Career Switch HR -> M&A Advisory

Hi All,

Long story short: Continental Europe. Both me and wife are 27. My wife is MA in Psychology, BA in Russian Studies. My wife wants to move away from HR to some kind of business advisory - preferably M&A. She's started working in HR 5 years ago. Now she's a manager, oversights some cross-country HR-related stuff, knows labour laws in a couple of the european countries, know a 3-4 european languages and she's pretty experienced in firing people (preparing/doing severance and stuff). The problem is that she's pissed with the environment she's got to work with (people aren't the brightest minds in hr) and basically the fact that she's the cost-centre.

We've been discussing some ideas where could she move and how could she do that, but we need some advice.

  • Networking - I've got some network, however it's mostly risk management, derivatives, big 4, Asset Management and ops.

  • Educationial background. She has no background in the finance per se. Now the question is should she enroll in some postgrad or should I just teach her stuff at home before the interview (I've got the MA in Finance, studying for lvl 3 CFA atm)

  • Scope of work. Should she try to go for analyst/associate position, or shold we try to place her as a labour law/severance consultant (as there are usually staff reductions after the merger)

  • Salary. Switching careers could be challenging as she's now being paid more than analysts and associates, therefore starting from the analyst level could hurt in the mid-term.

I'd be thankful for some tips or advice if you've been through similar career switches,

Cheers, Tape

0 Comments

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”