What do you guys say when someone asks what you do and you say you work in IB, then they have no idea what it is so you need to explain it to them. This doesn’t need to be specific to any department or even IB (can be PE, S&T, any FO position) just genuinely interested to see how you guys describe your positions to outsiders?
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i’m the reason why the economy is booming. i create value from thin air. i’m a different breed
..
For M&A, just tell people you’re an intermediary for companies looking to buy other companies or be sold to another company. It isn’t that complicated.
I usually say (depending on how well I can read that individual) you know how (insert company they would probably recognize) bought (another company they would recognize)? I'm a third party who assists in making transactions like that go through from a financial perspective.
This always works for me and usually leads to more questions which is good because it shows they are listening to you because now your job has some personal relevance to them. Obviously I am not saying hopefully this creates dialogue and then you can talk about IB all night long with them but this is a way that you can have a much more casual conversation about finance and hopefully reduce some of the stereotypes surrounding this industry.
Ya this is a great response. Normally the method I take as well. The idea of 1 big company buying another big company generally ends up creating conversation where they ask more about deals I've worked on or what kind of work I actually do in my role. Although many just say "ok cool" and don't give a single shit. Then the odd degenerate will instantly compare and assume my entire life replicates the line sniffing lifestyle of Jordan Belfort.
I keep it simple. I help connect cities, states and municipalities with investors. They need to build new schools, roads or refinance debt and the investors are willing to loan them money to be repaid with interest.
“The backbone of the economy, the most prestigious job you can get postgrad, the work of god” usually switch between these
“I help sell companies to other companies”
“I invest in stocks”
“Oh so you trade forex?”
“Yeah”
Must be annoying having to explain that you’re not one of those Instagram Forex gurus lmfao
"I'm like a real estate agent but for businesses" seems to be something normies understand well. Makes you seem lame though. Now I'm PE in "like a house flipper". Still lame...
I work in CD and I tell people something to the effect of “I work in corporate development which means I work with the company to buy other businesses or to sell off businesses it no longer wants.”
I have worked in CD, at a hedge fund, and in M&A advisory. It is sometimes hard to simply describe something that you are in the weeds of but I have yet to find a finance job I can’t explain to a lay person.
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