BX is slightly better than LAZ, GHL, or EVR for buyside exit ops, IMO.

LAZ has the most established reputation, but that won't really be a factor as most of the people making hiring decisions will know all of them.

Moelis is going to be at the bottom for exit ops. Anyone who says Moelis LA is going to be best, when Moelis is moving most of their operations and almost all their junior staff to NYC, doesn't know what they're talking about.

 

Yeah, but from EVR, one guy recently got several megafund offers including BX PE and SL. Another guy went to Carlyle the year before. Plenty of analysts have gotten into Apax/Warburg Pincus amongst others. One of the top guys (a senior partner I think) at KKR was an analyst at Evercore for what that's worth.

As for BX, it's pretty much the same thing. A few into BX PE, TPG, etc, over the years. Pretty much everyone gets into PE or a HF, if they want to just the same. If it's not one of the megafunds, it's usually at least the PE arm of of one the BBs (think CS' PE group and the like).

Again, it's all pretty much the same for these boutiques. When I was in the position of the poster, I got slightly insane trying to figure out the difference between these firms, but again, it's pretty much minimal in terms of exit ops. Your performance and recs from senior partners at whatever firm you're at by far matter the most.

Hope that helps...

 
king_ari:
you got those offers coming from ut?

he didnt say he had all of them. i know ghl loves texas for some reason.

greenhill would probably give you the best combination of exit ops + good culture. bx is probably the most "prestigious" of them. moelis is worse than the others. evercore and lazard will give you great deal experience but have shitty cultures, especially lazard.

 

i agree that moelis does not belong in the same sentence as the other four.

imo, tier 1 elite boutiques are ghl evercore bx lazard and the tier 2s are centerview pwp and rothschild

rest are not elite... moelis hasn't done a legitimate m&a deal in 2 years... what a joke.. you are not gonna get good experience if the firm is not doing any deals.

in the tier 1 firms, i would personally choose ghl, then evercore, followed by bx and lazard last. ghl has great culture, tremendous deal flow and placement. evercore has arguably the best dealflow out of all of them. you are also a generalist at these two firms. blackstone is super prestigious but doesn't compare to the other 3 in terms of dealflow. they do a lot of buy side advisory for blackstone pe. lazard has horrible culture, and you will join an industry group with in my opinion defeats the purpose of a boutique analyst experience.

best of luck.

 

MBB and BB will usually have better exit opps over elite boutiques due to brand name alone. In general, MBB tend to go into industry or PE and BB generally goes to HF or PE.

Then there's the fact that a lot of people from MBB/BB just burn out eventually and start their own business or move into unrelated fields to finally spend their cash and enjoy life ;)

 
ekudfoekud:
Riffs, Moelis/Evercore/Lazard place a lot better than Credit Suisse, DB, Citi, Barclays, etc.

I agree that certain boutiques definitely do, and to be honest if I were a banker I think I'd rather work at Lazard/Evercore than any BB. However, boutique banks in a general sense would probably not place better than BB's I would assume, outside of a handful (including those you listed).

Ultimately it really just depends on who you know though anyway heh

 

LAZ places very well, but it's tough to say that they place up there with GS and MS (as you know... those are the two "best" banks in the world). I'd say Evercore is another step below Lazard in terms of placement (from what I've seen), but without question the lifestyle would be better at Evercore (the one person i spoke to who was an analyst there like it... whereas all 4-5 people I know well who worked at Lazard said they worked 100 hours every single week for 2 years). If you've got an offer at Citi or CS I'd take that over any of those boutiques though... generally speaking

disclaimer: Everything above is somewhat arbitrary... but I think you'll find others on this board agree that if they had to make an arbitrary claim about this they'd make similar claims

 
International Pymp:
LAZ places very well, but it's tough to say that they place up there with GS and MS (as you know... those are the two "best" banks in the world). I'd say Evercore is another step below Lazard in terms of placement (from what I've seen), but without question the lifestyle would be better at Evercore (the one person i spoke to who was an analyst there like it... whereas all 4-5 people I know well who worked at Lazard said they worked 100 hours every single week for 2 years). If you've got an offer at Citi or CS I'd take that over any of those boutiques though... generally speaking

disclaimer: Everything above is somewhat arbitrary... but I think you'll find others on this board agree that if they had to make an arbitrary claim about this they'd make similar claims

Really appreciate the feedback. Interesting about the preference for Citi or CS though.. as I've heard that Lazard or Evercore are definitely the way to go compared to any BB besides GS or some parts of MS. However, this is just from my friends, so definitely nice to get your opinion. Would be great to hear from people who have first hand knowledge on where analysts from LAZ or EVR placed this year.

