What’s Inside

Ten chapters that follow the real sequence of getting hired — from deciding whether banking is right for you, through credentials, applications and interviews, to the offer and the career beyond it. The Priya Sharma case study runs throughout, showing every decision in practice.

• 01
  What Investment Banking Actually Is — And Whether It Is Right for You

  Understand how the industry is really structured — divisions, firm tiers, the analyst role — so you target the right seat, not simply a bank.

• 02
  Building Your Credentials — What Banks Actually Look For

  The five criteria banks screen on, scored against your own profile, with an eight-week plan to close the gaps before you apply.

• 03
  The CV and Cover Letter — Getting Past the First Filter

  Build an IB-convention CV with CAR-framework bullets that survives the screen which eliminates most applicants before a human reads a word.

• 04
  Networking — The Infrastructure Most Candidates Underestimate

  A five-phase outreach methodology that turns cold contacts into the referrals that actually move an application forward.

• 05
  The Application Process — Timelines, Portals and the Off-Cycle Opportunity

  Run a multi-firm campaign across structured and off-cycle channels — and know which one fits your profile and your timing.

• Plus five more: technical interview preparation (three-statement linkage, DCF, comps, the EV-to-equity bridge and accretion/dilution, with worked examples); behavioural interviews and the Why IB question; the international-candidate and career-changer routes; managing the offer and your first 90 days; and the long game — exits to private equity, promote-in-place, the MBA decision, and the relationships that carry a career.

The Getting Into Investment Banking Series

This handbook is part of a structured sequence. Each title builds on the last — or stands alone as a reference.