Best time to lateral firms?

For those who want to stay within IB for the long-term, what is the best time to lateral firms? I have seen people advise ASAP, and others say wait until you get promoted to Associate.

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Class of '29 Oct 2026 Cohort

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“John was amazing, he was great at explaining things and had a very positive vibe. He had talked about his life at evermore and how he had switched from Evercore to Carlyle. He then told me how to network more effectively and how to be a better candidate as a whole. He had said that when you are having a coffee chat not to talk as much about their day to day because that is all they are talking about usually. He said to try and connect about their interests and their hobbies because that is something that they would like to talk about.”

Class of '28 Sep 2026 Cohort

4.70/5

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“Andre was kind and very insightful with my upcoming interview with HR for Evercore, particularly what kind of questions should come up and how to tailor your answers to be unique and really stand out amongst the crowd. Ultimately, I think he helped me prep a lot with clear next steps on what to research. ”

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2 Comments

The Pharma Guy

CS

8y

I'm assuming you're an analyst at this point. My understanding is that you wait 12-18 months to have some experience to fuel the move.

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Authored by: Certified Corporate Strategy Professional - DirectorCertified Corporate Strategy Pro

Finance Amigo

IB

8y

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