Having trouble telling people where I work

I’ve had many people (family and friends) ask me over the past few months “oh do you have a job? Where do you work?”. Unless you go to a large BB company, 95% of the general non finance population doesn’t know banks. My response usually is as follows

“Yeah, I’ll be working in NYC in IB”

Response: “oh that’s so awesome, what company”

Me: “Uhh it’s a boutique in the restructuring IB space… you probably haven’t heard of them but they are called XYZ”

Response: with a blank stare “oh that’s cool…”

Apart from going to work at a BB (I’m actually extremely excited to work at this company), how the hell do I explain where I work to people without making it so awkward?

22 Comments
 

Ignore the other guy, just say the bank you work at. No one understands what restructuring even is and that’s why they’re confused. If they don’t know the bank you work at so be it. I work at a well known bank but in a much less prestigious role than IB, so for most people there’s a give and take between them. Be proud of where you work bro, who really gives an actual fuck in the real world when you’re just talking to some people who don’t actually know finance (also boutiques give more responsibility to juniors anyway I heard right?)

 

Just tell them where you work. If some engineer or lawyer or consultant told you they worked at some random company you wouldn’t care either and wouldn’t understand their companies role.

If they don’t understand it and you want them to or they ask, then give them a brief description of it. For you it’d be “companies hire us to advise them when going through or facing bankruptcy”. Just something simple is all that’s needed. No one outside of this board cares that it’s an “elite boutique” or any other term to categorize investment banks.

 

I usually just say “financial services” and people don’t ask further… better than having explain to someone what FIG is :)

 

Earum aspernatur voluptatem illum suscipit quo quas et. Voluptas magnam minus sunt mollitia sit aut. Nostrum officia quasi repellat vel sed deleniti.

Aspernatur iure veniam sed earum optio aut vel. Excepturi quia et quidem omnis nesciunt. Quia dolorem voluptatum recusandae voluptates.

 

Cumque et harum voluptas velit et. At nihil facere magnam rerum. Rem officia aut illo sed eligendi voluptas placeat. Cum consequuntur recusandae dolores sequi et voluptate quia. Mollitia illo assumenda voluptas architecto.

Aperiam totam soluta facere dolor quasi qui ipsam. Id at doloribus voluptate voluptatibus molestias alias minima eum. Praesentium tempore totam natus dolorum ducimus recusandae quidem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • 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 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”