Hey monkeys,I'm not usually one to post, but I'm thinking of making a pretty big jump and I'm hoping to get some advice from the WSO community. I did my IB analyst stint at a top BB TMT group and I'm now entering my 3rd year in a well regarded UMM firm in their tech team. All 4 of those years have been filled with something many of us are familiar with: long intense hours with high performance expectations all the time. I've finally reached a breaking point and I'm done with the industry. I can't take the micro managing from my VPs anymore and sure as hell do not envy them regardless of how much they make.
I'm looking to find a job with better work life balance that will still offer an interesting challenge to tackle. I think all roads point to doing Corp Dev in tech (or media since I did some of that in IB). The problem is my hometown (tier 2 city) doesn't have a big tech presence. I'm thinking of recruiting for fully remote jobs as an alternative.
My questions are:
How is career progression impacted from a fully remote job?
Mentally, how isolating does it feel being fully remote? Do you miss office life?
What should I look for / ask about recruiters and current employees that is unique to remote Corp Dev jobs (vs. Corp Dev in office)?
Bump. Similar boat and also curious.
Ignore title but I work in tech corp dev for a F100 fully remote. Less than a year in but progression I’ve seen from colleagues has been in line with the industry. I love WFH and while there is value in being in office, the flexibility offered by being fully remote more then makes up for the lack of in-person interaction with your team. I don’t think recruiting process or key questions were any different from that of non-remote roles
Did you go to your role from pre or post MBA IB? Just curious on when you made the move and your comp expectation at the time.
Pre-MBA. 4+ YOE at time of offer. Comp expectation was base of 150k - 170k. In that range so I’m content
Pre-MBA. 4+ YOE at time of offer. Comp expectation was base of 150k - 170k. In that range so I’m content
Are there any "top" recruiters for CD or just whoever you get inbounds from?
Career progression impact - would describe it broadly as there's unlikely to be upside, but downside is somewhere between minimal and moderate depending on management style. It's a tradeoff.
Mental impact - personally I like being in the office. At more junior levels, I do think the in-person collaboration and relationship building is valuable, though if you feel you've gotten a good dose of that from your current/prior stint that's alright too. Also, being remote and in CD doesn't mean you can escape micromanaging - it depends on your manager, and there is a risk that w/o building that relationship with them, or it taking longer to do so, means more micromanaging in the meantime.
Recruiting - one thing you'd want to know regardless is the makeup of the team and where they're located. Is the company full remote or just CD / other departments? One specific thing worth asking is how long they've been remote - was the team in person at some point recently (i.e., pre COVID), or have they "always" been remote? If WFH is a newer thing, evaluate if it's permanent, it's successful, and be aware that if in-person was recent, it may be hard to parse out some pre existing dynamics - like if Steve the manager is in California now because the company remote a couple years ago, but he used to be in the Ohio main office with everyone else, that's a dynamic/relationship that could impact things.
I worked from home in my previous role, I am now in the office 3-4 days a week at my current position.
WFH - I personally didn't like it. I felt like my schedule moved too slow, my interaction with senior management was limited to short calls here and there versus the impromptu brainstorming sessions and casual conversations that I have experienced at my two in person roles.
Progression - I don't think my progression was impacted as good work gets noticed no matter where you are, but I gained respect much quicker at my new position because i was able to discuss things with people in an instant versus waiting on a teams call.
Things to ask recruiters: Is the whole team remote (this will help to suss out "remote" roles that will actually want you to come in shortly after), where are other members based (potential for 1-2 day meet ups at a nearby office location for some bonding/brain storming), tenure of previous employees in the department. I don't think any of these of surprising but just some items to remember.
I’m an analyst in IB now, but I really believe people have too narrow of a mindset for career progression. Coming from IB/PE you have a work style and mindset that is unique, especially in the corporate setting. Network and show you can pitch in above you weight, tactfully and over time and I really believe breaking in to senior management is attainable. It’s not like IB/PE where there’s a clear cut path for promotion every X years, it’s more networking and merit based. My dad made it to F500 c suite like this and I have friends who are Director/VP level with a lot more trajectory left. Sorry kind of unrelated to your post but I notice this sentiment a lot. Corporate especially you have room to grow if you take it, not like IB/Pe where you just balance the immense amount of work already put in front of you.
This is a really good post and incredibly underrated given the focus of the IB to PE track greater than everything else on this forum.
I've thought about this (being a "bigger fisher in a small pond") but not sure how I feel about the less clear cut promotions. Sure that could end up working well if you prove yourself and get lucky with right timings, but have heard lots of stories of feeling stuck in the corporate hierarchy especially when a direct boss has been there forever so its impossible to move up etc. Some part of me appreciates the clear cut 2/3 year promotion cycles compared to seeing some corporate managers having the same title for 10 years. Seen plenty of 30s+ SFAs.
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