becoming an actual employee at those investment banking firms. Multiple internships are like the basic specs to get into those firms.
@@youtubeaccount1718 I was just playing bro, I wouldn't know X)
@@AidenP361 Not true, internships have a fairly high job offer conversion rate at these firms.
Investment banking is so competitive to get into. Thank you for covering all these factors!
Thanks for watching!
couldn't even get an interview, realized I am not good enough so started working on myself, let's see what the future holds
Self awareness
Great advice Afzal!
My advice to candidates: the last reason “you don’t want it enough”, or more specifically, you want it for the wrong reasons, is crucial at the interview stage. Candidates are interviewed by those in the business and we are acutely aware of genuine motivation. Those who pass the “why banking/why us?” question demonstrate a strong understanding of the bank they are applying to, the culture, the division and the work, but also the wider market and the trends/challenges/opportunities.
A tip applicable for both CVs and competency based questions: be specific. Questions are designed to understand what the candidate specifically did/contributed. Being vague will not provide evidence of the behaviours assessors are looking for.
Re calibre of university, most applications, tests and exercises have been designed to level the playing field.
🙌🏽💪🏽👊🏽
Afzal great vid. You should make a video comparing different career options with banking and the pros and cons of each. That vid would bang.
Good shout! Added to the list.
i always dreamt of being a banker but the more i learn about it, the more i sigh chile
Even though I am a 2020 grad, this is a great video I would have loved to know several years ago.
I went to a semi-target uni (sponsored by Big 4 and other balance sheet banks), and did everything possible to maximise my chances. Student finance societies, investment clubs, sports, Model UN etc.
I got a mid 2:2 but managed to break into a FAANG ops role. What I'll say is not getting into banking isn't the end of the world and can often be pushing you in a new direction. Networking is key across all industries and was the biggest reason for my success despite average and sub-par grades
What uni ?
@@wqerfdwsqfqwe7662 i don't post identifiable personal details on here
@@realFriedrichHayek fair enough man, you got anything where u will
@@wqerfdwsqfqwe7662 ?
You got a 2:2 no wonder u didn’t get into banking
Thx a lot for this video. Especially for the last two topics. I think a lot of people lack compassion in their job and when you spend up to 100h/week(investment banking) without compassion or interest in your work you can hardly have a good time
How fulfilling are investment banking jobs? Working as an equity research analyst was interesting for a while, but there is a lot more to life than picking stocks. Doing my hobby as a "job" quickly burned me out and made me somewhat depressed.
Recruiter in finance here: your CV will be scanned by an ATS first and foremost before even being passed on to someone to look at. Thr ats will auto discount about 70 percent of applications!!! Make sure you research how to beat the software!
This thing is such bullshit I can’t stand it. So does this mean 70 percent of resumes go unread by an actual human? I read a recent article on LinkedIn saying that usually pretty much every resume does get read by a person (I’m not saying the WHOLE resume).
This is really helpful, thank you. Had a bad week full of rejections but I’m hoping to recover and put myself back out there.
You got this! 👊🏽
@@AfzalHussein thanks again!
@@Msdufr how is it going?
@@Msdufr checking in now, how is it going? did u secure a position?
I've mentored people and their CV is literally blank - nothing. They have done absolutely nothing of note. It's painful they want to apply for these opps but they really got no chance.
In terms of something of note what exactly are you referring to ?
@@sahibsahota2368 nothing to scream they’re driven, have initiative or anything to contribute in the role they’re applying for. No jobs, no relevant experience, no outside passions or extra curricular.
The advice in this video can be applied to literally any position in any industry which is good
For those willing to work for an IB. Remember the recent Goldman Sachs powerpoint pointing out the 100 hour per week analyst working hours :)
thanks mr. obvious. Thats the first thing people find out about IBD, so happy you figured it out after 10+ videos
@@justinjaydas950 for real lmao we hear about the hours even before knowing what they do
I don’t know why people are being so mean to you lol I always knew they worked a lot of hours but definitely wasn’t thinking 100 a week. I thought closer to 80
Never worked 100 hours per week both as an intern or analyst. It was around 65-70 but not more. There were two types of people whilst I worked as an intern/analyst: ones that worked 100 hours just to “secure a full time offer” (bc they thought that just bc they work 100 hours a week they will get it lol) or ones that was constantly complaining and whining about hours. People know what they go for when applying to IB so why do you guys complain ? Don’t like it ? Find a better job with a better pay and hours.
