The Pulse is Hiring Interns!
We are hiring interns across growth, strategy, marketing, and tech roles. These are all paid positions with an August 2026 start date!
We are taking juniors and seniors (Class of 2027 and Class of 2028). Previous interns have gone on to work at Goldman, Guggenheim, Point72, and more. Intern App
We will also be onboarding coaches for the Summer 2028 Recruiting Season. Required to have completed a junior summer internship: Coaching App
Recruiting Timeline:
Banking:
Where We’re At:
SA 2027: Bourne Partners, Fifth Third, and Capstone Partners opened their applications this week. 92 banks are actively recruiting for SA 2027.
If you need some interview support or just need a place to vent, check out our Coaching Program: Investment Banking Interview Coaching | The Pulse. 95%+ of those coached for the summer 2026 recruiting season received offers!
New SA 2027 Applications:
Bourne Partners: Boutique Healthcare M&A (SA 2027)
Fifth Third: Middle market (SA 2027)
Capstone Partners: Boutique M&A (SA 2027)
See below to gain access to our premium database, updated weekly, which houses the application processes for over 300+ banks/consulting/buyside firms! Gain an edge over everyone else by not having to spend countless hours tracking applications and deadlines.
Consulting:
Where We’re At:
Well that happened quickly! Bain, McKinsey, and Oliver Wyman deadlines are live for 2027 summer and full-time roles. These are highly competitive processes, so time is of the essence. Submit an application early for the best chance of a first-round interview. BCG is likely to follow suit with their application release. There are two deadlines for Bain (subscribe to our premium database for more info). I’d also recommend applying through Handshake if available for your school.
SA 2027 released apps:
Bain & Company: Associate Consultant Intern (SA 2027)
McKinsey: Business Analyst Intern (SA 2027)
Oliver Wyman: Summer 2027 Intern (SA 2027)
FT 2027 released apps:
Bain & Company: Associate Consultant (FT 2027)
McKinsey: Business Analyst (FT 2027)
Buyside:
Where We’re At:
SA 2027: Lionheart Strategic Investments opened its app this week. There are currently 79 buyside firms actively recruiting for SA 2027.
FT 2027: Apollo and Abrams Bison Investments opened their apps this week. There are currently 4 buyside firms actively recruiting for FT 2027.
Buyside Associate Recruiting: Adams Street, Carlyle, Access Holdings and more are actively recruiting for summer 2027 associates. This is a section dedicated towards providing updates for our post-grad Buyside Associate Recruiting platform: Buyside Recruiting & Interview Prep Platform | The Pulse.
If you’re a senior or first-year analyst looking to get the fuck out of banking—-you need to be on this platform. Live job updates and 14+ LBO modeling case studies with answers
New SA 2027 released apps:
Lionheart Strategic Investments: RE (SA 2027)
New FT 2027 released apps:
Apollo: FIG PE (FT 2027)
Abrams Bison Investments: HF (FT 2027)
New Buyside Associate released apps:
Adams Street: Secondaries (summer 2027 start)
Access Holdings: PE (immediate start)
Carlyle: ABF (immediate start)
Premium Database:
The database is updated weekly and contains 300+ Investment Banking and Consulting internships/full-time positions along with:
Interview tips for specific companies
Interview prep material
Applications and deadlines linked so that you can apply with one click
Insider information about the application process
Professionals to network with
Buyside deadlines, interview prep, and people to network with for the sweatiest of students
We send the updated dataset every week with the latest banking and consulting job postings. We released our 145th update today.
Students we have been helping have already landed roles at Blackstone, Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Jefferies, Citi, and Solomon.
To get access to the database and the weekly updates, you make a one-time investment of $65 Credit Card / Debit Card: (ThePulsePrep—Stripe.com) that grants you annual access to the updated database (please reach out for additional payment options). If you don’t find our services helpful, we simply ask for feedback on an area we can improve upon and will refund your $65.
This is a small investment for a huge payout when you secure your dream offer!
Premium Database——>Database for investment banking, consulting and buyside roles | The Pulse
Market Update:
Iran, Oil, and Inflation
On February 28, 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and targeting key military infrastructure. Iran's response was shutting down tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and just like that, the entire global economy started sweating.
