Is it proper to ask for a job from an IB after they cold call your dad to sell his business?

My friend's dad received a call from a boutique M&A investment bank looking to help sell his dad's business. Since my friend wants to work in the IB field, should he use this moment to call and inquire about an internship with them or would that be frowned upon? I'm not sure if this will rub off the wrong way or not. My friend is a rising junior at a non-target. Thanks!

11 Comments
 

It may seem "sleazy" or something, but that is actually a fantastic opportunity for your friend to leverage. Their level of eagerness to help your friend will probably be correlated with how much money they will generate on the deal. Honestly if we were talking about a BB rather than a boutique, I would say your friend would be in an even better spot, as they would have many more positions available.

Honestly this is just part of the business and the bankers will likely go out of their way to be helpful to your friend. Think about it: if they make way more on this deal than the cost of paying him as an intern, it looks attractive. I would utilize this 100%.

 
Most Helpful

If selling the company is like 5 years out - sure doesn’t matter and go for it.

If it’s near term - more to lose. Let’s say it’s a random boutique that’s not so good at its job. dad company has $10mm EBITDA. Son gets internship, now he feels owed and gives mandate. Boutique is not so good at what it does, messes up the process where it either fails and company gets a bad rap and it’ll take years to monetize again or you get a lower price. Even 2x difference in multiple is like $20mm hit to what the dad / family would make - not worth the internship at some random boutique. If he doesn’t give the mandate, everyone hates the son when he is working there - also awkward. It’s the dad’s best interest to hire the best possible bank vs trying to get a low fee or get some internship favor.

 

Ea aut vitae asperiores quia beatae. Et excepturi officia aperiam eaque qui voluptatum. Et eum iusto adipisci aliquam vitae corrupti vero. Et nam iure repellat enim error et.

Adipisci velit qui enim exercitationem. Autem consectetur occaecati doloremque omnis. Non autem rerum placeat ut.

Repellendus facere dolorem dolor labore nesciunt illum distinctio. Porro eum nulla quia fugit soluta. Quo molestiae tempora officia saepe maxime. Et itaque nam illo. Aut amet cupiditate hic quis neque.

Non quae officiis repellendus autem aut quidem. Est amet occaecati qui quaerat. Quam qui maiores nesciunt officia doloribus nulla quis. Est est deleniti dolore sunt quasi. Est corrupti aliquid et reprehenderit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 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 97.8%
  • 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 (23) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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
numi's picture
numi
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...”