How hard is it to get an investment banking job at Goldman Sachs?
Goldman Sachs is the premier investment bank in the world. With an acceptance rate of roughly 4%, it's harder to get into Goldman than it is to get into Harvard or Yale. Let me share how to get a job at Goldman Sachs from someone who did.
Goldman Sachs, another prestigious investment bank, maintains similarly competitive acceptance rates. With intense competition for limited openings, the acceptance rate hovers around 5%. This means that out of every 100 applicants, only five individuals receive an offer from Goldman Sachs.
Goldman Sachs receives 1 million applications for midlevel jobs each year. About 0.5% of those hopefuls — just 5,000 people — get hired. That makes the bank nearly 10 times as selective as Harvard. Many applicants in that pool are vying for a spot in the firm's prestigious investment-banking division.
Goldman Sachs is one of the oldest and most prestigious investment banks on Wall Street. With hundreds or thousands of applicants for every job opening, getting into this company is notoriously hard.
The acceptance rate for Goldman Sachs analysts varies depending on the specific job and the number of applicants. However, according to recent reports, the acceptance rate for Goldman Sachs' investment banking division is typically between 2% and 3%.
Ways to make a lot of money in this world
Sure, anybody can make a good living being a doctor or a lawyer or an investment banker where you can make ~$200-500K per year a few years after you finish with your studies, but you hit a ceiling very quickly unless you start your own practice (aka start your own business).
On average, a first-year investment banker makes a 5-digit salary, in the range of $70,000 – $90,000, while a 7-digit salary is considered above average and is difficult to achieve for most people in their careers.
Goldman Sachs does not give a specific minimum GPA requirement, though some sources suggest a GPA of at least 3.6 is preferred. Additionally, you may need to show relevant coursework and hard skills for certain programs.
- The University of Pennsylvania is one of the top schools for Goldman Sachs, Citigroup (C), and Credit Suisse (CS). ...
- New York University (NYU) is right with the University of Pennsylvania in terms of where investment banks most frequently recruit new employees.
With an acceptance rate of roughly 4%, it's harder to get into Goldman than it is to get into Harvard or Yale.
What GPA does Goldman Sachs look for?
Now, when it comes to GPA requirements, Goldman Sachs is known for being quite selective. While requirements can vary depending on factors like the role you're applying for and the school you attended, as a general rule, they usually expect a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Working at Goldman Sachs can be difficult and stressful, especially in roles that require long hours and intense workloads. Employees are expected to be highly motivated and committed to their work.
Goldman Sachs is well known for their lengthy interview process. There's no denying it. GS interview process is really, really tough but it's certainly not impossible as applicants have proved it in the past and so has Nithin who hails from Bangalore and is studying at NITK Surathkal.
The lucrative and fast-paced career of an investment banker is a highly competitive one. For instance, in a recent year, 236,000 applicants competed for roughly 3,500 internships at Goldman Sachs. This is common across the industry where acceptance rates for programs are typically less than 2%.
Goldman Sachs is widely known as the most prestigious investment bank on Wall Street.
Bankers continue to regard Goldman Sachs as the world's most prestigious bank, followed (as always) by Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan.
The CEO of a major business typically makes about $1 million dollars a year. But the most successful CEOs have jobs that pay $1 million dollars a month or much much more. Examples: Sundar Pichai – CEO of Alphabet (owner of Google) – $225 million dollars per year.
| Position Title | Typical Age Range | Base Salary (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 22-27 | $100-$125K |
| Associate | 25-35 | $175-$225K |
| Vice President (VP) | 28-40 | $250-$300K |
| Director / Senior Vice President (SVP) | 32-45 | $300-$350K |
It is possible to become a millionaire as an investment banker, but it is not easy. Investment bankers typically earn salaries in the $200,000 to $700,000 range, with bonuses that can bring their total income up to several million dollars per year.
Many are retired out of the industry early on as they either don't make the cut or just can't stand the work. Otherwise, for those who do go the distance and retire around 55–65 years old, they're definitely more than comfortable by that point.
How much does a VP at IB make?
| Annual Salary | Hourly Wage | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $244,500 | $118 |
| 75th Percentile | $190,000 | $91 |
| Average | $157,532 | $76 |
| 25th Percentile | $115,000 | $55 |
In the high-stakes and fast-paced world of finance, the work-life balance of Investment Bankers often teeters on a fine line. Known for their grueling hours and the high-pressure environment of financial markets, Investment Bankers are frequently at the mercy of market fluctuations and client demands.
Companies Considered Too Big to Fail
Bank of America Corp. The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. Citigroup Inc. The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
There are a lot of people from Goldman-Sachs that come from the Ivy League, but GS also recruits pretty heavily from the big name public schools (including my school University of Texas at Austin). There are also network effects. Harvard has a strong alumni network, but so does UT Austin.
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