Designing a Merit-First Recruiting Process (300+ Applicants → Final Cohort)

Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to help an independent sponsor group in Texas design their recruitment process for Spring and Summer 2026 interns. From day one, we anchored on a simple principle: effort and merit > everything else. We received 300+ applications from an incredibly diverse pool; candidates from every university you've heard of, investment banking backgrounds, medicine, law, and across M7/T15 MBA programs. But none of those labels determined the outcome. Every intern selected earned their spot based on: • how they think • the effort they put in • their potential to grow Not name. Not gender. Not school. Not pedigree. Not nationality. Not geography. Not race or ethnicity. According to research at the University of Toronto by Professor Philip Oreopoulos (Link to the study below), across Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, resumes with English-sounding names are 35 percent more likely to receive callbacks than resumes with Indian or Chinese names. So, we intentionally designed a process to strip as much bias as possible because bias unfairly filters amazing applicants. We intentionally designed a process that rewarded people who leaned in i.e. those who: • put real thought into their application • reached out with curiosity • showed initiative, even when imperfect Because in this field polish matters, but effort and ownership matter more. The selection process was tough. There were many strong candidates we simply couldn’t accommodate due to capacity constraints. A few observations stood out: Some MBA programs have built incredibly strong support systems around recruiting: clear guidance, structured prep, and real institutional backing for their students. Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management particularly stood out for unwavering willingness to help their students succeed. From the conversations with their career team to clarity around timelines, best practices, and other considerations, Kellogg is ten-toes-down for its students For the undergrads, Indiana University - Kelley School of Business students really stood out in hustle. Smart, hard-working, and not afraid to venture out to seek out opportunities. To those who were selected: you earned this. That also means the bar is high. The firm’s program is designed to push you: • to think more clearly • to communicate more precisely • to operate with ownership in real-world environments Show up prepared. Ask thoughtful questions. Support your team. Communicate proactively. Looking forward to seeing what this group accomplishes. Link to study: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=###-###-####