Sarah's Story: Turning Down a Bulge Bracket Investment Banking Offer to Enter Private Equity at 21

This client has been wholly anonymised, however the underlying story is accurate. Full evidence on file, including offer documentation.

OFFER-ENGINEERING FOR ELITE CAREERS™

A 2.5-year transformation from early rejections to choosing between bulge bracket banking and direct-to-PE.

Track	Private Equity — Secondaries (London)
Profile	UK undergraduate, no Spring Week, early rejections
Engagement	Private Advisory — 2.5 years
Outcome	Written Bulge Bracket Investment Banking Summer Internship offer (declined) + PE Secondaries graduate role (£80K at 21)

The Story

When Sarah first reached out in January 2023, she had strong academics but a familiar problem: early rejections, and motivation answers that collapsed under interview pressure.

The diagnostic revealed three conversion blockers: generic "Why IB?" answers that didn't survive scrutiny, good experiences being diluted into weak written assets, and a pathing strategy that wasn't differentiated.

We rebuilt everything using the ECS Offer-Engineering System™.

What We Built

CV Rebuild (VTMR™)

Every line rewritten to start with a Verb, define the Task, include a Metric, and close with a quantified Result. No soft claims. Everything anchored to output.

Career Motivation (PEAL-3™ + BDC™)

PEAL-3™ enforced Point → Evidence → Analysis → Link discipline. BDC™ (Began–Developed–Confirmed) created a narrative arc that sounded human under pressure, not scripted.

Firm Motivation (PEAL-X™)

Fact-per-sentence discipline: every line contained a verifiable firm anchor linked back to demonstrated edge. These answers couldn't be copied for another firm.

Competency Portfolio (STAR-3™)

Three core stories calibrated for high finance: leadership ownership, analytical judgement, stakeholder impact. Each with metrics, trade-offs, and reflection — not just "I did X."

The Outcome

By November 2025, she held a written a bulking brack banking Summer Internship offer for Global Banking in London. Contract issued. HR onboarding initiated.

Investment banking offer documentation for UBS

Then something better emerged.

A direct-to-PE path opened. A top secondaries house. Graduate role. £80,000 starting salary at age 21.

She declined UBS.

Most candidates treat a bulge-bracket internship as the destination. This case proves it can become optional — when the system creates multiple paths to the top.

Offer documentation for Cambell Lutyens, a top private equity secondaries house

The best investment we ever made. Now never need to worry about money for the rest of my life."

ECS Offer-Engineering System™ applied: VTMR™, PEAL-3™, PEAL-X™, STAR-3™, BDC™

Evidence: Offer letter, contract documentation, and client correspondence held on file(redacted for privacy).

DISCLAIMER: Elite Careers Strategy is not affiliated with UBS or any private equity firm. Third-party names are used for context only — no affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is implied. This is a historical outcome; results vary; no guarantees. Details anonymised to protect confidentiality.