First Year Analyst Tips

Hey All,

I was wondering - when it comes to being a first year analyst in a BB (GS/MS/JPM), what are some top tips you more experienced members have? Of particular interest:

  1. How much office "politics" for juniors?
  2. Are you able to say "no" to people assigning you tasks when you're being overwhelmed? If so, how to tactfully do this?

Thanks all!

21 Comments
 

The first tip would be to know when to search for an answer yourself before asking someone else to give it to you.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

Well, you could have simply

  1. Ignored this post or
  2. Answered it

Instead of spending energy to post useless words. Making a new post allows more people to contribute their ideas that they wouldn't otherwise do. I suppose people with your mindset must think that once a question has an answer, all other possibilities are instantly exhausted. Thanks anyways.

 
Best Response
  1. Really depends on the culture of the firm and the group. Be aware of how much politics there's going on around you and do what other's do. The worst thing is being spotted that you are trying to play games. The answer to this.. Just be normal. Only thing you need to do is stay longer than your associates.

  2. Just be a normal person and communicate. Tell them what you are working on, for who, and how long do you think it'll take. Better not take a job than do it poorly.

Hope this helps, its really not that complicated so don't over think it.

 

re: question #1, "How much office 'politics' for juniors?"; not 100% sure what you mean here but if you think that you are too junior or otherwise wont' be impacted by office politics then you have already lost the game.

Understand the hierarchy of your immediate group/team. Take note of the different relationships and reputations that exist in your immediate group and across the entire IB division. The key here is to ID who is well liked, who brings in $$$ fees, who is a decision maker for certain things, etc etc etc.

While you are figuring this all out YOU need to focus being well liked(good attitude) and working hard(produce a good work product) which is of course obvious. This allows you to easily position yourself where you want or need to be once you figure that out.

 
  1. Not as much, but just be careful about not being collateral damage. Your primary concern should be deciding who you would like to work with (associate, VPs, MDs). If you make an effort to know them and volunteer for their projects, it will be a very different experience (in a good way).

  2. Yes. There are 2 ways. The best way would be through your staffer who manages your projects, where you could direct the requests through him/her. The staffer will usually have a good idea of what your actual capacity is. Otherwise, if an MD comes to you directly, it's up to you to decide if you want to take on the extra work for goodwill purposes, or explain that you have 3 deliverables in the next 9 hours, and you won't be able to get to their project until after those. Assuming the project is time sensitive, hopefully they'll ask someone else.

--Death, lighter than a feather; duty, heavier than a mountain
 

Think your question is a little too broad, the advice obviously differs if you're in an elite group like MS M&A or GS TMT versus being a peon in some lowly backwater wasteland like GS CRHC or MS P&U. And don't even get me started if you're at BX R&R or M&A, the advice for the young demigods in those groups wouldn't even make sense for the mere mortals at GS or MS.

 

Why don't you just focus on your current job? The work you do and skills you learn during your time as an analyst should help sculpt you for the transition into PE.

 

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