Title says it all. How likely is it to lateral from KPMG Deal Advisory (FDD) to Investment Banking? What should I be doing to improve my chances for IB? What should I not do that will make me appear as an accounting guy as opposed to a finance guy?
I also come from a non-target background with a semi-decent GPA (3.6, which is Cum Laude at my school)
| +197 | Americas M&A League Table Q2 Updated | 79 | 3h |
| +131 | Restructuring: Anti-climactic Experience | 34 | 1d |
| +102 | IB Net Worth / Savings Check | 49 | 25m |
| +91 | Woman who emptied Knicks trashcan on street then stole it was DEI exec, worked at JPMorgan Chase | 24 | 13h |
| +80 | Stop sleeping on UBS - it’s pretty good | 26 | 2h |
| +52 | 2026 VAULT PRESTIGE RANKINGS | 29 | 1d |
| +39 | AI + Financial Modelling | 12 | 1d |
| +30 | Hardest interview experiences? | 16 | 23h |
| +28 | Summer before college | 17 | 13h |
| +26 | Current State of UBS in North America | 8 | 2d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
great thought
great
The DA guys I know are saying it´s like IB but with better hours and more egalitarian culture. IMO that means you have to somehow prove that you´re capable of handling the IB grind and cutthroat culture. Maybe you should ask for really advanced projects and try to lever that up.
Thanks for the helpful comment. Have you seen DA guys move into IB? If so, do you know what they did to do so?
Don´t know them personally, but have a lot of them on LinkedIn and most of them lateralled after one or two interships, so I guess they somehow proved their grit and spine.
IB is a fairly common exit for B4 TAS.
I made my way into IB from a small 100 person valuation firm so it's definitely possible to break into the industry, you just have to be ready to accept a lot of rejection. Your biggest hurdle won't interviewers questioning if you can handle the grind but whether or not you know the process and how quickly you can get up to speed with the day to day involved with I-banking. You have KPMG on your resume which should help open some doors for you but you'll be interviewing against people who have IB experience and are familiar with a deal process, do what you can to leverage your experience to illustrate you have some understanding of a deal process and your ability to learn quickly.
How is it “like IB?” You’re doing completely different work. Not really even comparable.
Transfer to KPMG Corporate Finance, which is the Investment Banking division of KPMG.
Yeah my guess is that if the switch to IB doesn't seem to happen, internally switching to KPMG's CF seems to be the other option
KPMG Corporate Finance isn't allowed to poach from other departments even if it's the employee that wants to make the move. Kind of an unspoken rule at KPMG after CF kept taking top talent from other departments.
Qui in minima tenetur laboriosam. Esse quos quaerat et debitis maxime dolore itaque.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...