That’s only in the Investment Banking Division. This RUclipsr was in asset management. Other parts of the bank not in IBD don’t work hours like that
Great video. I feel like another thing though that I would add is applying to firms where you know someone or have a connection. A lot of people get interviews because they are a referral. You must have a good CV and cover letter nonetheless, but it helps to know someone and strategically apply to firms rather than cold-applying to tons of firms.
Literally was talking to a friend who works in banking and we were talking about him buying his first Rolex, I told him I need to switch industries and this video was the first thing to come up on my feed! 🥴😂
That’s because your phone listens to your conversations and sends the data to large tech firms. They use ai to decipher what you’re saying and send you relevant ads and videos. Try talking about buying property in berlin for 30 mins near your phone, and Facebook google RUclips Amazon etc will send your real estate ads in Germany.
Once you have grades / experiences / extra curriculars etc the biggest factor is ethics / likeability - is this person going to be helpful , is he/she a 'good' person. Is this someone I can trust?
trust me the list is MUCH LONGER why I WOULDN'T EVEN WANT !!! to get into IB rather than being rejected and that applies to many regardless to say that Ib isn't the same as it was before !
Love your vids. Would be good to see one on breaking into IB/finance after spending a few years in another career following graduation. Ie is it still possible if you’re in your mid to late twenties/early 30s.
it’s a fucking pain. i finished my target school bachelor last summer, doing my 6th internship currently, and starting a top 5 worldwide mfin (obv target too) in summer, at one of the two european schools where ibs recruit most. i know i can do it, i have the grades& references for it but recently i’ve had my doubts simply because i don’t know if working 95hrs is worth it. i’ve done it before but never for years on end
There's more options out there, gotta remember how long-term careers really are - lots of students forget that
95 hours sounds like m&a teams. I don’t think that reflects the whole org.
7:03 well not really.. you dont need to tweak your cover letter at all.. for example if you apply for the same exact position with different banks, you will talk about the same EXACT stuff in your cover letter and how you will bring value.. The only thing you need to change is the name of the company and the job description. It makes no sense to constantly tweak and tailor cover letter, that takes too much time in the long run.
I couldn’t get in because my hair was too long. LOl
😂
I cut my hair the morning of my interview for the place I managed to get into. I couldn't get an appointment sooner than that.
I know in your case this was probably not the reason (considering your profile pic) but what if someone didn't get in or left a bad impression because he/she couldn't get his/her hair cut because of salon being closed LOL
@@andrecorreia4301 Am I too handsome for Investment Banking? Can you tell me more about my application process and your thoughts on my performance? Thanks!
@@CodingJesus No I didn't mean it like that. Considering what you said in your comment, you didn't get into IB because of your hair (part of your identty, I suppose) but what if someone unwillingly had his hair long because of rona and didn't get in because of that
It is all about *securing* as much as possible
For people who can't get into the banking or finance industry. What should they do? Because most of their education and experience is in finance. They are pigeonholed. They can't get into finance yet they can't get out of finance.
I just made a group chat at my university with the intention of bringing future invstment bankers together to share feedback from failed applications and interviews. To help eachother apply aswell as interview and 80 people joined in a day. Im going to make a society now, should look good for the cv. I have to credit you for the idea. thanks!
Great idea! What uni? To add to your ideas, bring in current analysts/associate to discuss common interview errors and AC mishaps - good to get both sides of the spectrum
Great vid man, literally just graduated and haven't yet secured a grad role or entry role in banking, Im in sydney so not as many opportunities as US or Uk I believe but theres no excuses really. I know really all I have to keep doing is network like crazy asap all year, get face to face with decision makers in these banks and be ready to start when an opportunity arises. I've taken a sales job to refine my people skills which I believe will help heaps. Keep the good content mate good to see your channel growing close to 100k!