 

^that's very silly advice. To say that Evercore has better exit ops than Citi M&A or CS Sponsors or another top group at one of these BBs is actually ludicrous. I mean, I think that's just a lot of college kids who are starting at Evercore next summer trying to tell you that. I think you've got a better argument with Lazard or Blackstone IB, but still...

If you anywhere outside the U.S. or maybe London no one has every heard of Evercore, Moelis, etc... that's one thing to keep in mind.

 

If I were in college, I would have chosen Citi M&A or CS Sponsors over LAZ/EVR/Moelis/GHL because brand recognition was very important factor. But now, after 2yrs of banking and going through the PE recruiting process, I know boutiques really do much better than BBs. Other than GS TMT/MS M&A/few other top BB groups, boutiques do better at placement, % wise. And you know, each BB has ~100 people in their class. It's much easier to stand out among 10~15 people than 100.

In terms of this year's placement, I've heard BX Restructuring and Moelis killed it. Surprisingly, LAZ not so well. Not sure about other boutiques

 
Walkerr:
^ How come they place better? I would actually prefer to work at one of the top boutiques so i'm interested in hearing why they do better than BB's.

It's pretty simple. Every analyst working at boutiques is going to be contacted by the recruiters, because boutiques have small class (and all generalists, no separation). On the other hand, BB has 60~100 people per class. It's just too much to handle. They are only going to pick few guys from the groups that they have been working with. So lots of analysts at BB won't even get a call from the recruiters.

In terms of the modeling test, although it's very straightforward, I saw many analysts from industry groups without solid understanding of model/finance/transaction, having hard time to pass. Yes, each bank has different structures and execute deals within the house, but in general speaking.

I think (totally biased) there are about 100 analysts from elite boutiques vs ~800 BB. If megafunds hire 1 out of 4 or 1 out of 5 from boutiques (which I think is totally conservative assumption), I think it gives you the answer.

 
StandingOvation:
ATT deal was all Greenhill. EVR came in the last week for Altman's regulatory experience.

Do you have a source for this? Would be interested to read about that. Also, I believe the reason that GS wasn't on this deal is because they're advising Sprint on their options, though I can't remember where I heard that.

 

Are people here actually involved in recruiting / in touch with the composition of pre-MBA associate classes at the largest funds? Here's how the recruiters and firms look at the banks:

(CS Sponsors = BarCap NatRes = Citi M&A) > (Evercore = Lazard = Moelis) > (Greenhill = BAML M&A = CS M&A) > hodgepodge of all other groups

This is all indicative, though. I've seen kids who had a great degree (i.e. Wharton), worked at pidgeonholey groups and ended up at megafunds. Bank is only one factor.

 

This probably isn't going to help you much, but frankly, whether you're coming from GS, BarCap, Evercore, Moelis, Greenhill.... at the end of the day, your experience and personality fit will carry the day. I've hired guys from William Blair and Houlihan over guys from GS and MS.

Remember, PE recruitment isn't like IB recruitment. It's not like banking where you have your campus candidates and then the different IB groups essentially have to choose who they like from the available pool that came through HR. We (PE) can be and are extremely picky.

Also, we come from diverse backgrounds and unlike bankers, we don't keep track of league tables. To me, many of the banks people are listing here are interchangeable and a candidate with any of them would impress me equally. What would matter more to me is the industry focus and the deal experience.

 

I'm interested in similar things, more aligned to BB though... I think generally it is less structured than in the US. Less firms want to chuck out out after 2/3 years like in US and so you don't have MD's or the bank trying to bat for you, and so exits are more down to individual than bank. Just my 2 cents but I could be wrong. Any more insight appreciated.

 

It all depends on the BB and the EB in my opinion... And even more on the group. A bad group in a lower-tier BB will not be as good as a top group in a EB... And inversely. As long as you are in a BB or a EB I still think that you get good exits in London. Though don't expect to go to a MegaFund easily if you don't come from the top shops

 
Utexas11:
I do go to UT, and all my offers are for NYC. Thanks for your help guys!

Firstly, congrats on the offers

Secondly, are you a Texas BBA in finance or part of the Texas Master in Professional Accounting program?

Thirdly, how did you manage to get those offers in NYC? I know UT is a big feeder into Houston IB but didn't think they placed that many in NYC.

