Still trying to find internship in ER - Should I network with associates or analysts?

Ok, unfortunately I am an idiot and am still looking for an internship for this summer. Things are looking just a bit grim but I have a big spring break week planned, during which I have set up/am setting up some informational interviews with professionals at the firms I am looking at. The goal this summer is to find a gig at a boutique ER firm. I would also be fine interning with a boutique IB or a small HF.

I know it can be valuable to network at all levels of seniority in IB, but with the different hierarchy/hiring structure in ER is there any point in networking with freshly graduated associates. I have set up/am setting up several informational interviews with people in the industry in a large financial hub in the south and I wasn't sure if associates had any pull in terms of their teams taking on interns. Even if I connect with the teams associate, there is no formal internship program so its not like he can help me by just passing my name on to HR.

So the question is, focus on networking/getting informational interviews with the analysts only... who I assume are the ones who decide if their team takes on an intern, or spread my net as wide as possible and disregard position and go for associates?

So far most of my contacts are associates, as these have been the only alumni I have found. If the Consensus answer is that associates have no pull in taking on interns, should I try to ask for a referral to his analyst somehow. How would that work?

One last (less important) question: if there are alumni with non-research roles (at small 5-15 man, tight-knit shops) should I ask them for referrals to their research guys, or just go straight for asking for informational interviews with the non-alum research guys directly?

Thanks for all responses, SB to anyone who helps... (especially with the "analyst or associate" question).

1 Comments
 
Best Response

Quis et eos nesciunt iste in. Aliquam suscipit perferendis consequatur fugiat aut ea delectus. At deserunt porro architecto. Veniam iure laudantium quam iure enim illum qui qui. Natus doloremque accusantium qui est.

Expedita consequatur quaerat fugiat accusamus. Est tempore qui cupiditate ut ex ut.

Voluptatum vel occaecati nam doloremque repellat. Et et sequi deserunt necessitatibus. Nihil voluptatem dolorem dignissimos et alias magni. Doloribus maxime doloribus consequatur modi consequatur sint.

Aut in recusandae culpa est eum ex libero consequatur. Aut maxime consequatur accusantium. Ea minus placeat ex velit sint sapiente eaque. Quia sint dolores ut sapiente.

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%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 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 01 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 (80) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”