What's the best way to actually secure a meeting and stand out with high value people in these companies as a student?
Can you please make a video on Hedge Fund vs Private Equity for exit opportunities for IB.
Soon 👍🏽
@@AfzalHussein Thanks 👊🏾
Although I think one of the videos does cover it
In the uk, only Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, Warwick get the attention of IB, the other Russell group institutions have very little or zero chance at all.
I wish I could go to an ivy league so bad, but my parents make too much to qualify for any financial aid, but they aren't going to help me pay for college anyways. So paying 70k to go to harvard is way too expensive for me ;/
İs it 70k per year ?
How should one go about getting the relevant internship experience? I see a lot of people saying “do internships” but how do you get those internships?
I would also like an answer for this question. Although it might seem lazy on surface level, there are a lot of people who are transitioning careers or missed crucial hiring cycles pursuing something else; now that they've decided to go into banking, they realize how behind they are in the game. A lot of internships are not accessible if you don't have a student status, regardless of your age, GPA, and abilities.
Have you even tried googling investment banking internships. Finding them is not the problem. It is getting accepted onto them. His advice still applies.
@@baz1184 exactly, finding them is not an issue. But his advice was “get relevant experience like internships and use that to break into a grad role” right? Thats exactly what im trying to do, except needing internships for internships makes no sense
You need to go to good university to get an internship. If you are from a developing country you are pretty much doomed.
You have to apply and get through the interviews.
Why I can’t break in: I use the mouse while modeling
Truth
If you had your time again would you go into banking/AM?
(All else being equal, including your post banking/AM life.)
This is one of your best videos I have watched. Your detailed advice has led me to scoring an interview at Merrill Lynch thank you!
Thanks and congrats!
It’s Bank of America
@@rachelrebecca8559 lmao thanks rebecca
@@sleeya did ya get the job
@@sleeya prolly not
This is very helpful thank you!
Can you make a video on how to go about writing speculative applications for small hedge funds, private equity firms and other financial institutions? Would be a big help since I am currently trying to do that.
Do you already have investment banking experience? If not then buy side is going to be much harder than it already is for those who do have IB experience.
@@baz1184 I don't have IB experience. I am a university student (currently in my 3rd year) completing my undergrad in business and have completed one placement in the healthcare industry. For my second placement, I wanted to work in the asset management industry and since IB in bulge bracket seems quite competitive and difficult to get into for those who do not have extensive experience in finance or spring weeks, I was targeting small scale asset management firms or other financial services firms since those seemed easier to get into.
I've always wondered, lets say you've amassed a large portfolio from home trading. say I turned 10k savings into 50k savings over the course of 5 years. Do banks take this into consideration when hiring? Or would it really matter at all.
Interested in this too.
No. This would only apply if you were going for hedge funds and that's given you already have a PhD in something like math or physics. You'd also need to articulate how you devised your trading strategy and what sorts of algorithms you wrote to execute on those strategies, and for the very top funds this sort of information should be public and verifable on google, in other words, your at home trading strats are so effective that the media has even covered it already.
Then you don't need a busy job like banking
Why would you even search for a job on bank if you can live doing that?
Investment banking has nothing to do with stocks and trading...
What about if someone is experienced and wants to transit into Investment Banking?
Does your Asset Management online course provide advice on the technical questions that will be asked during interview? Or maybe the terms or processes a person needs to know whilst working in an Asset/Fund Management?
Final year student who's had no luck so far, I'm thinking of getting into a small investment management firm then use that as experience to get into Blackrock or fidelity next year. Does the same advice apply to 'pure' asset management company's.
What uni you go to/ what do u study?
@@blazeentertainmen100 on track to getting a 1st at Nottingham Trent studying Chemistry
Out of curiosity - how many places did you apply to and what % of applications got to the interview stage?
Starting at a boutique investment firm is a possibility, then move later in your career - in addition, you could do a post grad masters at a “better” uni (the unis in the analyst class we just recruited are all “top” unis); but overall, a decent plan
@@garythewise3440 Thank you for your response, honestly really appreciate it.
I've applied to around 20 (these weren't all solely boutique investment firms), and so far only one has reached the interview stage which I'm still waiting for a response. I'm going to keep applying as I'm genuinely interested in asset classes and financial markets, though.
