Hi All,
As a first post, I would like to share my experience and aspirations.
I am moving this month from Belgium to NYC, as I recently got a Green Card. My professional experience is mainly in operational and corporate finance (focused on FP&A) in Dubai where I stayed 3-4 years. I graduated magna cum laude with a Master in Finance from a top business school in Belgium. I'm also a CFA level III candidate. My goal is to get into IB, with NYC being my preferred location. I studied corporate finance (especially M&A) in detail, so I have a strong theoretical knowledge but obviously very little practice.
Any advice on how to improve my chances to get into IB, especially in NYC? It's a great challenge but I'm ready to face it.
Thanks for your help!
You're probably gonna need an MBA from a T15 school.
Thanks for the comment.
how did you get the green card?
I got it via the Diversity Visa program.
What is that? How did you apply?
"Top Belgian Business School" lol
Please share something more helpful, thanks.
im sorry but saying ”top belgian business school” sounds really douchey when 99.9% of the people on this forum can’t name a single school in Belgium
Still, decent European business schools are better than 95% of universities in the US.
Actually, it wasn't my purpose to sound "douchey". I just wanted to highlight that the school has one of the hardest degrees to get compared to other schools in the country. Sorry if most people don't know about our schools in Belgium.
There is not a single Belgian university in any of the top 25 European Business School rankings....
Sorry, I don't spend my time on rankings. I was looking for a demanding and decent academic program in my own country. As I grew up in a very poor family, it was a big challenge to follow such a path.
didn't yall surrender without a fight in both world wars? idk if Goldman would want someone with sissy heritage like that turning comments for their M&A team honestly. maybe getting citizenship somewhere more based could help
Fighting WW II on the allied side is not really based....
you're weird as fuck dawg why do i always see you saying some racist or anti-semitic on every thread. of course you would say fighting on the allied side isnt based. some people werent told to shut the fuck up enough as youth and you are a prime example
Get a MBA from a top US school. Americans won’t recognize European schools so you’ll most likely need to rebrand yourself. Go to a finance-focused elite MBA and you’ll be fine - think Wharton / Booth / CBS / Stern / Cornell
Great, I'll focus on these schools :)
You need a top 25 MBA and also need a network so you can get referrals. It's extremely hard to recruit if someone at the company isn't referring you
Thanks, I'm preparing for the GMAT exam and checking info sessions for business schools in the US.
This is a great market for hiring. I think your least path of resistance is applying to a European bank. European banks will understand your culture and probably know your school. Think Soc Gen, BNP, Natixis, Credit Agricole, etc. I would go on LinkedIn and try to find people from Belgium who are working at those banks in NYC. Maybe try reaching out to someone in Europe to ask about the industry, and then ask if they know someone in US who would be willing to speak with you.
Additionally, try rating agencies. They are bleeding talent, and after a year you should have no problems moving into IB.
Thanks for the advice, I should consider focusing on expanding my network within those banks then.
Here's what he did, and what he recommends to others.
Thanks for this helpful list.
how many languages do you speak? And which ones? Might know a place that would be interested.
Thanks for your reply. I'm native French speaker, I speak fluently English, intermediate level of Dutch and Arabic. Thanks for your help :)
For your profile London is a lot easier. Especially for BeNeLux focused teams. Though, I get you want NY specifically
True, but given my lack of work experience in IB, I'll still need an MBA to make the transition, even for London.
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