Your Investment Banking Journey Starts Here
Part 1 of 4 · Freshman Year
Breaking into investment banking is one of the most competitive career pursuits in finance. Students who begin building their foundation in their freshman year arrive at recruiting season with a meaningful edge over their peers.
Investment banking recruiting is a four-year process, and each year builds directly on the last. Here is the full roadmap.
Lay the Foundation
Build a solid professional foundation by mastering finance fundamentals and building a strong early network within the industry.
Land the Internship
Develop the technical and behavioral skill sets for networking and interviews.
Secure the Offer
Ace the internship and secure the return offer by focusing on the PowerPoint, Excel, and modeling skills that will guarantee your spot as a top analyst.
Get Job Ready
You have earned the title of Full-time Investment Banking Analyst. Now it is time to focus on the bigger picture: deal negotiation and transaction structuring.
You are at the start of this roadmap. Every step you take now directly determines how competitive you are when recruiting begins in earnest during your sophomore and junior years.
Your first semester is about building a professional identity and getting embedded in the right communities on campus.
Use your winter semester to start building the knowledge base that will carry you through recruiting, and start putting yourself in front of the right people
Spring is when you line up your first experience.
Whether you land a finance internship or not, the summer is a critical building block.
If You Land an Internship
If You Do Not Land an Internship
Any internship where you show initiative, hard work, and responsibility is better than none.
Some firms offer remote internships throughout the year that you can do in addition to, or in place of, a summer internship.
If you do not land an internship, redirect that energy into building your skills and network.
The right resources make a real difference at this stage. Here is what Training The Street recommends to build your foundation and get your recruiting journey started on the right foot.
Undergraduate Bootcamp Training Course
Equipping interns and undergraduate students with the core skills needed to succeed in their internships.
Build a strong understanding of financial concepts that will anchor your technical knowledge throughout recruiting.
Start practicing your interview skills early so you are never caught off guard when it matters most.
Familiarize yourself with everything TTS has to offer, from courses, Excel guides, additional resources, and more.
