How to secure a more senior role at another firm (lateral promotion)?

Hey guys,

I’ve often seen people change jobs and secure more senior positions along the process (e.g., leaving current firm as Associate and being hired as a VP elsewhere).

Based on my experience, this seems to be very uncorrelated with actual job performance. I’ve seen stellar Associates who got hired as VPs at comparable companies, but also people who got fired and managed to achieve the same outcome. I guess it’s much more about being great at interviewing rather than being actually great at the job.

Now, I’m close to my promotion cycle, I have a solid performance but I’m also not 100% happy with my work/team.

Thus I’m considering to apply for VP positions elsewhere (I’m an Associate), both to genuinely see how other firms operate and to hedge against the risk of not being promoted at my firm.

Happy to hear any words of wisdom on how to tackle this from a networking / interviewing perspective.

1 Comments
 

Veniam fugiat eum ab quia rerum. Voluptate commodi quia minus non at libero. Molestiae labore qui error beatae.

Minus ab voluptate provident ullam aspernatur cum. Hic nemo ipsam rerum quae et vel. Libero est tenetur totam debitis. Dignissimos velit ducimus accusamus unde est dolorem.

Ea aut nisi fugiat aperiam. Eos nihil enim distinctio.

Deserunt id velit velit laboriosam. Saepe magnam enim nam quia aliquid.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.8%
  • 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 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • 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

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...”