Jeff Martin ⋅ Ashburn, VA The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ⋅ 25 years experience

I’d suggest that you network at the target company or industry. Use LinkedIn to find people already working there and reach out to them. Ask them the process they used to get hired and ask them to help you navigate the hiring process and if they are willing, ask them to submit you as a referral. These activities require much more time on your part but in my opinion would greatly increase your chances for success. Good luck!

Matt Johnson ⋅ Chicago, IL EY-Parthenon ⋅ 10 years experience

Chris,
Use your background to your advantage. Check out MLT ( https://mlt.org/career-prep/ )
They have a large cohort of folks who end up at top MBA programs and then IB. You'll find there's also a number of programs open to veterans seeking out IB internships:

Wells Fargo:
https://www.wellsfargojobs.com/veteran-employment-transition-program

JP Morgan: https://careers.jpmorgan.com/us/en/students/programs/military-uk

Goldman Sachs: https://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/professionals/veterans-integration-program.html

Guggenheim Partners:
https://www.guggenheimpartners.com/firm/diversity-and-inclusion/veterans-initiatives

Reach out to vets on LinkedIn who are at your target firms and get tactical advice. Also read up on the knowledge that's already out there:
https://theveteranpro.com/banking-internships-for-veterans/

You might be at a non-target school, but all these forms have Diversity and Inclusion initiatives which you can leverage from the perspective of veteran status or URM. You might very well be the exception they're willing to make with respect to recruiting from a non-target school.

Robert Rahni ⋅ White Plains, NY Fordham University ⋅ 13 years experience

Hi Christopher,

While I understand and wholeheartedly empathize with your frustrations, I would be careful in discounting the weight Fordham University as an institution, particularly in the world of financial services carries. Given its two main campuses' close proximity to the financial capital of the world in lower Manhattan, Gabelli is a well-recognized business school amongst employers. I would be keen to emphasize your attending of Fordham as a huge plus and not so much characterize it as it not being a "big name school."

Speaking of close proximity, I reside nearby to Yonkers ("The Y.O.!") in White Plains. Would be happy to grab a cup of coffee with you, six-feet apart of course, to continue the conversation and see what contacts in my network could be of benefit to you. Are you familiar with the consortium Veterans On Wall Street (V.O.W.S)? They recently partnered with the organization WayUp, whom I know their CEO, to support military service members and veterans. Something worth checking out!

Personally, I am a strong believer that one gets to know what specialization within any industry is the right fit for them based on which aren't. This is achieved through, yes, internships and even FT positions, but on some level even more important and less riskier, securing informational phone calls with folks already in the various industries.

"Your Network is your Networth!"
- P. Diddy (formerly known as Puff Daddy)

Feel free to DM me if you wish to continue the convo and potentially meet up. Happy to help.

Best,
Rob

Louis Schwarz ⋅ Somerville, NJ AIG ⋅ 43 years experience

Christopher, hi. An Economics degree is a great degree to prepare for a financial career. How economics works is a key skill in finance. When you complete your degree, will determine when you will be marketable to the industry. Insurance is also a financial field that is very rewarding. Check with your local insurance agencies and get some information on what they require to get started in that industry. Use Linked-in to get information and contacts.
Good luck, but you degree will open doors.

James Watters ⋅ Norman, OK Business Consultant, retired ⋅ 17 years experience

Sergeant Sanchez -
Before you get into any job you might want to know something about it. The world today works with the help of the internet and its search engines. Use the internet to research the industry you would want to enter as an investment banking intern.

You should make sure you know the different fields of investment banking; you might want to choose what field you want to enter as an investment banker from one of the following

Corporate financing
Acquisitions and mergers
Capital markets
Trading and sales

You should make sure you know the topmost investment banks across the globe and the best performers around your locality. The career path of an investment banker last but not the least the different profiles offered to an investment banker.

Check out this website - www,LinkedIn.com. Click on “jobs” and insert “investment banking intern”. You’ll find lots of companies there. Contact a company, include your education and military experience and ask for their suggestions. Hope you get lucky.