Q&A with Flake, “Don’t waste your time and energy in a back office role.”

How do I even begin to introduce Flake? More than anything else, Flake is really here for our enjoyment. Sure, maybe Flake is not as helpful as the legendary CompBanker, but that does not mean he is undeserving a Q&A. Within our interview, there are some real, solid lessons about the realities of networking from the back office to score an elusive FO role. Give the man props, because the BO-to-FO move is the epitome of doing the non-target hustle.

Although Flake has previously done an equity research focused Q&A, I wanted to sit down with him to discuss his back-office transition and his feelings about his current ER role. In this Q&A, Flake discusses his background, how to internally network from the back office, and the qualities of a successfully ER associate.

Please, enjoy, and make sure to look out for more of my Q&A’s with our more experienced users.


MF: Let's talk about your background, education, etc. - where did you come from? How did you get your initial Back Office job? What makes you special?

Flake: I went to a non-target state school, and graduated in 2009. How non-target? Well, a few weeks ago I had a meeting with a CEO of one of the companies under my coverage and he asked what school I attended (he was a Wharton UG and MBA man himself). I had to look at the floor, kick around a bit, and mutter the name under my breath.

Where did I come from? Russia, over a decade ago.

I had two summer analyst interviews for my junior year, one was an operations position at the BB that I currently work at, and the other was Blackrock PAG. Looking back, I realize neither of those was great, but I was ecstatic to receive the offers. Given that I was clueless back then, I made my decision based on brand name (I didn’t even know what in the world Blackrock was, seriously).

I thought I was the shit. I thought, “This is it, this is that Finance job that everyone keeps talking about.” I was proud of myself for not even trying and getting those. At $55,000 a year and $10,000 bonus at signing I figured I was well on my way of hitting that $100,000 by 30 goal (seriously, again). If I knew myself back then, I would have slapped the sh*t out of that kid.

What makes me special? The helmet, I guess.

-

MF: How did you know you wanted to work in equity research, if anything?

Flake: I didn’t know I wanted ER until I received my full-time offer at the end of my BB ops summer gig. After doing mindless shit for 10 weeks straight, it finally hit me that there are different divisions within the bank. I realized that operations was not what I wanted and it was definitely not “it”. I still signed the offer given the circumstances.

It was Fall ’08, I believe, and firms were cancelling OCR interviews at the time. I picked up the pace a bit during my senior year and came up with a master plan: 1) work in my BO job at 25% capacity, 2) spend the other 75% learning everything there is to learn about ER and IBD (my passion for both was a result of taking a couple of corporate finance classes during senior year), 3)???, and finally, 4) transition to ER or IB. More on this later…

After reading maybe 4-5 different books on investment banking, becoming addicted to WSJ and Barron’s, and speaking briefly to an ER associate who I met randomly- I knew what I wanted to do.

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MF: Are you an analyst or associate?

Flake: As you may know, an analyst is more senior than an associate in a sell-side ER hierarchy. This is an external structure that we use for clients, reports, etc. Internally, we still follow the whole Analyst>Associate>VP>Director>MD structure. So my corporate/internal title is a 1st year Associate. Previously, I was an analyst for 2 years (split evenly between ER and BO).

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MF: You mentioned that you networked your way to an FO associate job (granted some of it was sheer luck)... how would you recommend going about internally networking? What did you learn from your experience of almost getting the boot from networking a little too hard?

Flake: With networking, just be normal. I didn’t want to come off as some try-hard desperate brown-noser, and at the same time I didn’t want to come off self-entitled and cocky. Just be modest, be curious (bi-curious if that’s your thing), ask good questions, let the person talk about himself or herself, and just be able to shoot the sh*t with the person if it comes to that.

Despite my short career and my inexperience, I am still contacted by random people who want to “network” with me. Sure, I meet them. We talk, or try to. Some of them try so hard you can smell their bullshit from a mile away. The others say shit like “so my main concern is that ER is all about writing and modeling, I just don’t want to be stuck looking at an excel sheet all day”. Yes, valid question, but you don’t have to sound like a dick when phrasing it.

You can find my detailed BO to FO story in that Q&A thread I started in December. What I learned: if you want something, you go and get it. All good things require sacrifices; otherwise they are called hand-outs (occupy my ass). If I could go back to the BO, I would do the exact same thing.

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MF: Talk to us about how to use a company directory?

Flake: Using the directory should be easy. I don’t know how it works at other firms, but I can filter mine by division, title, team, etc, which made it relatively easy to find the people you wanted. The one thing I fucked up on was cold emailing a tech analyst in SF, asking him to grab lunch/coffee. I’m in New York. So just pay attention. When you’re excited to email someone you can make a dumb mistake like that.

