Doing Nothing vs Something

I've been speaking to several senior bankers and something cropped up that I found interesting.

HR will say to do 'something' constructive with your time to keep yourself 'employable'.

Senior bankers tell me the exact opposite: its better to do nothing then to do something non-finance related (if your aiming for IBD etc) to avoid your path looking zig-zag.

Is anyone else told the same thing? Would you recommend doing nothing to avoid your path looking zig-zag?

4 Comments
 

Depends on if you need cash to support yourself/family and how well you can explain your situation. If you've been working in retail for a year, but have been networking like crazy, then you need to bring that up. Otherwise, they'll see a clueless kid who probably has no idea what IB actually is.

Advice is to continually beat on the door to show you interest in IB, even if you just had to take a job in some other industry. If you want IB, show it. Don't settle for a year and then try to transition over.

 

Great advice @"HFer_wannabe" thank you.

What would you recommend doing if the job your currently in/able to get isn't directly related (or in another industry like you mentioned) to show interest in IB (other then of course reaching out as many people as possible and trying to transition over).

After graduation, I'm assuming work experience is king? Would something like the CFA help?

 
Best Response
hopesanddreams

Great advice @HFer_wannabe thank you.

What would you recommend doing if the job your currently in/able to get isn't directly related (or in another industry like you mentioned) to show interest in IB (other then of course reaching out as many people as possible and trying to transition over).

After graduation, I'm assuming work experience is king? Would something like the CFA help?

Offer to work for free at a small boutique (if its financially possible) to just get something on your resume. There's tons of smaller shops all over the U.S. that you'll never hear about. It takes some digging and some creative searching on Google and Google Maps.

Studying for the CFA will help as well, but if that starts to get in the way of you getting actual experience, then I suggest you put it off.

 

Et esse qui aliquid exercitationem illo quo sit repellendus. Expedita cumque reiciendis omnis pariatur voluptatem ut reiciendis rerum. Minima pariatur sapiente non id vero. Unde aut nesciunt vitae similique. Dolores modi error non dolores.

Iure voluptatem voluptatem quo quod voluptas. Qui sit est et non ut quis. Dolores et officiis cum necessitatibus excepturi. Explicabo quae autem ipsa sunt enim soluta.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • 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

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...”