Vandy in Finance

This community gives access to resources, events, and career advice for students interested in careers in finance. We encourage you to use this space to help you make an informed decision about the area(s) in which you want to engage in for volunteering, internships, and your career.

Welcome!

Vandy in Finance is a career community that supports students interested in the financial sector, including but not limited to asset/ investment management, corporate finance, hedge funds, insurance, investment banking, private equity, venture capital or real estate. Through tailored resources and informational sessions, students will build the skills necessary to succeed during the highly competitive recruiting process.

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Vandy in Finance Toolkit

Recruiting timelines, career paths, quick start resources, and more.

Download the Toolkit

Your Community Contacts

  • Kate Shepherd

    Kate Shepherd

    Career Advisor

  • Jamie Haughton

    Jamie Haughton

    Employer Relations Specialist

Drop In Hours

Finance Specific Drop In Hours

Do you have industry-specific questions? Drop in hours are a great place to have your application materials reviewed, understand industry recruiting timelines, and learn how to get connected to top employers in your industry!

  • These drop ins are similar to standard drop ins except they will be reserved for students interested in finance.
  • No appointment needed and these conversations can last up to 15 minutes.
  • View drop-in hours.

Note: Drop ins are not held when classes are not in session (holiday breaks, exam days, inclement weather, etc).

Vandy in Finance

Recruitment Timeline

The finance industry employs an accelerated recruiting timeline with investment banking being the earliest area to open summer internship applications. While formal recruiting activities for IB typically do not begin until spring semester (or even late fall) of sophomore year when investment banks recruit for one’s junior year summer internship, financial firms also offer early insights or experiential learning programming across all areas of finance targeting freshmen and sophomores. The applications for these early programs debut in the late summer/early fall and offer a terrific way to stand out in the recruiting process by showing an interest in finance while mastering technical skills. While more financial firms, like those in the private equity space, are starting to pull their applications earlier, outside of investment banking, most of the other areas typically recruit 6-9 months prior to the start of employment.

Resources

  • Recruiting Resources
    • The Pulse, a free, valuable recruiting weekly email for both consulting and IB. There is both a free newsletter with notification emails about new application postings and premium jobs database, if you decide to pay the additional $50, complete with contacts at firms. 
    • Adventis, 2x/week emails and a comprehensive internship database broken out by class year. 
    • RecruitU, deep recruiting platform developed by a Vandy alum with exclusive job/internship postings, "How to Break into IB" events/tutorials, networking contacts and simulated IB interviews with real questions from top banks and AI feedback. 
    • CareerShift, use your Vanderbilt email for complimentary access. Think of this as ZipRecruiter (job/internship listings) + LinkedIn (company contacts) with REAL emails. 
  • Daily/Weekly Newsletters
    • Access the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Financial Times via Vanderbilt for free by clicking here. 
    • Axios Pro Rata, Dan Primack’s daily highlighting dealmakers across VC, PE and M&A.  
    • Exec Sum, a daily that curates major news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, with a touch of memes.  
    • Wall Street Rollup, 2x/week curated investing, markets, and finance newsletters from Anon Wall Street Professionals.  
  • Enhance Your Resume

    Show an interest in Finance with these free opportunities and certifications. 

    • Forage is a site that partners with top financial firms and allows you to gain skills in an area of expertise, like IB and IM, through asynchronous project-based learning and then add the skillset to your resume. 
    • Get Bloomberg certified in Finance Fundamentals, Market Concepts and/or ESG. Click on the Bloomberg link and sign-up with your Vanderbilt email for complimentary access. 
    • AmplifyME is a finance simulation tool to help prepare you for a career in finance. You can also sign up for the newsletters and podcasts. 
    • Parker Dewey offers students the opportunity to engage in micro-internships. These are all ways to demonstrate skills and boost your resume if you don't yet have traditional work experience. 
  • Learn More About Linkedin

    Use your Vanderbilt email for free access to this LinkedIn resource which will help you improve your profile and hone your job search techniques.

