I have been talking to friends in the banking industry and for the first time in two years they are smiling.
”We are taking interns and we are hiring,” said a guy from a major bank. “We’ll be looking for biz school students and graduates.”
A report in NYT says much the same thing. After a whole year of resume-mailing and cold calls to banks, business school students are hearing the good words: “When can you join?” One such reply came from Wells Fargo, the report says. The student who received it said, “The banks this year kept saying, ‘It’s a good year,’ ‘We just approved a lot of hiring,’ ‘The market is clearing up.’ ”
Banks seem to be climbing out of the recession. The report adds “more business students across the country are finding banking jobs and internships, enrolling in finance clubs and going on class trips to Wall Street, universities say.”
Yes, we all know of the definite stigma attached to bank jobs after the crash, bail-out and the unrepentant bonus takings. Families are angry and rightly so. But my friends said, “It is still a job and a good one for our biz school pop outs.” They view bank jobs as intellectually challenging and done the right way, can contribute positively to the economy. After prodding, they admit bank jobs are “financially rewarding”. And banks will spring out of any recession. It is cyclical.
The good news anyway is Universities and business schools are welcoming HR executives for campus interviews. Banks are taking in interns cautiously though the percentage increase looks healthy. You can expect stiff competition for the positions available both as interns and for postings.

The silver lining is, banks under-hired for several quarters gone by and may be the execs will open doors to welcome more aspirants. More bank jobs at this point in the country’s economic history? That’s rich!
But for students entering Wall Street with a job it’s a dream come true. They talk of quickly moving up to managerial positions and getting access to the best financial minds in the world.

How successful you are in the interview depends on several things. You need to be prepared, brushed-up on interview skills. Be able to answer questions well on your field of knowledge. And have loads of patience.