I’m sure this is a post that users have seen a million times so apologies in advance. Generally speaking, I am just trying to gain a sense of how high/low my expectations should be going into a possible transition to IB.
Like most people, I spent 3 years in audit at a Big 4 followed by a few years in transaction advisory at another large firm working on buy- and sell-side diligence. During this time, I have also been working through the CFA Program. Prior to kickstarting my search, I am also planning to take the Breaking into Wall Street modeling course to gain a bit more knowledge in the day to day of what I would likely be doing in an analyst/associate role.
With that being said, what type of firms would realistically at this stage with a similar background? I am assuming the bulge bracket is out of question, but, with such limited exposure to the recruiting process, I was hoping the analyst community could help level my expectations.
It seems reasonable that you could maybe find a boutique IB firm willing to hire you, you’d be a fringe hire and some of it will depend on you being in a good market for boutique IB. Unsure of what your role is in transaction advisory, you might want to focus on working directly in valuation advisory, which may be available internally.
If you aren’t too old and still haven’t done an MBA, it may be worthwhile to consider a full time MBA at a Top 15 school as part of the transition.
I do think in your late 20’s the window is probably closing on entering that field, so you would typically want to make that move by the time you’re 30, but most of what I laid out still applies.
I’d say the chances are low but I’d target the small boutiques that specialize in the industry you focused on during your time in transaction services.