Getting a masters does seem like a good idea but I just know it is no substitute for real experience - so it's definitely a final resort kind of thing.
How do you get into spring weeks,
volunteering, and internships? Is there a website you recommend?
Did you get a new mic? Sound quality is great!
Yep!
Investment banking really isn’t worth it anyways
Why not?
@@kanieraliapeng724 asset management is better in my opinion (same bank/ workplace just a different division) this RUclips is in asset management and they don't work crazy hours.
What about a profitable trading record?
Not sure if that applies to IB specifically, or if it will just get you into prop trading at Goldman, etc.
Not relevant to IBD, not working in S&T, but haven’t seen IBD resumes with portfolio returns tbh, best to stick with the good ol uni investment society to display interest
Great video, what extra- curricular activities do you think are best for getting into investment banking?
How helpful is the CFA certification?
What about St. Andrews?
The reason why is the number of viewers of this video
can people having Chartered Accountant certification get into investment banking
Why aren’t you in banking anymore ?
www.linkedin.com/posts/afzalhussein_my-last-day-at-goldman-sachs-how-time-flies-activity-6391541076662059008-6Ayh
He took the bag, connections and experience what more do you need😂
@@user-zx9rg9io4c he doesn’t work in that field anymore. Hence, two of the things you mentioned have changed and I wanted to see why
@@AfzalHussein 👍🏽
Because he's making RUclips videos, a much less stressful career
Great points Afzal! Do you think you can do a video on fintech opportunities and roles? I've been hearing from many bankers that this is the route to go to now. Just wanted to hear your insights on it.
For sure! I have a few ideas in the pipeline 😉
Hey, I’m looking into IB and I’m not sure what would be better to study at uni, is it better to study an unrelated degree like medical sciences at Warwick or UCL target schools or somewhere like Nottingham or Exeter (semi-target) and study finance there? Any help would be greatly appreciated
What would you say look better on a CV a CFA level 1 and 2 or masters in Economics? only reason I am asking is this question is CFA are usually cheaper than a masters degree?
Depends what you want to go into. CFA is very useful for careers in fund management/asset management but less so for corporate finance i.e. IBD.
@@AfzalHussein thank you for the reply, I was thinking private equity or venture capitalist firms, I found this video really helpful so thank you for such great content :)
@@laurencebunney9553 neither are useful for PE and especially VC. VC is a crapshoot and the "easiest" way to break into it is to establish a successful career in startups, yes, you'll need a proven track record you can create viable companies on your own. The other option into VC is to attend Stanford or Harvard business school and recruit into VC or megafund PE. Typical route into PE is IB to MBA to PE or skip the MBA if you're a stud in IB. Also, I'm writing assuming you want to enter the cream of the crop. You could get into some random VC firm with much less effort, but you'd also get paid much much less.
Good Masters looks best.
your channel is criminally undersubscribed
Haha thanks!
what would you say are target unis for IB in the uk?
LSE, UCL, Imperial, Oxbridge, Warwick, Durham, Bristol, Nottingham
@@AfzalHussein Exeter too ? Or not as much ?
Yes, Exeter too. However, this isn't to say that if you don't attend any of these universities you can't break in. They're just the universities that a lot of front office UK graduates join from.
@@AfzalHussein what about London business school?
@@AfzalHussein
I got offer from Exeter for business economics, should I go?
I am an international student.
worth it?
I hope you answer me.
Thanks in advance
Could you make a video talk about yourself? You will build a closer and stronger connection with fans. ie. Where are you from, and where did you grow up? If you come back to your 18-year-old, what suggestion would you give to yourself?
i suck at interviews
Is there a community for high schoolers who are interested in finance or would like to see if it’s really their thing? I’m lost where to get opportunities to see if it is really my thing. It would be much better to talk and meet other high schoolers to determine.
How is QMUL for MSc in IB? please help me with that.
Please make a video about the difference btw asset management / S&T and M&A just in terms of long-term career/exit opportunities please
Can you do a video on how to deal with virtual AC Please.