 
Pedo_Bear:
Utexas11:
I do go to UT, and all my offers are for NYC. Thanks for your help guys!

Firstly, congrats on the offers

Secondly, are you a Texas BBA in finance or part of the Texas Master in Professional Accounting program?

Thirdly, how did you manage to get those offers in NYC? I know UT is a big feeder into Houston IB but didn't think they placed that many in NYC.

Yup, I was wondering the same thing. I have a friend that I just had lunch with that graduated from UT, now at Simmons, said that UT students do not get opps in NY.

 

You know if you weren't a bro-hating, anti-lax, GDI hipster.

Best of luck,

laxBrah4life

String

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 
Pedo_Bear:
Utexas11:
What do I have to gain by lying to people I have never met?

I never claimed you were lying- I am genuinely curious about your situation.

If you could, answer my questions when you get the chance.

cheers

Lazard and Greenhill definitely recruit at TX for the NYC. I know several people in the office and have interviewed in the past with them.

Also... FTPiper most likely attended a school that doesn't have anything remotely close to a reputable sports program. I'd also put good money down that he unsuccessfully tried his little heart out to land a piece of poontang from the collegiate swamp donkeys gracing his proud campus.

Mack Brown for President

 

AquaVermin, bummer your thread hasn't had a response yet. Maybe one of these threads could point you in the right direction:

  • From Private Equity Associate to VP in Private Equity syndrome? Not quite, private equity is pretty awesome by most standards; that's why becoming a private ... is far, far more difficult than investment banking. In order to get into private equity, it's ... boutique, the headhunters will begin reaching out to you in October / November. You do not need to email ...
  • Investment Banking Analyst: A True Day in the Life analysts from a specific elite boutique might fare better for specific private equity firms. But, in the ... resume is one of the greater appeals of working for bulge bracket or elite boutique. Boutique exit opps ... aren't as good. It'll be tougher to break into private equity, hedge
  • Boutique PE vs. Private Capital advisory at an Elite Boutique private equity private capital advisory ...
  • Elite Boutique Investment Banks firms do not represent all elite boutique investment banks. However, we went ahead and ranked these ... will happen post-PJT Elite Boutique Investment Banks So who is the best? The term Elite Boutique ... these categories are termed Elite Boutiques. You may have good deal flow at Lazard but you would have to ...
  • Exit-Ops: Equity Research vs. Investment Banking- (A Definitive Guide, Part 2) Research Analysts currently in private equity. However, that said, I did get two private equity interviews ... a few resumes to private equity shops. As my experience showed, it's not likely that you'll ... worked in both areas, I wanted to touch on ER vs. IB exit-ops similar to my Work/Life balance post. ...
  • Private Equity/Hedge Funds based in Seattle? whether there are any strong exit opportunities in Seattle (what industry, what firms, etc), or if ... opportunities will be mostly limited to LA and SF. Ideally, I would love to live in Seattle, but I'm not ... sure if it's a strong option based on what I want to do. Thanks in advance for any information! ...
  • Investment Banking to Private Equity- 6 Things You Should Know industry. There might not be another time in your career where you can essentially exit a job and do almost ... content from 2016, this one ranks #47 with 25 silver bananas. IBD PE PE Recruiting private equity banking ... 1. Why not just try to start with a PE firm? There are PE firms that hire juniors out of ...
  • More suggestions...

If we're lucky, maybe I can guilt some users to help you out: Michael-Pang1 watdo @pubfinanalyst"

Fingers crossed that one of those helps you.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

seriously, what is the big deal about moelis? their ny class had very average placement, and they have no m&a dealflow whatsoever. i have asked for someone on this board to name a few deals they worked on in 2009 and no one has stepped up... they have a few restructuring mandates but that skillset is limited and only complementary to the m&a skillset unless someone is focused on doing distressed debt related work later on..

the analysts there i've spoken to are absolutely miserable.... they hired ALOT of people recently and the workload there do not justify the hiring. plus the internal strife there is very bad. their ex head of healthcare, rick langarden, left for barclays less than a year after joining the firm because they weren't seeing any action... so what's so elite about moelis?

 

FYI, Moelis had a couple of large transactions earlier on right after its founding, but its recent deal activity has been TINY. There are a lot of shitty no name boutiques out there that could trump Moelis' deal volume/size over the past year. Again, it's just a bunch of high school kids on this forum following each other around blindly.

 
theTRUTH:
Utexas11,

So you say you have offers from some of those places...

I know for a fact you do not have an offer from Evercore or Greenhill in NYC.

