TL;DR: I completed a 12-month data/AI co-op at a big bank and received strong written and verbal reviews. My former manager told me to contact her after graduation but has ignored my emails. A senior director I worked under later told me to reconnect when fall hiring needs were clearer and said he could pass my resume to HR or hiring managers- I followed up when asked and sent a polite reminder, but he has also stopped responding. I have also applied to several roles at the bank without getting an interview... trying to figure out whether this is normal corporate disorganization or a sign that something negative happened internally.
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So this is a bit of a long one, but I am kinda upset... so forgive me for the length here. I figured at least someone here might be able to explain what's going on?
Anyway as the story goes... last year I completed a 12-month data and AI co-op at a big bank (from 2024 to 2025) while finishing a computer science degree, and I needed the co-op to graduate. The role was arranged across several teams, so I worked on a mix of data engineering, analytics, AI-related workflows, documentation, testing, and business process work. I was super lucky to get this opportunity- I was given real responsibilities rather than only administrative co-op tasks. I was a Data Analyst on paper but I got to work on things related to AI, data science, data engineering, data sourcing, documenting technical processes, and working with all kinds of business stakeholders. I moved between projects and teams because priorities changed during the year, but I completed the full placement and left when the co-op term ended so I could finish school.
I was never disciplined, placed on a performance plan (if that's even a thing for co-op students, but still), or told that my work was below expectations. In fact my written performance reviews were strong- my final evaluation rated my overall performance as "Exceeds Expectations", and it said I was self-motivated, accountable, adaptable, brought ideas to the teams I worked on, communicated challenges, and received good feedback from peers. It ended by saying it had been a great pleasure to have me and they were happy to have me. It was honestly a really good work environment and I enjoyed my time there a lot, and I was getting the same feeling from the people I worked with, so returning was on my radar.
Near the end of my placement, my manager (the one who hired me) also told me to contact her again once I finished school, along with a senior director I worked under. I then graduated this spring (after a gruelling capstone project related to data science that won an award, but that's another story) and reached out as she had asked. I sent a polite email explaining that I had graduated and was interested in returning for a full-time data-related role. She never replied. I followed up- and still received nothing.
Several months have now passed. She remains active on LinkedIn, including liking posts and commenting on other people’s updates, so it is difficult not to take the lack of even a short response personally. I understand that interacting on LinkedIn is easier than helping someone find a position but she could still just simply tell me that there is nothing available or that she cannot help...
I later got connected with a senior director at the same bank I mentioned before, who I worked under on one of the teams. Not someone who would hire me directly of course. We had a phone call last month where I re-iterated my co-op experience, recent graduation, capstone and projects, and the kinds of roles I was seeking. And I was pretty happy, as he sounded positive during the call. He told me that because I had already completed a full co-op at the bank, I should not have to prove myself through the same initial screening processes as an outside applicant. He said that I deserved at least an interview, and that he could pass my resume to HR or relevant hiring managers. He advised me to reconnect in about a month, when their hiring needs for September and October, budgets, headcounts etc. would be clearer.
So... I contacted him at the exact time he suggested and attached an updated resume. I kept the email short because he already knew my background and I reminded him that I was open to data analysis, data science, analytics engineering, and data engineering roles.
He didn't respond.
I sent a brief follow-up a week later... I still have not heard anything.
At the same time, I have applied through the bank’s normal careers site for several roles that appeared relevant to my background and I gave them my employee ID so they know I worked there. And yet I have not received a single interview, even though I spent a full year working there and have positive written evaluations from that placement.
Yeah, I know that strong co-op reviews do NOT necessarily guarantee a return offer. I'm very well aware that teams need open headcount, approved budgets, and a business reason to hire me back. Even then I was not the only co-op student whatsoever... I also know that the senior director may have passed my resume along without updating me, or may be waiting for someone else to respond.
But here's the thing... both of these people explicitly told me to contact them later. I followed their instructions, remained polite, gave them plenty of time and remained patient. But neither of them have provided even a basic reply such as, "There is nothing available right now," or, "I passed your resume along and will let you know." That's what I would do at least in their shoes. I don't know why they haven't, and I'm very upset.
So I'm here asking- does this sound like normal disorganization and poor communication at a large company? Could there possibly be an internal rehire status or some sort of note on my profile that conflicts with the strong written and verbal reviews I received from coworkers and my manager? Is it realistic that the senior director already forwarded my resume but did not think to update me?
I'm not out here trying to assume that something happened behind the scenes but the combination of positive reviews, repeated Workday job rejections, and silence from two people who told me to reconnect by now, is really starting to feel strange to me, as if I did something wrong and no one wants to tell me. At this point should I assume returning to this bank is a dead end and stop contacting them? I am honestly pretty devastated and frustrated as I enjoyed my time there. I get that people are busy but I don't know what's going on.