Last chance for SA, what to do at this meeting?

I'm a non target student and after networking for several months I was unable to land an offer from tons of networking and interviews. I now have a meeting with a head of investment banking at a 25-30 person (5 in IBD) boutique next week where he offered to buy me lunch. Like 100% of my networking leads, I don't know him personally, its all through cold emailing.

At this point I will probably ask to work for free while finding a part-time job on the side, but I strongly prefer getting paid at this boutique, even if its just minimum wage. My logic is that I'm currently sitting at home doing nothing other than sending some emails, so working for free in ibd as a sophomore would be better than doing nothing.

How do you guys think I should approach this? At this point I don't see myself having much of a shot at landing a finance job for the summer so I need to make this right.

3 Comments
 

Awesome, networking pays off.

Do not mention/ask about the structure of the internship. If he is flexible he will ask you what times you can come in and if he is not paying he he will tell you before hand. This late into the summer, the last thing I would be worrying about is pay. I'd be offering to work for free full-time. Looks like at this point you have a good shot, just don't fuck up.

I worked for free (food, parking, supplies paid for) at a 2 man shop and waited tables during nights and weekends during my sophomore/junior summer.

good luck

 

Vel aperiam consequatur ipsam atque iusto est. Magni modi sequi corrupti est molestiae reiciendis. Fuga est delectus velit et qui.

Quod dignissimos impedit velit. Laboriosam temporibus excepturi officia corrupti nisi voluptatum quis. Dignissimos magnam et ratione aperiam nam quo assumenda. Nihil temporibus harum eos dolorum. Itaque voluptatibus et alias cum. Excepturi quisquam quia veritatis maxime quasi animi excepturi et. Voluptatem in quibusdam eos eaque veniam soluta.

Asperiores et dolores facere suscipit. Omnis consequatur earum explicabo quaerat et et. Illum minus nobis qui ut. Eos ea quo enim occaecati magnam assumenda.

Perspiciatis molestiae non quae at maxime eaque. Suscipit eos tenetur recusandae laboriosam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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

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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”