Lincoln VOG vs. DADCO IB
Got a standing offer from Lincoln VOG for their SF office. Have superday offers from DADCO IB in Portland and Kroll Valuations in Seattle. Might begin interview process for FT Partners as well. Honestly pretty exhausted from recruiting and thinking of declining the superdays and taking the offer from Lincoln. Strong interests in doing IB and PE, and want to make it out to a big city. Do any options beat out Lincoln Portfolio Vals? Or is it reasonable to decline them for Lincoln VOG?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to consider:
Lincoln VOG (Valuations & Opinions Group): Lincoln International is highly rated on WSO for professional growth opportunities (99.6%) and overall employee satisfaction (99.1%). Their SF office is in a major financial hub, which aligns with your goal of working in a big city. While VOG is not traditional IB, it offers strong exposure to valuation work, which can be a stepping stone to PE if you network effectively and position yourself well.
DADCO IB in Portland: While DADCO IB offers direct investment banking experience, Portland is not a major financial hub. If your long-term goal is PE or transitioning to a larger city, this could be a limiting factor. However, if the deal flow and exit opportunities are strong, it might still be worth considering.
Kroll Valuations in Seattle: Kroll is well-known for its valuation expertise, but it’s not traditional IB. Seattle is a growing city, but it doesn’t have the same financial ecosystem as SF. If your goal is IB and PE, this might not be the best fit unless you’re particularly drawn to the valuation side.
FT Partners: If you’re considering starting the interview process with FT Partners, keep in mind that they are highly regarded in the fintech space. If fintech IB interests you, this could be a strong contender. However, the process could be time-consuming, and there’s no guarantee of an offer.
Key Considerations:
Recommendation:
If you value being in a major financial hub and are okay with starting in a valuations role, Lincoln VOG in SF is a solid choice. However, if you’re set on traditional IB experience, consider attending the DADCO IB superday. Declining the Kroll superday seems reasonable given your goals, and only pursue FT Partners if fintech IB is a strong interest and you have the energy to continue recruiting.
Ultimately, Lincoln VOG is a reasonable and strong option, especially if you’re ready to wrap up recruiting and focus on your career.
Sources: Lincoln International interview process, Accepted an offer in IB but debating on going to another bank's Superday for Commercial Banking, Anyone ever went to a job interview where the recruiter had already made up their mind beforehand to reject you? And time wasted, Is it alright to request for a few days to consider when receiving an offer?
I have a Kroll valuation analyst interview coming up. I was wondering if you could give me some insight on what the interviews were like? They told me it would be about 2 hours.
Don’t waste your time with Kroll. Lincoln is a better Val shop and pays miles better. If you’re looking to do PE, the PV team at Lincoln supposedly places decently into small shops. However, with the PV team’s main focus being credit valuation, private credit seems to be a more common exit. The transaction ops side of the VOG places better into PE given the nature of the work.
That's what I was thinking. Just wasn't sure of the exit opps with Lincoln PV. Private credit does make sense though. Thanks!
Lincoln VOG --> IB is relatively common, but the longer you stay in VOG, the harder it becomes to move into IB from what I've seen
I assume you mean internally? How long do folks stay in VOG until they lateral to IB?
It can be harder to transfer internally and typically takes longer. Otherwise, everyone would start in VOG for a year then transfer to IB.
6-24 months is probably the sweet spot to transfer externally to IB
Would sign Lincoln and cancel your superdays. Interview for FTP if you get it.
Davidson in Portland would be very limiting in your ability to lateral. If you are getting interviews at a place like FT Partners you must be able to get an offer at a somewhere like Harris Williams or RayJay which would set you up much better for exits.
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