Yeah, so if I want to get a well paid job at a top bank, and there's 100 applicants, it is enough if only one graduated at Ivy League or Oxford, I'm rejected. Sounds promising.
What a great video. Thank you so much Afzal. I have a question what about people from countries where investment banking is not popular like in my country no top tier Investment bank is operating. What should I do or what steps should I take? Please make a video on this.
Go to a uni in Europe/UK/USA and start getting relevant work experience in those regions
Hey Afzal, when’s the next Industy reaction video? Edit: Just seen the ending, can’t wait will be refreshing all weekend
If I completed a btec in business and achieved 3 D * and got into a itmb degree at uom or ucl what that be a good route to IB ?
Sir can you please discuss about aptitude round in Goldman Sachs ? Like how to conduct? and proper preparation?
What about a career change? I’m way older than the normal college graduate age, I know it’s not realistic at all to get into “investment banking”, but I’d like to transition from music to banking (finance more generally). I’m wondering what a great option would be for me (and yes I do want to make as much money as I can and I’ll do whatever I need to to do it). Also, I don’t have a finance or business degree, is it basically a MUST that I get an MBA in finance if I want to proceed in this field?
How’d it go
Great vid. Besides an IB Analyst, what other roles are at the entry level? I’ve heard it can be hard to move back-middle to front. That could be people being naysayers though.
I’m currently in IBD, yes, very difficult to move into front office from the back and middle - analyst remains the entry level role across all front, middle and back office areas, obviously, there’s intern too ;)
@@garythewise3440 thanks!
@@garythewise3440hey gary! Can we get in touch?
Hey, I'm halfway through my engineering degree and I wanna give IB a shot. Do u think engineering internships (and perhaps one IB internship) would still interest IB recruiters?
What do you think are the ideal A-level grades for IB and what is the minimum. Is it realistically possible to make in with the minimum grades?
Subjects don't matter per se. Just ace them best you can. Securing an offer is a combination of things: good grades, work experience, voluntary/extracurricular activities, commercial awareness, good university, nice person, smart, hard working, etc.
@@AfzalHussein what university do u need
Hey Afzal! Big fan. I didn’t do too well in my A levels, and kinda want a whole career change which involves me studying 3 new a levels. Now I’ve also got the option to do a access to Higher education diploma in sciences - providing that I do well I’ll be able to goto my Uni of choice (kings). The HE diploma only takes 1 year whilst the other three a levels would take me another 2 years. Do you think if I took the access to Higher education diploma it’ll be “marked down” as such when I apply for spring weeks and internships in comparison to taking the a levels. Is it better just to get the a levels? Looking forward to your response. Your videos are great!
My advice would be to email the campus recruitment teams at all of the different investment banks/asset management firms that you want to apply to and see what they say. Best of luck 👍🏾
Hey Afzal, great video yet again. Just wondering if you could potentially do a video on your advice for good questions to ask at the end of an interview?
Great vid, a lot more motivation now!
do you recommend any boot camps or training courses to sharpen IB skill?
Would you be able to do a video on research roles such as equity/credit/macro research at an IB
Will INSEAD help me landing a job at Investment Banks?
Loughborough is a top 5 university in the UK. Would investment banks see loughborough as a good uni even tho it's not a RG
not entirely a target for banking but if you have good EC’s and internships then you should be a decent candidate compared to clear cut target students
@@CtrlDGame ok thanks, I think from what I have heard loughborough is getting a better reputation as its out competing nearly all the RGs. What are Ec
@@maximillianclark7360 Alright so let me make it clear Loughborough are not outcompeting the target unis for Banking at all. You are at a disadvantage at Loughborough compared to if you attended Oxbridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, Warwick, Durham and say Nottingham. However after those Unis Loughborough competes with the other RG Unis you mention so I will not accept Lough over and of the other Unis I mentioned above if you are deadset on Finance. Also EC being sports, finance society, nonprofit org participation etc
@@CtrlDGame what about Exeter, please??
is a business economics major good?
Opinions on stock and shares ISA??
Hey Afzal do you think alevels may affect people getting into top tier firms and do you think it may be judged differently given that alevel exams have been cancelled 2x in a row.