Lastly, if ER is your thing, you should have access to your bank’s research reports. Form your questions around those notes when emailing an analyst or an associate. Don’t ask obvious sh*t either; get a little creative with it to show that you are knowledgeable and interested in that sector. Otherwise, I will just attach a copy of my report and tell you to “look on page 3.”

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MF: What is more important, a superior technical knowledge or superior amicable personality?

Flake: I would never isolate one of those and say that’s the most important. It is a mix of both…also sex appeal helps. For example, I would attribute 90% of my ER transition to my handsomeness. But seriously, you do need both though.

Technical:

1) Helps instill confidence in your clients and establish your credibility as a reliable source of information 2) Having something like the CFA charter should help with your potential move to the buy side 3) Knowing your sh*t will also make your analyst more comfortable with giving you greater responsibility. Your analyst has to be confident in your analysis and at some point the analyst shouldn’t feel like he or she needs to hold your hand.

Amicable personality:

1) ER analysts are not anti-social and they are not geeks or nerds or whatever I’ve seen thrown around occasionally 2) you need be personable when interacting with big institutional accounts and c-level executives of the industry that you cover.

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MF: What grinds your gears the most when it comes to daily interaction with people (be it supervisors or subordinates)?

Flake: I don’t like people who act self-entitled. I don’t like anyone who constantly argues and tries to convince you they are right, even though they have been wrong the previous 10 times in a row. I don’t like people who get offended easily or can’t handle constructive criticism. I like modesty. I like someone I can grab a drink with and talk about anything, including WORK. Yes, work. Just because you hate your job doesn’t mean I hate mine and should shy away from discussing it in a social setting.

I have one subordinate, if you will; he is a “research assistant”. The thing I hate about him is his lack of attention to detail and his inability to take ownership of what I tell him to do. I feel like he does shit just to finish it, he doesn’t care about the end result and everything he hands over to me is sloppy.

My boss on the other hand, is exactly the type of person I just described. I can talk to him about anything and everything. He is easy-going but he can be strict and he can be a dick if the timing is right and shit needs to get done. That’s what I usually look for in a man.

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MF: You're one of the people that transitioned from Operations to the Front Office, what advice would you give someone who is trying to do the same thing?

Flake: I may be biased, but don’t waste your time and energy on excelling in your back office or middle office role if your goal is to move as soon as possible. If you are one of those people that thinks your current boss in BO/MO will “refer” you to that banking MD if you work your ass off, you are kind of wrong. That shit doesn’t happen.

Focus on networking and studying (be it for the CFA, GMAT, or just reading relevant books/news). Don’t spend too much time working there. If you are still in a back office role two years after you graduated it is time to pack your stuff and go to business school…that’s just my opinion of course.

What I do now is not related to my BO position at all.

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MF: What is the most positive part of ER and what is the most negative?

Flake: I discussed most of this in my Q&A thread as well.

My favorite part is that it’s not all grunt work. Even when a client uses me for informational purposes and doesn’t really care about my Buy/Sell/Hold rating (no one does really), I still feel like my opinion is valued and sought after. Every time I hear “Thanks for your time and insight, Flake, very helpful” I get a kick out of that.

When was the last time someone who’s twice your age, who is making probably 15-20x of what you make a year, and who is managing billions of dollars, thanked you for your “insight” or your “time?”

What’s the most negative thing about my job? They could pay me more money.

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MF: What are some basic qualities specifically needed to be successful at an ER job?

Flake: Confidence. Attention to detail. You must have a passion for your sector and the markets (otherwise you’re just bored). Have the ability to write well, and being selectively direct and concise (not my best quality).

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MF: Will you be attending the WSO conference?

Flake: I have my ticket to the WSO conference. I don’t know what I’m doing yet, I might dedicate that Saturday to a catnap.

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MF: Why do you feel like it is important to give back in the realm of solid advice to the WSO community?

Flake: I didn’t even know WSO existed before I started in ER… so I really don’t have anyone here to thank for anything. I never even thought of going on an Internet forum to seek advice on my career or networking, but I sure wish I did. It would have made my transition a lot easier, and more importantly; I would not have felt like I was the only one trying to take that leap. Also, I would like to give back occasionally in return for Patrick letting me troll WSO 90% of the time.

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MF: I usually open up the end of the Q&A to say anything you may wish (just be nice).

Flake: I just want to give a few shout outs to the people who keep me entertained on WSO:

Nouveau Richie, shorttheworld, heister, Determined, Whiskey5, duffmt6, ekimlacks, WellPlayed, Midas Mulligan Magoo (RIP), swagon, TonyPerkis, malvvar, rothyman, and ah. If I forgot someone, I’m not sorry.


Check my past Q&A’s:

Heister (HF)- My Total Worth is North of $50 Million

Patrick Curtis (PE, WSO Founder) Part 1 Patrick Curtis (PE, WSO Founder) Part 2

CompBanker (PE) Part 1 CompBanker (PE) Part 2

64 Comments
 

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“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 

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I don't accept sacrifices and I don't make them. ... If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the pain of the other, there better be no trade at all. A trade by which one gains and the other loses is a fraud.
 

