TurningOverRocks

It's definitely possible to break in with a "non-target" background, but it is tough. Without connections, you have to prove that you are hungry, passionate about investing, and have a good head on your shoulders. From what I have seen over the years, the best combination of activities that has led to success for people from "non-targets" trying to break into buy-side equity research are: a. Start a blog, maintain an active Twitter account, write regularly on here- it doesn't matter exactly the medium, but if you are able to write/communicate well, share your investment ideas/why you bought the stock, and prove to have a reasonably good track record/think well, it's actually not unusual for people to contact you. In this business, one talented person can add a huge amount of value to an investment firm, so you have to prove that you are talented/passionate- just submitting your resume in the firm's website won't work. b. Meet people in the firms/industry where you want to be. Try to connect with people on LinkedIn, Twitter, or wherever and see if you can buy them coffee/lunch and learn more about their industry, etc. (Don't ask for a job on the initial conversation!) Most people will blow you off and that's fine- you can message an unlimited number of people so your hit rate doesn't have to be high. But after you meet someone, get their contact info and then as you gradually put together more write-ups/blog posts, etc. send a follow-up email to them every few months with your most recent pitch/why you recommended it, etc. so they get to know how you think. Over time your network will expand, your skills will improve, and people at the various shops you know will think of you as hungry/passionate/good communicator when they are thinking about someone they could hire. YMMV, but this is frankly what worked for me and I have one of the most "non-target" backgrounds you could imagine. Among the most elite firms this may or may not work to get that initial job, but this can help you get your foot in the door at a lot of different places and that's the hardest part. I realize you were asking about internships and this may or may not help with that in the near term because the above takes time. But honestly if you can prove you are a good investor to a PM or investment firm in need of talent, where you did your internship honestly doesn't matter that much in my experience- you can spin almost any type of internship as a learning experience that helped you become a better student of business.