I am an undergraduate senior graduating in May and still do not have a job.

Hi,

I am an undergraduate senior with interest in finance (risk management, quantitative analysis, and structuring roles).

I have been very actively looking for jobs… without much success.

I have had many final round interviews with banks, funds, fin techs firms, etc., but I have not had a job offer yet.

Now that I am graduating in four weeks, I am very anxious and cannot focus on studying.

Fortunately, I have a green card, so I do not have to leave the country after I graduate. Right now, I am based in NYC.

My family lives in Atlanta. It seems like the best choice for me is to stay in NYC (instead of going back to Atlanta), work part-time (at a restaurant, supermarket, or something), get a tiny room in Queens or some cheap area, and keep looking for full-time roles. What do you guys think? Going to grad school is not an option, because my family cannot support me financially and, in fact, I have to support them in a few years because my parents would not be able to work due to their physical conditions.

Does anyone have advice please??

Sounds like you are close if you are getting final round interviews, can you figure out why you didn’t make the final cut? Also if finance is a problem you can always take out a loan? Keep doing what you are doing and try to figure out what went wrong during final interviews may help you secure the offer.

Why did you think you did not make the cut in the final rounds?

Agreed. If you’re making it into the final rounds then you’re pretty close, just try and reflect back on the interviews and what it is that might be the cause for not getting an offer yet.

Regarding grad school, I would suggest getting some experience prior to doing that and as klaudine mentioned, loans are always an option, just need to consider the cost-benefit analysis of this option.

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I can take out a loan theoretically. But I have already lots of loans for my undergraduate studies and simply do not have a gut to take extra ~$100,000 for masters’ degree.

I am not 100% sure why I do not make the final cut. I wish I could figure that out. I am worried that even if I find that out, there are not many opportunities remaining.

Yes… i guess so… I feel like even if I feel that I did well on the final round interview, there is always someone else who did better than me.

Grades any good? School any good? What kind of jobs are you interviewing for?

Maybe switch to shoot for back office job? Anything better than working in a non-related field (i.e. restaurant).

Also - go back and ask your interviewers if there is anything they could do in the future. Thank them for their time, but explain how you are looking for feedback. A lot of times they will oblige.

My gpa is 3.5 and I go to a target school. I am looking for risk management roles in finance.

I have applied for back office jobs (operations) too, but I haven’t heard back any.

I am so desperate… and it sucks haha.

It doesn’t take 100k for a one year masters btw, many of the decent schools have generous scholarships so your total cost of the program isn’t that significant as you are fresh out of school.

which programs, for example, are you talking about?

I thought that most masters programs do not have scholarships, but i might be wrong.

So you’re in NYC at a target and you have a 3.5? That should be enough. I’m thinking Columbia or NYU or something. What happened with summer internship last year? How many applications have you submitted?

Just ask the hiring manager. I’ve been through some interviews where I really wanted to know. If you can get them on the phone, they will tell you. Its good to know.

I had an internship last year. I am talking to them right now about an analyst position, but I am not 100% sure yet.

I have submitted near ~50 or more so applications so far, I guess.

If you graduate without a job, it’s not the end of the world. A lot of people get jobs months after graduating. In fact, there might be less competition for some of those jobs outside the campus recruitment season. It’s also normal to apply to many jobs before getting an offer. I’d say 50 applications is normal or even below average.

50 is weak bro. Those are rookie numbers.

Get a few hundred apps out there.

In my humble opinion, the only reason to take out loans for grad school is if it’s a top top program.

You could get a Master’s in Econ/Applied Econ from a mid tier school like Rice or Purdue for free with RA/TAship and fellowships. That’s what I did and graduated with 0 debt. It’s also a great way to build connections (which will help you land jobs more easily than cold applying to thousands of firms).

Keep at it. The first job search can be quite a challenge.

Thank you for advice.

I had a final round interview last Friday, and a few interviewers asked me “Why did you decide to come to the U.S?”

I answered with honesty, that my family was not doing so well financially in our home country but had some relatives who settled in the U.S. many years ago, and we decided to come here for a new life.

Do you think that was a bad answer (probably because it’s too personal)?

Lol don’t give them your life story, just some generic canned answer will do fine for them to check off the list…

Make it more about your eagerness and the challenge to learn/grow and take advantage of opportunities in the U.S, not that your were somewhat “forced” to come the U.S due to the circumstances. The first reason directly benefits them, the latter doesn’t.