  • Free financial education & Vandy business resources

    Brush up on Excel skills and Financial Modeling via Wall Street Oasis - Vanderbilt - Wall Street Oasis. Use your Vanderbilt email address to gain free access. Business Resources for the Undergraduate Business Program includes a page for Career & Job search, as well as a tab for the financial platform certifications.

  • Classic Finance Books and Movies

    Check out these links for ideas: Top 12 Best Finance Movies and Books for Finance (fiction and non-fiction). 

  • Curious About Careers in Finance?

    If a career in finance sounds intriguing but you don't know where to start, then look through these two career guides, Careers in Finance and Forte Future In Finance, which show MANY opportunities outside of investment banking. If you're asking if IB is right for you then read this. If the answer is "yes", then read this terrific primer, M&I’s Banker Blueprint, about breaking into IB or this resource by Deutsche-Bank, The Unofficial Guide to Banking.  You can always type any job name/description into the Mergers & Inquisitions website where you will be taken to articles allowing for an even more in-depth view of many financial roles. 

  • Interview Prep

    You've networked your way to an interview. Now what?  

    • Familiarize yourself with the HireVue interview process which is a pre-recorded, first round session used to weed out candidates.  
    • Use the following resources to prepare for in-person rounds: 
    • Utilize Big Interview and the interview section on the RecruitU website. Both are AI-enhanced tools to help students excel in interviews. 
  • Networking

    Networking is crucial to landing a job in Finance. Use these resources to learn how to craft the perfect email and nail your next coffee chat. 

FAQs

  • What Is the Best Way to Get into Finance?

    The best way to get into finance is to show an interest in the space. Before you even land a job in finance, you can demonstrate interest by immersing yourself in the industry – subscribe to free newspapers, like the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and NY Times, through Vanderbilt’s library, listen to podcasts, take an economics class or join a finance-focused club. You can also start to study the technical financial skills that you will need for the interview process by using Vanderbilt’s free subscription to Wall Street Oasis or enrolling in the Vandy in Finance Preparation Pathway series. Work hard to maintain the highest GPA possible as this matters during the initial selection process.

  • What is the Vandy in Finance: Preparation Pathway?

    The Vandy in Finance: Preparation Pathway is a series of programming throughout the year, both on campus and virtual, to help students learn about the many jobs in the finance industry as well as gain knowledge around all aspects of recruiting, from resume building to networking to interviewing to technical skills. These multi-week seminars are held in both the fall and spring semesters as well as via virtual learning during the summer months through either Wall Street Prep or Wall Street Oasis. Students should also ensure that they’re signed up to receive the weekly Vandy in Finance newsletter which is filled with tips on navigating the job search and contains an excel spreadsheet with all the available opportunities from Handshake.

  • What Skills Do Employers Look for in Candidates?

    In addition to showing an interest in finance and having relevant work experience, employers will assess an applicant’s soft and hard skills throughout the interview process. To succeed in finance, a candidate should exhibit strong communications skills, excellent attention to detail, the ability to work well in teams and resilience. In addition to these soft skills, a candidate will need to demonstrate a solid understanding of technical skills which typically need to be acquired outside of college coursework.

  • How Important Is Networking in This Industry?

    Networking is a critical part of the hiring process in finance. Months in advance of applications opening, students should be actively networking with alumni and contacts at target firms. Students should be methodical about their outreach, keeping detailed records of conversations, and look to target well over 100 interactions which hopefully will translate into 25-30 coffee chats. Once an application opens and the resume is submitted, these contacts can significantly improve a candidate’s chance of being invited to the interview process.

  • What Happens if I Don’t Land a Competitive Investment Banking Summer Internship?

    If you were looking to receive a coveted summer internship at a top-tier investment bank and didn’t, then it’s not the end of the world; these roles are highly competitive and it’s truly a numbers game. First, review your resume and schedule a mock interview with a career coach or alum to ensure that you’re as prepared as you believe. Next, broaden your search by branching out to smaller boutique firms or regional banks which still may have open applications. You can also look to pursue tangential roles in other areas of the investment bank like corporate banking, corporate finance or private banking. Continue to network aggressively and don’t stop applying to open roles. You can also consider off-cycle internships which may take place during the school year.