So why does this stretch of water matter so much? It's about 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, sitting between Iran and Oman, and it is the single most important oil transit route on the planet.
Roughly a quarter of all global seaborne oil and about one-fifth of liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments flow through this narrow chokepoint every single day. As of early March, more than 200 oil and LNG tankers are just sitting anchored outside the Strait because war-risk insurance costs have made passage basically impossible. That's a lot of oil going nowhere, and the longer those ships sit idle, the worse the supply crunch gets.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
By March 6, Brent crude punched through $85 per barrel, a roughly 20% jump since January 1. The geographic fallout has been uneven. China, India, and Japan collectively pull over 70% of their crude through the Strait and are now scrambling to source oil from Russia and West Africa. EU natural gas prices nearly doubled after Qatar was forced to shut down its LNG plants, a major blow to a continent that was already running on lean energy stockpiles heading into this conflict.
Back in the U.S., the energy hit is more muted thanks to domestic production, but Americans are still feeling it at the pump. Gasoline prices are expected to rise anywhere from 10 to 30 cents per gallon in the near term, with some areas seeing spikes as high as 85 cents.
The February jobs report dropped on March 6 and made a bad situation worse. The U.S. shed 92,000 jobs last month, way below the 50,000 gain economists were expecting, with unemployment nudging up to 4.4%. December's numbers were also revised from a gain of 50,000 jobs to a contraction of 17,000, making 2025 the first year since 2010 to record five months of job losses.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
A weak jobs report would normally give the Fed cover to cut rates. That option is pretty much off the table right now. NY Fed President John Williams is already sounding the alarm on inflation, and markets have completely priced out any rate cuts for the first half of 2026.
The Fed is stuck watching the economy slow down while being unable to do anything about it. Analysts are describing the labor market as frozen in a low-hire, low-fire equilibrium, which sounds fine until you realize it's happening alongside an energy crisis pushing the cost of everything higher. When growth is slowing and prices are rising at the same time, there's no clean policy fix. The Fed can't cut its way out of inflation and it can't hike its way out of a recession. That's the corner they're backed into right now.
Disclosure: Nothing written here is financial advice or should be used for investment decisions.
Learning Point of the Week:
Consulting Recruitment Process
With MBB consulting recruiting kicking off we wanted to give a little attention to the recruiting process.
Bain
Uses a point system to grade its candidates. The categories include academics, work experience, extracurriculars…etc.
Resume and cover letter drop
Bain Online Test - This tests your analytical skills, personality, and aptitude. There are GMAT-like components
HR screen - This is to assess you before you’re invited to a more formal interview. Just be yourself and make sure you have cohesive answers to “Why consulting?”, “Why Bain”, etc.
First round (PEI and case study) - This is typically with 3 interviewers, 30-40 minutes each
Final round (more PEI and cases) - Typically 3-4 interviewers
McKinsey
Resume and cover letter drop
McKinsey Problem Solving Test - This is very similar to Bain’s online assessment test
HR screen
First Round - One 50-minute one-on-one case study. Some behavioral mixed in
5 Final Round - Three 50-minute one-on-one case studies
BCG
Resume and cover letter drop
BCG online assessment/Pymetrics - Again, this is very similar to that of Bain and McKinsey. The Pymetrics assessment consists of 10-12 “games” to test your logic and reasoning skills. Pymetrics a more a measure of fit than intelligence.
One-way interview - This is essentially the same as an HR screen except there is no one on the other side of the screen.
First Round - Two case study interviews, about 30-45 minutes each. Some behavioral mixed in.
Final Round - Three case study interviews, about 30-45 minutes each
Consulting recruiting is highly competitive so case prep is the most important aspect of preparing for an interview. You can have a stellar GPA and great experiences, but it is nearly impossible to come away with an offer if you screw up a case study. This is why we always recommend having a study buddy!
Going Forward:
Heavy Push on Our Buyside Associate Prep
On the Buyside, models + jobs = offer. We bring everything you need under one roof: Buyside Recruiting & Interview Prep Platform | The Pulse. High quality is what we deliver.
Please reach out to us with any questions about recruiting or if you’re interested in meeting the team! ([email protected])
We are happy to chat, review resumes, or help set up a coaching session.
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