Joining buy-side directly at boutique AM or ER at BB for HF future?

Hello everyone,


Things have moved very quickly for me in the past two weeks and i have a few interviews/offers! It’s all very exciting but I’m just confused what to go for. I have the opportunity to join a boutique AM (18bn AUM) directly to work as an analyst for one of its equity funds (LO, stocks picked with a 3-5 year horizon in mind). I also have an upcoming interview for ER at a BB.


So, yeah, my long-term plan is to move to a HF - specifically to work as an equities investor! I know that the boutique AM opportunity would prepare me better but I was thinking if having a BB brand name would make me more attractive to HFs in the future. Of course the BB also pays way more but I am thinking long-term career plan rather than short-term gains so this is not factoring into my decision atm. I am confused tbh… What do you think?

Boutique AM vs ER at BB vs ER

Boutique AM
67% (14 votes)
ER at BB
33% (7 votes)
Total votes: 21
 

I will never understand why people drool over having a BB name on your resume, especially in ER. It’s not like people will just see that and decide they do not need to interview you and just give you positions. Plus, you would still need to jump from sell-side to buy-side anyways, which is not a guarantee.

You essentially have an offer for the type of role that you claim to want. Take it. Having buyside experience for other buyside roles will always be preferred.

 

I am, in fact, not at all drooling over having a BB on my resume. I am simply gauging what HFs look for and if they (not me) would care more about seeing a BB name rather than a relatively unknown boutique AM on my resume. Response very much appreciated nonetheless and I also lean towards your thoughts that having buyside experience directly from the start is preferred. 

 

Some funds may also frown on the LO experience as they're looking for shorter horizons. Either BB ER (assuming a good analyst) or the LO AM would be great opportunities. But definitely depends fund to fund based on what they're looking for. Should get good looks from both

 

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