A-levels are important. Banks look at them. Try to ace them. You can include a bullet point highlighting how COVID impacted your studies.
@@AfzalHussein do they look at gcse's?
@@dawuddino8138 no tf
I'm from South Africa and about to attend the University of Liverpool. Is that a good enough uni to get into banking?
Great videos btw. I've been watching your channel for a while now and have learnt a lot.
Thanks and congrats on your offer! Liverpool is a great university. But I must stress, going to a top tier or lower tier university doesn't guarantee anyone anything. It only plays a fraction of a role in what it takes to secure an offer.
Noted, I definitely keep that in mind. And thank you so much for replying, you made my night!
When you talk about top university in the US and UK.. what about if you go to the best university in Africa or Australia
Kangaroo U
Nice vid! It would be very useful if you made a video focusing on the lingo that we might want to know when going into finance. Sometimes some people (interns) may feel a little out of the loop when they just overhear a conversation and only get 40% of what is being talked about. It would be great value if you could expand a little on it. 😀👍
is a 2.1 like in europe or what`?
Great vid and very eye opening. I’m curious what routes you’ve seen taken into IB from different backgrounds and what you’re recommendation would be to grads who haven’t had industry relevant experience. Is that the end of the road? You’ve missed the boat?
From personal experience (currently in IBD), for the analyst class, can come from any degree background as long as the uni is good (less relevant degrees are compensated by better unis, I.e. Languages at Oxbridge >> Finance at Coventry/Kent etc.) and you have relevant experience
For professionals, can always work for a few years then either a) start as an analyst (but you’ll be “restarting” at an earlier point in your career ladder) or b) MBA then come as associate
Does anyone know if Lynn university in boca raton is a good school for “recruiting” for investing management
What are the chances of getting selected if you are CA and CFA. And have 2 years of experience in Deloitte in audit department
If the answer is negative than what we can do ? Please answer
Can i get into banking as someone without british citizenship?
You can indeed, although this may differ from firm to firm.
@@AfzalHussein thank you!!
If you have a first class degree and a masters from a non ivy league/russell group university, can you get into a top firm? Many thanks.
Obviously you can, will you is a different question. What’s your work experience like? What’s your degrees in?
@@liqritrs8391 degree is in business management and MSc is in Human Resources.
@@liqritrs8391 work experience is mainly HR/pay related
Really good video bro - if you were a recent engineering undergrad from an ok uni looking to do a masters at a top uni to break into investment banking/boost cv, what course would you do and why?
What uni?
This is brilliant, thank you.
Thanks for watching!
This is a great video. I second every sentence of it.
Great vid mate. Do investment banks take ACA qualifications seriously from top ten firms? Or would you need to be in the Big 4 to have a chance?
Is a university with world ranking around 45~50 considered as top tier?
是复旦大学嘛
İt depends on the country itself. İF it the best in the country? your chances will higher to get a job there
it’s not that hard, just put in the effort and you’ll make it, same works with anything
you should make your own youtube channel with this amazing advice.
@@thedreamcapture2681 appreciate the sarcasm, but idk why everyone’s always complaining ‘i’m not good enough 😭😭’, when they don’t work at all 😐
Is having an economics/finance degree still useful? Will there still be jobs available with the rise of AI?
Econ degrees can be useful but they're not the be all and end all. Banks like people from all degree backgrounds. There'll always be jobs for humans.
@@AfzalHussein all degree backgrounds? Been actually wondering if it is possible to break in a front office role with a psychology undergraduate, or do u still need to have further studies/MBA?
You can definitely break into front office roles with a psychology degree. Just need to know your stuff about the role you apply to.
@@AfzalHussein thanks so much for replying :) your videos are great!
👍🏽
0:04 Well, if it's easier to sell ice to eskimos, then I'm in :)
Hey Afzal, I was wondering do you guys have community colleges in the UK? Just wondering, nice video.
Not to my knowledge. In the UK, I don't think you can go to a community college and then transfer to a uni, like I heard you can do in the USA.
However, they may exist in the UK and I just don't know about them. I am just an 18 year old who isn't even at uni yet.
great content, Afzal
Thanks!