Is your IB team quiet? How to fit in? What do you do in downtime?

Started an off cycle gig with a MM - I haven't worked previously in IB before so I wouldn't know, but does your team do a lot of joking around stuff when they're doing work? It's obvious that they're doing this to maintain their sanity, but as an intern, do you try to join them or stay quiet? The thing I'm afraid of the most if if I join them, I might accidentally offend them since they don't know me very well - any advice on how to approach this situation? I was hoping it might be better after I've been there for a couple weeks but is that too late then?

Also, I've been trying to get some work but the analysts don't have any to pass onto me, they tell me to leave early if I don't have anything, so should I leave or stick with them? Also, what do you do in your downtime?

6 Comments
 

The best thing about my internship was the office culture and how everyone would talk/joke around throughout the entire day. Made it bearable. Why the hell would you not join in? Obviously don't start doing racist standup your first week, but definitely don't be viewed as an outsider. One intern was like that and it came back to bite him.

 

Thanks Jeff - it seems like there's an analyst there that doesn't really like me though, it might be because he sees myself as a competitor since he started there not long ago, but I don't know, he doesn't seem to be helping me one bit ever since I started. Not too sure if this is a bad sign or not, but it's hard to join in their conversation when most of them are talking about their they're doing - which I don't know well enough yet since I haven't been there long enough.

 

^ I try to, but it seems that deadlines are coming up and the general vibe when I offer help to them, they say there's not much I can help on. I get the feeling that it's really pressing and they really don't want to spend the time to teach me.... someone tell me it's too early on and it'll get better later...

 

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