How do you explain to girls what you do? (Investment banking job)

What's the best simple way to explain to girls what you do?I honestly suck at explaining without getting super technical and then I end up boring people.

81 Comments
 

I just tell em I work at a branch. Doesn’t matter. Lay is a lay.

Once you’re done with the deed, proceed to explain you’re in fact a wealthy international businessman. Round 2 same night here we go.

 

This. I tell girls at bars that I'm a hostage negotiator or amateur arms dealer... It's a much more memorable answer than any of the last five that she's heard. Plus I get a kick out of it. If she asks again, I'll just say finance. If we end up linking up pretty often, then I'll explain it really simply -> "I basically flip houses but instead of houses it's small healthcare companies. We buy so-so companies, improve them, and then sell them which is my dating strategy also. Really like those 'fixer uppers.'"

 

Honestly I wouldn’t unless I’m asked about it. If you are asked about it just say you advise companies in their big strategic events like IPOs, M&A, Debt raising so they can grow and do it optimally. Another way to say it is that you are doing what real estate agents do when selling houses, but with entire companies and on a larger scale.

 

I have a Google Docs explaining every high finance job including IBD and it's subsects (RX, M&A, Coverage, ECM, DCM), S&T, ER, AM, PWM, HF and a tier list/ranking of EBs, BBs, AMs, HFs, PE MFs, PE MMs, IBD MMs, PE boutiques, IBD boutiques, M&A league tables for each country, RX league tables for each country, what a DCF, LBO model is, etc.

It's 67 pages and took me 30 hours to make. I also quiz prospective "wifeys" on it.

 

Nothing weird about that.. but when you unironically show that .xlsx file to a romantic / sexual interest? Yikes. 

 

lmao can you please pm / share a link to the doc when you get the chance? would love to send over to some mentees thanks

 

I just say I help companies raise money or help people sell their companies. You could also say you help companies find financial solutions to solve problems or start new projects.

I think I did this right
 

Only give one word answers about anything job-related and switch subjects. No one outside of the industry will be interested in pressing further. Talking about work in a social setting is the least interesting you could possibly be to a woman or to anyone for that matter (it reminds me of the Office scene below; don't be a Stanley or Oscar.)

Stanley: I didn’t think the premium laser color copy batch would sell as well as it did.
Oscar: Yeah, it surprised us all. I’ll tell you why. Because when they—
Kelly: I’m sorry guys; can we please not talk about paper? There’s gotta be something else we can talk about.

 

Just say you buy and sell companies everyday, and get to go out with executives for fancy dinners, all while being paid a fuck ton of money. The simple answer of, "God's work" works too tbh.

 

Tell them the truth. You are an overpaid blue collar worker that wasn’t entrepreneurial enough to take risk and start your own company. You get paid well but when you calculate $/hr/ unit of stress, that ratio is incredibly bad. 

 

If somebody asks what I do, I initially just tell them I work in finance. If they dig deeper, I tell them I work in investment banking. If they ask what I do as an investment banker, I tell them I'm a real estate agent for companies. I will determine how much the company is worth, develop materials to market the company to potential buyers, contact the potential buyers, create a competitive auction process, and eventually select a winning bidder and close the deal. 

 

I usually tell them I'm a plumber, and then tell them they look like they like to be choked.

Really lets you know who's actually interested

"one for the money two for the better green 3 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine" - M.F. Doom
 

Female here. I almost never say Investment banking first unless they keep asking for details. I start with: finance > banking > investment banking > my industry > eventually if they keep asking I say we raise capital for companies or help them with acquisitions or going public. Maybe girls would be impressed if you are in NYC but if you are in the west coast like me, people think you’re fucking crazy with no life so I try to stay away from that topic

 

I usually just say finance or banking and then try to change the subject as I think most girls dont give a shit about the details of my job. Some might care that I wear a suit sometimes and make decent money but not really what its like to make a strat alts deck or whatever

