Europe IB Networking — Overrated?

Is it actually true that networking in Europe barely matters for IB recruiting compared to the US?

I keep hearing that in Europe the process is mostly CV, target schools, and internships — and networking rarely changes outcomes.

Would love to hear honest experiences from people recruiting in London / Frankfurt / Paris / Zurich.

4 Comments
 

Barely matters in the sense that it doesn’t move the needle nearly as much in Europe (at least the UK) vs the US. With most big platforms, the early process is run by HR and doesn’t flow through ANs in the same way that US recruiting does.

Granted, this probably doesn’t hold true for smaller boutiques and anyway, if you somehow get an MD to vouch for you I expect that’ll carry weight regardless of what region you’re in.

 

if anyone has any insight into Paris, would appreciate it. I hear the Lazards, Rothschilds etc. you need pretty solid networking if anyone is to help you but for the American banks you don't really need to do any networking. Not sure if this is true

 

Placeat non aliquam magni eveniet ut. Ad at saepe similique quia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 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

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”