Applying to MBB now, but just started a job at GS

You have a great brand value of GS if you put it into your CV. So staying for some time to be able to actually show the brand on your CV has significant value if you can power through for a few months.

Applying to your top priority firms of course comes at the risk that you might not get it because you're not fully prepared and then delay your planned timeline furhter with the cool-of period of up to 2 years if you should get rejected. So if you apply, you should take this absolutelty serious and not just to to see what the interviews are like.

If you're looking to build experience with the interviews, you can also apply selectively to firms that are P2 for you to use the interview experience with them as additional level of practice for interviews with your P1 firms later on.

Hi there,

GS is definitely a strong brand and is a serious competitor to MBBs for talent. I believe you should do the following:

1. Give yourself more chance with GS and try to figure out ways to join another internal team that interests you more
2. Give yourself min. a year (ideally 2) to joing MBB so that you qualify to join as an experienced hire
3. During this year (or 2), work on networking with MBB Senior Leaders to figure out the best time and office for you to join (in order to build on the experience you would have acquired at GS by that time)

Happy to discuss this further if you want to!

Mehdi

Hi Anonymous,

Couple of points here to consider:

• GS is a top-notch brand and proves your mental horsepower, which is definitely supporting your application
• Working at GS only for a few months is definitely not a good sign and you need a very solid argumentation for that - just because you are saying you prefer working at MBB, why should I believe as an interviewer that you won't figure out a couple of weeks later that also consulting is not the right thing for you (irrelevant if true or not - it's about the interviewer's perception)
• Interviews are extremely competitive nowadays and you can imagine how intensive many candidates prepare and do everything possible in their prep - not sure how realistic it is next to your GS job to prepare accordingly for interviews at MBB to have realistic chances (if you get rejected, the waiting period is usually 18-24 months - nobody knows if MBB will still fit into the bigger picture of your life that point in time in future)
• For seeing how those interviews run in principle, you can still think of applying at tier-2 firms first, progress from there and apply with a later interview date at MBB.

Hope this helps - if so, please be so kind to give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!

Robert

Hi there,

Congrats on your GS offer – that’s a great achievement.

I would say you have 2 options:

1. If you really just started and have something to put in your CV between graduation and now, you can definitely apply now without putting GS in your CV. You would lose the GS positive brand effect though
2. If you are keen to wait a bit and have the GS brand in your CV, I agree with Udayan that it would make sense to have a few months of working experience at GS in your CV (I would say the minimum is 6 months).

If you have to apply now and have/want to keep GS in your CV for 1-2 months, that’s not a deal breaker, but you need a very good story on why you want to change after few months only.

Best,

Francesco

Wait at least a year to be considered an experienced hire. Ideally 2 years but a year will do given that you do IB at Goldman...

Of course you can also apply now using your network and are likely to get an interview. The challenge will be explaining why you think banking is not for you in just 2 months as opposed to a more accepted time frame of say 12 months.

Best,

Udayan

Hi A,

I completely understand your approach. But I'd like to point out some things before you make the final decision:

• GS could be a great upgrade in your profile if you stay there for a while (at least 1 year);
• just applying, of course, wouldn't be a big issue. Although I would not still recommend doing so because if you get an invitation, you will have to spend a certain amount of time on preparations. It would be tough to combine that with work;
• considering that you've just started at GS and, let's assume, got invited to the interviews at MBB, that would be a bit complicated to explain that you really want to get into MBB and not just an unreliable person.

Taking all these points in account I am sure you will make the right decision for you.

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