Is it possible to Lateral as an analyst with no closed deals

Hey monkeys, I am looking to make a move soon and need some advice. I have been working for a "no-name boutique" for about seven months now. My time here has been pretty terrible, I was hired into a group of three and since I've been here both of the other people have been fired, mostly due to poor group performance. Although they were fired I am well liked by both of the senior partners in my group at my firm so personally my job is in no danger.

I am looking to leave soon, ideally to a middle market bank. Although I haven't been a part of any closed deals during my time here, I have been able to work on several live mandates to varying degrees of involvement, although unfortunately most of these have been private placements, not M&A.

Would it be possible for me to lateral to a middle market bank with no closed deals? If so, do you all have any advice for me as to how I should best position myself? I've noticed the job market for laterals doesn't seem very active, so should I just start cold emailing MM firm for coffee chats? Any advice is appreciated, I'm pretty damn worried about my career at the moment.

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Are you working on any live M&A deal at the moment?

If yes, you can list that deal based on a high level description of the company you are helping on sell-side or buy-side mandate (ideally sell-side) and list one to two of the private placements you have completed.

If there are no M&A engagements you are working on, then you can list 2-3 private placements you worked on in terms of your core responsibilities and speak to M&A engagements you may have worked on during your time with the boutique.

Anecdotally, the IB Lateral Market seems to be in a bit of cold spell now but this is where a combination of networking (such as coffee chats) becomes crucial. Roles at MM (really, IB in general) open up randomly (as my prior posts detail about transition into FT IB) so always be on the look out.

Authored by: Certified Corporate Development Professional - Director
 

Get in touch with recruiters (primarily Selby Jennings, Pinpoint Partners, Harrison Rush Group). Add as much detail to what you HAVE done on your resume, even if the deals aren't closed. You should be able to lateral if you can spin it and interview well.

 

I would be weary of utilizing Selby Jennings and Pinpoint Partners. Actually I would recommend you do not use them given their recruiting practices have lead to a poor reputation within the finance community (you can do a search on each of those firms on this thread and internet for reviews on their services). I cannot speak to Harrison Rush Group.

That is not to discourage you from using recruiters for IB, but I would say tread lightly using this avenue.

 
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