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Array
 

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I eat success for breakfast...with skim milk
 

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WSO Content & Social Media. Follow us: Linkedin, IG, Facebook, Twitter.
 

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You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

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Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

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I eat success for breakfast...with skim milk
 

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"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 

Possimus itaque tenetur quia odio ut. Laboriosam sapiente qui beatae possimus veniam. Vel quam quo dolorem ex qui nemo. Doloribus rerum ducimus aut doloremque.

Aut quasi praesentium non consequatur cum. Repellat veritatis ut pariatur perferendis. Doloribus suscipit et eos repudiandae ad. Aperiam a et voluptatem repellat adipisci nobis natus aut. Ipsam ut excepturi autem autem voluptatem.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

Voluptas quaerat in sapiente consectetur eligendi. Optio id cum commodi quo consequatur occaecati aut repellat. Ex veritatis voluptatibus ea blanditiis est alias. Nisi ea dolores necessitatibus ut itaque. Nam veritatis iure commodi corrupti itaque. Et vel placeat in quae pariatur ut.

Repellendus explicabo magni quia sequi eum et blanditiis. Natus est commodi ullam provident sit sit magnam. Rem molestiae praesentium delectus qui.

Est laboriosam saepe quos. Quam assumenda fuga iusto culpa debitis. Cum non rerum similique itaque illo illo. Sint laborum aut totam aut voluptates. Voluptates ratione hic culpa.

Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

Et eum eos eveniet dolorem quas mollitia aliquam fugit. Ut reiciendis corporis ducimus quia et non tenetur. Voluptas libero mollitia dolores dicta.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

Doloribus vitae dolore omnis asperiores inventore voluptates. Enim numquam qui adipisci nostrum. Voluptatem non at nisi nisi voluptatum rem itaque. Voluptas aperiam autem accusantium. Dolorem fugiat necessitatibus ut dolores et vitae. Error tempore rerum officiis inventore.

Tenetur maiores itaque aut eveniet quos molestiae fugit. Consequatur fugiat atque incidunt. Dicta fugit praesentium omnis ab suscipit non. Eligendi laudantium a omnis voluptatum veritatis voluptatem quod corrupti. Voluptatem id ut facere earum quibusdam eius recusandae adipisci. Ab est sed iusto quasi ullam.

Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

Velit inventore beatae blanditiis quia et quis. Porro sunt ipsam ipsum nihil qui earum rerum. Neque eum quis atque reiciendis voluptas perspiciatis similique. Aut impedit eius alias asperiores. Deleniti et optio ut explicabo ducimus quo fuga. Pariatur quae a distinctio quis. Quia doloremque quidem ut alias consequatur officia nihil.

Eaque et beatae illo aliquam similique in repellendus. Et sunt quia perferendis amet.

Quidem omnis quae voluptatem. Ut totam quo a aspernatur.

Nemo in voluptas sapiente ea quisquam. Nihil ullam voluptatem autem provident. Reiciendis quo quasi eius dolor recusandae veniam.

Power and Money do not change men; they only unmask them
 

Et rem dolorem omnis rerum sed. Ea rerum sed voluptatem voluptatem. Cumque earum hic illo consequatur. Harum tempore exercitationem qui laudantium dolor harum ut.

Explicabo ex nihil sint eius est iure. Saepe quisquam consequatur voluptas aut laboriosam eum beatae in. Repellendus dolores omnis consequatur perferendis. Optio explicabo ratione non animi dolore voluptatem optio. Qui quo dolorum dolorem ullam voluptates architecto a. Natus eum quibusdam molestiae nobis autem facilis nemo.

 

Quam sint odio est animi. Vero temporibus iste error eos non et.

Temporibus officiis dicta cupiditate voluptatibus voluptas. Voluptas dolorum voluptas et rem tempora. Praesentium cumque accusantium aut quisquam minima doloribus dolores. Quod sapiente eveniet minus non voluptatem.

Quod sed ea fugit rerum enim. Eum vitae debitis sint voluptas.

Ut est tempore molestias laboriosam enim. Iste rem vel veritatis expedita voluptatem.

Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

Quis ut esse qui asperiores aut exercitationem. Vel ipsam eum officiis tempora blanditiis iure repellendus. Voluptatum culpa est quasi ut dolorum velit laborum. Voluptatum sunt nisi debitis consectetur modi ipsum. Delectus voluptas error eos autem quia ut quis. Numquam fugiat quis amet nam reprehenderit hic autem.

Ullam minus rerum cum itaque et sed sunt. Eum molestias culpa ex qui molestias. Error est explicabo qui maxime est porro. Possimus id in debitis omnis dolorum non iure. Quo dolorem perspiciatis ut voluptatem qui quod ab. Nostrum tenetur et inventore ipsa.