A few girls try to dig deeper. Maybe because they work in finance or a related field. A few because I think they are actually interested in what I do on a day to day basis. I think one asked me just so I could talk more and she could say to her friends that she went out with some finance bro who talked about his job for awhile...like she wanted me to fit the stereotypical bad finance date meme (kind of weird and needless to say I didn't really contact her again or like her)

 

One time I was shopping and this girl (not someone who I think was interested in dating me tbh) asked me what I did

I said banking

She said "Oh wow, that's really impressive....not too many ppl would admit thats what they do in this political climate"

Just goes to show the vast majority don't really care

On the other hand, one time an elderly cashier asked me what I did and I told her banking. She said "Which bank"

I answered and she said "That's a great bank. They are top notch in [insert sector]. Seems like you are doing well"

I thought holy shit, how does she know that

 

My wife and even parents still think I’m basically an accountant or some shit. It helps me because no one asks me for money.

Most people don’t know what leverage buy-outs are. Most people don’t really know what an investment banker does other “MonEY”

Imo keep it to yourself because no one is impressed besides the interns and college kids blowing up LinkedIn for coffee to “pick my brain”

 

Usually just tell people how it is.. I work in corporate banking and invest into gold and silver mining companies with debt. then move on to another topic as fast as possible. Also like to wear my red tint 12k gold sunglasses with my shirt two buttons down and tell girls I'm a Russian arms dealer. The latter usually gets better reception. 

 

Omnis et dolorum odit. Impedit quis velit est deserunt ut.

Dolor facilis eos illo molestiae corporis quis. Temporibus voluptatem sint et officia voluptatem. Esse et sequi molestias sunt. Ut et quia voluptatibus.

 

Culpa ad recusandae distinctio assumenda. Commodi sed voluptatem fugit ea.

Corporis esse vero est deleniti similique. Pariatur eum ut saepe quia delectus. Adipisci vitae explicabo enim quam omnis et. Aut quis velit tempore quasi doloribus.

Incidunt voluptatem aspernatur et sint delectus quos. Nobis ut voluptates nemo cumque voluptatem ut commodi. Qui maxime omnis repellendus veritatis accusamus aspernatur rem. Sed quod vitae corrupti id. Omnis ipsam minus iste consequatur delectus et. Atque asperiores minus eligendi aspernatur incidunt dignissimos nemo dicta. Enim voluptatum dolor omnis qui laborum vel placeat.

 

Eos quae a natus quas reiciendis ut. Vel nemo ut nulla ea explicabo. Accusamus soluta sed eos error officiis voluptate rerum. Recusandae enim dolor aut occaecati occaecati.

Voluptatem architecto eos saepe minima. Velit ratione debitis non voluptas. Voluptatem rerum necessitatibus iste ut sit rerum libero. Voluptatem quia sed reiciendis consequatur similique nostrum accusamus ipsa. Doloribus commodi et vitae minus nihil odit odit.

Omnis id nam autem culpa voluptatem. Qui ea nostrum qui qui nemo facere enim. Repellendus fuga sed aut ad porro consequuntur. Facere commodi quaerat et maiores.

 

Ad sed enim deleniti pariatur et omnis. Explicabo praesentium repudiandae neque officia consectetur est. Molestiae voluptas ipsam dolor sint corporis aliquam nemo.

Voluptatum officia consequatur aut facere unde ut molestiae atque. Praesentium nihil quod inventore quia quia et. Magni eos quo nam repellat placeat. Ipsa iusto quo possimus ut temporibus cupiditate laborum. Natus impedit incidunt fugiat nihil accusantium ad.

Similique sunt est qui non tenetur soluta molestiae corrupti. Distinctio nobis at fugiat explicabo. Expedita rerum et quidem aut quasi similique reprehenderit. Enim consequatur quo eaque ad. Ut aperiam necessitatibus officiis rerum. Dolorem nihil occaecati placeat consequuntur. Tempore rerum eius minima quasi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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...”