WSO: Unprofessional Behavior Common in IB?

November 23, 2024

Hey WSO Monkey,

As we head into the holiday, we want to say how thankful we are for this amazing community. Take some time next week to step away from the grind, enjoy good food, and recharge—long hours and spreadsheets can wait.

Wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving in advance!

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Is Unprofessional Behavior Common in IB? - "This behaviour is common place in IB, especially in teams which are known to be “junior-friendly”. A lot of these analysts with their two years of number crunching feel they are know-it-alls and the praise they receive from seniors inflates their ego. With gender quotas, many MBA Associates tend to be green for the first 6 months, these analysts take advantage of the dynamic to shit on them and try to bypass the hierarchy to work directly with VP and above..."

  2. A PE VP's Take on MBAs for PE - "There is a belief that if you were a PE associate at a top MBA, you will have an easy time getting a VP job so it makes sense. This isn't the case. Not only did I have difficulty, but I had several classmates with PE experience graduate unemployed, and most people either took jobs they didn't want that were not as good as their pre-MBA fund, or left PE altogether. My fund actually told me that "they hired me despite my MBA, not because of it". MBA career counselors are not helpful either - their job is to get you a job, not to get you the job you want. So for those of you who are PE associates, my advice is to stay at your fund if you can/want to, and if not then recruit laterally..."

  3. Private Equity vs Poor Liquidity - “Exactly how did PE dealmakers keep value flowing over the long dry spell for exits? It was thanks to a range of ingenious strategies, and a focus on quality over quantity. Hear from a panel of experts from leading PE firms as they explore the inventive strategies that have kept PE deals thriving, maintaining strong valuations despite economic challenges. On-demand webinar available now: The PE quest for liquidity. Watch now.“

  4. Dating Life as a Female Banking Analyst - "Starting this thread as a second-year female banking analyst because I've been curious about what dating life is really like for banking gals in their early 20s. Personally, I'm into dating finance bros (non fboys to be clear). I find associates and above especially attractive - they seem more stable and possibly more interested in something long-term as opposed to one-night stands. That said, I know work-life balance can be tough during the first few years in banking..."

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Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. Anyone Know of People Who Successfully Lateraled to IB/PE from REPE - "I honestly wouldn’t say corporate pe is any more enjoyable or intellectually stimulating than real estate pe. I’ve done both. Terminology is a bit different but the modeling complexity is similar, especially when you’re looking at portfolio deals. Investing is investing and some of the sharpest, most entrepreneurial kids I know opted to pursue real estate over traditional IB or other buyside roles. So, I would question what about your current role you dislike exactly before considering an MBA or lateraling..."

  2. How Is It Remotely Possible to Start a Family Before MD? - "On your first point - that is probably true for some, but I personally have no interest in womanizing. I find my relationship rewarding and I am very grateful to have a support system as I go through the grind years of banking and PE. To counter your second point, female fertility starts degrading in late 20s and more rapidly after 35. If you are interested in having a partner similar age to you, this could potentially be an issue. Nothing wrong dating someone 10 -15 years younger than you, but personally not something I want to do..."

  3. When Did Investment Banking Get So Nerdy? - "Not really any dealmaker vibes - a majority of MDs were rather nerdy, super settled and no flamboyant characters at all. I.e., you'd expect fancy watches/pine stripe suit/ferrari types but actually get dudes in chinos with apple watches talking nothing but work. No big schmoozers/charisma/aura type of guys. In terms of wealth you know they were drastically above average (typically mostly because of a house in nice area + schooling for kids, nice vacation destinations) but nothing out of the super extraordinary in terms of lifestyle..."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • Elon Musk: The Richest Person in History?

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WSO Alpha: Latest Updates 📈

We uploaded the October brokerage report for those of you curious how we did.

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Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

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