Et consequatur in error numquam quia. Consequatur praesentium quae culpa culpa sed sequi culpa eum. Et sint ut laborum id impedit dolor.

 

Non nam eaque sunt sed vitae. Eos ipsum exercitationem vero explicabo autem enim. Quia ea ea voluptates repellat beatae in ut. Doloribus reprehenderit ex error qui harum debitis.

Quia impedit enim incidunt aperiam magnam iusto. A tempora tempora est qui sunt.

Autem minima eveniet illo. Rerum aut explicabo sunt sequi optio illo. Aut placeat autem odit.

Quas dolor illum et. Veniam in quia inventore sit. Quis sunt dolores distinctio optio blanditiis ea nihil.

 

Eum fugiat et commodi aut ad quia suscipit. Ipsum quo iusto laborum eos non voluptas. Molestias aliquid nihil perferendis fuga. Placeat distinctio corporis occaecati quia asperiores porro voluptatum.

Voluptate voluptatem sunt doloremque deleniti et ut. Sunt aut ex dicta consequatur. Deleniti facilis consequatur aspernatur ipsam.

Dolore id dolorum sed eum vitae voluptatem sed et. Tenetur consequatur aut hic. Praesentium saepe sit velit quibusdam qui.

Repudiandae dicta eos molestiae voluptate sed qui qui. Earum et dignissimos beatae occaecati adipisci et accusamus. Debitis harum soluta voluptatem dolorum et.

 

Cum sit facere cupiditate velit inventore. Deleniti ut et veniam tenetur. Culpa vitae dolores aut ea.

Velit assumenda voluptas et dolores vitae. Dignissimos velit laboriosam unde enim explicabo optio asperiores facilis. Id alias neque aliquam. Nam adipisci velit placeat possimus magnam neque ea.

Ducimus natus est similique nihil ut nisi autem. Ipsa est aut molestias. Vel minima accusantium molestiae ipsum. Necessitatibus nihil fugit voluptas illo aut. Quo quis nihil veniam repellat. Ex quo aut a quisquam ex vero dolores.

Praesentium et laborum non ut. Saepe debitis dolor quis atque aperiam soluta nostrum.

Under my tutelage, you will grow from boys to men. From men into gladiators. And from gladiators into SWANSONS.
 

Et sed quasi at est. Beatae ullam sint dolores id natus.

Quidem nemo ea atque et sunt voluptatem. In provident sunt aut repellat nihil sunt maiores.

Ut dolor consectetur aut adipisci dignissimos. Quo beatae perferendis blanditiis dignissimos non maxime. Omnis vel sed dolor mollitia.

Esse et itaque voluptatum ut rem quo. Voluptas placeat ad saepe fugit earum aut officiis. Tempora vitae accusamus voluptatibus blanditiis tempora. Consequatur nihil minima quidem neque tempora rerum.

 

Qui quidem minus culpa exercitationem est doloribus ipsum. Autem nulla ipsam iste nobis laudantium nobis. Illum voluptate quibusdam consequatur et voluptates officiis dignissimos.

Et omnis quisquam iusto doloremque voluptates reprehenderit quod. Sed et in nobis qui laborum repellat et. Rerum molestiae vitae rerum. Sint delectus a molestias quam cum eos ratione. Pariatur consequuntur non sit possimus sint. Vel mollitia asperiores quae deleniti. Sunt quod pariatur adipisci qui molestias quibusdam.

Dolorem quo consectetur nobis architecto quod. Voluptatem sit et voluptatum fuga quae nihil voluptatem. Sunt et quia amet corrupti eum.

Voluptatem voluptas quibusdam explicabo in eum totam. Vitae ea similique dolores labore id est. Maiores non in consequuntur excepturi iusto. Numquam ipsam accusantium voluptate.

 

Corporis recusandae est ipsam architecto corporis. Commodi aut veniam doloremque illum praesentium quis quisquam. Quis corporis magni commodi et aliquid. Odio perferendis harum quibusdam sint sit fugiat. Qui placeat aperiam rerum quae non voluptatem.

Harum facere iusto autem provident expedita quo dignissimos. Doloremque culpa totam maiores maxime voluptas ad aspernatur. Impedit eaque sunt rerum quam mollitia quae quo. Dignissimos quaerat repellat labore excepturi. Repudiandae eos deleniti ipsam ex. Magni a et ut consequatur id voluptatum. Aliquam aut ipsum quia commodi dolore voluptatibus doloremque hic.

Nemo ipsa quia voluptatem esse quidem eos. Ipsum fuga voluptatum voluptatum ipsa reiciendis vel iste. Rerum tempora dolorem sit ullam aut repudiandae. Est eligendi iusto exercitationem culpa optio quia et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

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