Blackstone did not recruit at UT this year. Lazard houston recruits at UT, not NYC. Moelis has never recruited from UT.

So quit wasting peoples time on this forum and stop being Jeffrey Chiang Jr. and making kids from UT look like idiots.

I told you so.

 
Best Response
1styearBanker:
theTRUTH:
Utexas11,

So you say you have offers from some of those places...

I know for a fact you do not have an offer from Evercore or Greenhill in NYC.

Blackstone did not recruit at UT this year. Lazard houston recruits at UT, not NYC. Moelis has never recruited from UT.

So quit wasting peoples time on this forum and stop being Jeffrey Chiang Jr. and making kids from UT look like idiots.

I told you so.

I can confirm everything theTRUTH said. I know the people who Evercore offered didn't post this. BX, LAZ NY, and Moelis did not recruit at UT this year.

The only offer this person could have would be Greenhill, and I know who the only person Greenhill offered at UT is. So, unless you are that person, you are a liar. If you are that person, I know this is the only offer you, miraculously, got. Don't worry about PE megafund exits. You won't even be getting a FT offer after the summer. How you got this offer? Nobody knows. It truly is a miracle.

 

theTRUTH is correct. I happen to know every person from UT who got offers at these places and none of them got more than one/wrote this post. So Utexas11 is obviously lying. He/She probably doesn't even go to Texas.

 

When I went through SA recruiting last year (at UT), Jeffries, HSBC, EVR (Restructuring group), GHL, Citi, and Imperial Capital were the only ones that came on campus looking for New York.

For FT, I think JEF, EVR and GHL came and maybe another boutique.

All the other banks were for Houston only. The people who got offers from other banks/botiques in NY bypassed OCR and went through their networks.

 

Moelis NYC is sending kids to Apollo, KKR, and TPG.

Moelis LA is sending analysts to TPG, Silver Lake, Carlyle, and KKR.

I agree that some other elite boutiques have worked on bigger name deals but the amount you learn as an analyst and the skill set that you develop are based on a variety of factors such as the amount of responsibility you are expected to assume, the amount of live deals you are on at a single time, and senior mentorship.

I also agree that Moelis LA is unique in that it has a very insular, high-performing culture. However, as shown by the Moelis NYC placement into 3 megafunds - Moelis NYC analysts are also being well-trained.

I think the argument for Moelis is that the analyst experience there is of very high caliber, not necessarily that the firm itself is high caliber yet.

 

Everyone is saying BX - that suprises me - their name is in PE, not advisory

If I were you I would go with Greenhil/Evercore/Moelis as my top choice and go with Lazard as a second

Also - the obsession on this site with "Mega" shops is interesting - while these names are great and may provide you with a better ability to start your own fund in the future (resume building) but you will learn MUCH more at a solid middle market shop if you want to do pure LBO PE....

If you want to do more market focused things on the investment side you go to Apollo - there is no one else that is as good at those types of this in the "big boy world" (leveraged fixed income investments)

Even though the poster is obviously a fraud it is an interesting discussion around which one of these shops gives you the best options - IMO all good names and you can't go wrong

 
manhattan:
There are no Moelis kids at KKR (in ANY office) as of now. Did they just accept an offer for July 2010 start? No Moelis kids in the 2009 associate class

dude, moelis was just created a couple years ago, thus the 1st year entering class back then would be starting their PE gig in the latter of this year. and these guys have soem amazing work exp. with the largest deals of 2008..

 
tushar707:
Hey guys,

Hypothetically speaking lets say I am working at Moelis this summer. Do you think if I want to move to a bulge bracket or to another firm that will be possible at all? Or not really and they will look at Moelis name and laugh me out of the room.

They may look at your name and laugh you out the room. Also, your post tells me you don't have an offer and have never worked in banking. I can probably tell why, you seem a little low on confidence. Make your own rules kid, if some kid tells you can't do X, Y or Z, would you really not try???. If you believe the college kids on here, no one without a 3.7+ from an elite target like Wharton can get into GS TMT, MS M&A, GHL, LAZ etc kind of places. ALL this is BS. 90% of these posters haven't stepped inside an investment bank. Getting a job is all about your intelligence, knowledge, motivation and personality. If I say you are fucked, Firm X will never take you.....will you go back and not do shit? Stop worrying about what people here say.

Original Question: Depends on the person, I have seen people go from no-name shops to MS, GS FT. Why so insecure? Get a job and then come back and ask questions.

 

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