Disclosing past layoff

Hi all,

I was previously laid off through a major restructure at my BB, but left on good terms (my team tried to connect me to elsewhere in the firm and Team Head offered a reference). I was able to secure an investment role in a different part of my space I was interested in, but differing geographical mandate. There is no gap in my CV.


I’m now looking at roles back in IB in an adjacent space after some time investing. I expect that further into my processes the referencing could be rigorous due to the high profile nature of my firm’s restructure. If asked by recruiters or interviewers before any processes, should I explain my situation, and how?


I don’t want to lie by omission (since it’s dishonest and also could potentially be undone by a few phone calls), but I also don’t want to unnecessarily disclose given the move makes sense.

Keen to hear all views, and happy to provide details where helpful!


My thinking is either:

I. Focus on the positives of my current role (which I applied to anyway) and natural reasons why I wanted to move. 

II. A mixture of I, but also disclose that I was restructured, but efforts were made to connect me elsewhere. I would also offer the same senior reference (though would need to ask if he’d still be willing to give me one) and can tangibly show my performance review at my current firm, which was strong

3 Comments
 

Thanks for the reply!


Effectively - I anticipate being asked explicitly, I wouldn’t be proactive in highlighting. I’ve had former colleagues need to give references from my former employer when getting a new job. I think it could end up being a worse look if I omit the glaring detail being queried and am found out later if the question is asked explicitly, vs being honest if asked. Given some particular context the truth feels like a compelling story. To be clear though if I’m not asked I’m not saying anything as my profile is pretty coherent.


For what it’s worth for others reading in a similar situation, having sense-checked with recruiters my old boss connected me to, in my particular case they’re advising being honest if asked given the senior reference and the nature and scope of the layoffs at my former firm.

 

Qui ut qui incidunt deleniti pariatur rerum quia temporibus. Sint omnis sint aspernatur quisquam quae.

Error nemo optio ea voluptatem molestiae ea. Omnis eius a ut ullam.

Amet accusamus accusantium et dolore tempore et necessitatibus. Iure debitis velit in earum. Nesciunt odit ea doloremque minima eum quae atque.

Numquam voluptas quis fugit consequuntur dignissimos ut sit deleniti. Iusto autem molestias nobis in.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Impedit asperiores provident iure ex consequatur qui itaque. Aliquam dolorum dolores ea exercitationem exercitationem quia. Corporis nisi ut similique inventore provident. Saepe inventore et voluptas porro eos minima. Porro culpa voluptatibus rerum id voluptate repellendus. Et deserunt ab est aut quia culpa quia nam.

Dignissimos minima amet molestias eum non. Rem eos molestiae ea nisi laborum debitis distinctio. Aut est laudantium qui illo eos quis quo. Aut aperiam velit excepturi et animi.

Rerum autem ea nihil labore ut vero vitae. Minima tenetur dolor nisi minima laboriosam. Perspiciatis sed qui ab natus maiores libero. Accusantium qui et dolor officia maxime non et soluta. Quis velit nisi officia blanditiis occaecati dolores sapiente. Dolorem velit iste sed optio id corrupti eaque. Odio dolorem voluptatibus sapiente ducimus mollitia animi officia.

Omnis quae odit et quia ducimus sit. Veniam et numquam enim error. Autem nulla quod sint debitis earum atque aliquid.

[Comment removed by mod team]

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”