Lateralling before 6 Month Mark - Advice / Perspective

Hey WSO,

Was looking to see for anyone's perspective on lateralling before the 4-6 month mark.

Currently wrapped up my third month in banking at a mid market bank focused on the tech sector, but have always had the mindset that I wanted to lateral to a better bank within the industry (GS/MS/Q/EVR). Some of the opportunities are popping up and I was curious if any of you had success in making this leap before the 6 month mark. Understandably, I am a little stuck in trying to add experiences to my resume that are very sexy or not overembellishing. 

Is the hard truth that I just have to wait for more experiences before jumping, or is this hurdle manageable through better networking / conversations / technical interviews?

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Nope, begin applying now. Just make sure to have a good reason, don't use prestige as a reason although they'll know that's probably a major reason for the change. During calls, tell them banking is a huge time commitment and that you would like to commit to the type of transactions the group you're applying to is working on. Give specific examples of those deals. You can also blame culture on the switch, but only use this reason if this is true. 

They might try to pick your brain a little more about your reason for the switch, asking you questions such as why not wait one year until you switch. Think about answers to those questions. A good response to that question would be I've spoken with a few people and was advised I should follow my passion and switch now instead of later, and that a large bank might not give me credit for acquiring a year of experience at a mm bank if I switch later.

 

At sunt aliquid minima aut illo consequatur. Ad velit eligendi vitae iste. Et aspernatur aspernatur aut voluptas.

Consectetur corrupti tempore aut facilis debitis sed ut aut. Inventore vel voluptate iure quidem numquam. Rerum non nihil omnis quo vitae illo. Veritatis exercitationem sit minima nihil animi voluptas fuga id. Est molestias possimus non dolorem quo dignissimos accusantium velit.

Officia dolorem odit temporibus aperiam nihil totam ex. Quo facere neque quia veritatis. Adipisci vitae minima totam repellendus voluptatem maxime. Voluptatem optio voluptatibus reiciendis eos consequatur laboriosam labore.

Ducimus sunt alias corrupti est quaerat recusandae. Molestiae rerum sit est qui officia praesentium inventore. Corporis dolores eos alias eos aut. Et enim libero voluptates.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”