Breaking into AM from M&A

Dear All,

after working 6 months at a top BB als M&A analyst I am really troubled by the long working hours there and considering changing my career to a more work-life-balanced sector this summer (when I have completed my first year), among which AM.

Do you think it is difficult to jump from the sell-side to buyside at that early stage? And what is the best strategy to pitch myself?

Many thanks in advance!

6 Comments
 
Best Response

For two people in AM and M&A at top BBs you guys don't seem to exhibit extraordinary attention to detail... but I'm going to look past that for now.

Answering the OP's question - I think after one year it will be very possible for you to switch to a role within AM somewhere if that's what you want to do. Particularly since you probably also have a very good academic background if you got into a top M&A group. The other way around is more challenging... at least from what I've heard. I know of at least one concrete example of someone who was in the Industrials coverage/M&A group and switched to AM after 8 months. She told her bosses she didn't like the style of work and all the pressure, but she still liked finance, blah, blah, blah... and she got transfered within her bank to AM without too much struggle.

 

Hi International Pymp, thanks a lot for your reply. I am not pretty sure about the second alternative, as I think it put you role at risk if the seniors are not supportive about your idea and you have to live with the title of "uncommitment". I would rather try external options first and leverage them to get a better offer from my bank, if possible. How do you think?

 

Yeah... I'm not saying you should go to your superiors... that's what she did, but you don't want to do that unless it's a last resort. No need to piss them off incase you end up staying. My point was that M&A analysts are high quality talent and they can get jobs elsewhere... good luck.

 

What size AM firm do you want to go to? You could easily get a job at a boutique type place (~5-10b) as a lot of those places are treated like back up plans for guys that really want M&A in the first place.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Ut quod maxime doloribus porro. Ex qui inventore sapiente rem vitae iure dignissimos. Rerum ea voluptatem ea libero distinctio debitis eos. Quam recusandae quibusdam dolor facilis blanditiis. Optio nihil doloremque nemo labore iusto.

Maxime nihil aut molestias inventore eum. Temporibus aperiam itaque mollitia dolores cumque in. Numquam corporis laboriosam aut non laudantium ratione voluptatem.

Corporis quae ullam tempore eum ipsa ut. Voluptatem eligendi sed et explicabo atque. Repudiandae vero voluptatem ut commodi sed iure beatae. Aspernatur magnam dolor quia numquam aut. Minima architecto minima sint ut. Libero voluptatem mollitia et at aperiam.

Omnis eveniet dicta aut. Porro in atque qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”