Analyst vs Associate Lateral

Is it generally easier to lateral as an experienced Analyst or as an Associate? I know there are more Analyst positions; however, I also figure there may not be as much lateral competition for an Associate position given so many Analysts leave prior to A2A. Would appreciate any insight!

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I think your intuition is correct. Banks have a hard time finding experienced associates willing to move because they will likely fall into one of these camps:

-Still ramping up without a ton of deal experience yet (often post-MBA)

-Looking to leave banking to an exit that doesn't care as much about which bank you came from

-On the verge of making VP

Because there isn't that pressure to get the best bank brand to exit to PE or whatever it is going to be a harder sell to get some associate who likes his team and prospects of getting promoted to gamble that away just for some prestige.

 

Probably depends on the market. If it was a bad year last year and banks hired fewer analysts, but now business is booming, you might be in a great spot to lateral as an analyst.

Edit: Clarification, business is not booming right now, so analysts would not have an easy time at this moment, they should wait until there is more demand for analysts.

 

Iste incidunt nulla perferendis facilis fugit. Aut rerum deserunt et quo ipsa quis natus. Quisquam doloremque ut quasi non et animi ut nulla. Eum et numquam vitae et quibusdam. Nihil laborum minima minima nihil.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • 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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”