SIE and general advice
I think I might have gotten myself in a sticky situation and would love some advice and perspective.
I went through an IB recruitment but did not receive an offer. Compared to other applicants, I felt like I was just really lacking so I got involved in a program to sponsor my SIE and bolster my resume despite not having a stellar GPA (still above a 3.5) and coming from a non target college for IB and PE.
But between studying for my SIE and managing my co-op, extracurriculars, and part-time job, I’ve neglected to apply for SA 2025 roles.
I do have a summer 2024 buyside internship lined up but I was thinking about pushing back my graduation date to a later semester so I can go into the next recruiting cycle with more networking, more technical skills preparation, and with a better overall resume.
Would that work? Or have I completely screwed up my chances for anymore IB recruiting?
The SIE is the only FINRA exam that does not require sponsorship by a firm, so not sure if that program is worth your time tbh (if you mean “sponsor” as in paying for it, however, that’s a different story). Regarding recruitment, I wouldn’t advise pushing back graduation. Rather, I’d consider an MSF program at a target school to help you re-brand in addition to the ability to access the school’s alumni base to network — this would also allow you to pursue the buy-side internship this summer.
Thank you for the advice! Sorry that I didn’t realize my wording was confusing but by sponsor I mean the program took care of paying for my Kaplan materials and for the test.
No worries man. Good luck!
I genuinely hope this is a troll post
I wish I was trolling lol but that is the situation I accidentally played myself into. Do you have any advice?
Why would you go for the SIE of all things to bolster your resume? I wouldn't prioritize that at all. Tbh, I'd do the buyside internship, get the return offer, then either recruit again full-time with the benefit of that return offer and experience, or if you feel like you don't have enough experience to be competitive, take a fulltime role at the buyside place and lateral from there.
Thank you for the advice! I wasn’t thinking too clearly because I thought that the SIE could compensate a little for my GPA coming from a non-target. Do you mind if I PM you? I just want to gain a little more perspective with my school and I don’t want to dox myself online lol. Thank you!
Nope, exams are useless. We’re not in India.
Would suggest you gear up and try to secure something during the spring, it’s only April. I’m sure there are smaller banks that haven’t even started interviewing yet for SA 2025.
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