Most likely going to be ranked bottom bucket, even though doing well
Hi guys Analyst 1 here getting worried. I am on a team of 5 other fellow analyst 1’s and I know for a fact I am going to be bottom bucket. I have been told by seniors and associates I am doing a great job, I have a good attitude, etc, but I can’t compete with the 5 others in my analyst 1 class.
Not trying to chirp them and call them “hardos” but they care 10x more about the job than I do and are way more serious. For example if I have no work at 10pm I am going straight the fuck home. All the others will just stay at the office and practice modeling or powerpoint shortcuts, just as an example on how they are.
My issue is even though I am doing fine, realistically I will be bottom bucket. Is this a large issue? I am completely completely fine with getting paid a bit less, was just wondering if this was deeper.
Not an intern, ignore title. I am an an3 and am in the same situation as you. Don't really give a fuck though.
Trust me dude, I would way rather work with a kid like you than the try hards that are on my team. It's bad for the culture. Just creates an atmosphere of competition rather than collaboration. I would love to be on a team where all the analysts are in agreement that we leave when the seniors bounce. What you do have going for you is that these kids are usually socially inept and have no sense of humor or ability to hold a conversation - arguably the most important part of getting people the like you.
Thanks for the response man, really good and refreshing to hear.
Yeah for example when I have downtime waiting for comments I just chill and talk to the analyst 2’s about sports, our funny stories from the drunk weekends, good food spots/restaurants we found recently, etc. It is obvious the analyst 2’s like me a lot more than the other analyst 1’s, but they aren’t the ones deciding my bonus/bucketing. My good “social skills” don’t really shine to the associates/vp’s/md’s because we don’t interact with them directly much, they just see the work we are producing, which is why I am worried that these other kids will all out bucket me because they are becoming technical wizzes putting in all this extra work.
Another example of my fellow analyst 1’s is while I do that they just airpods in and do case studies and debt waterfalls and stuff. Not trying to knock them I respect their work ethic a lot its just like how do I compete with this lol I probably look so so so weak as an analyst just because my class is literally absurd.
wow your class is full of losers lol. I did exactly what you did for 2.5 years - good solid work (nothing crazy), shoot the shit about sports/weekends etc, bounced as soon as i possibly could every night, bosses loved me and was top bucket both years. I could relate very well with my associates/MDs so pretty much was guaranteed perfect reviews every year. Wouldn't completely assume you're bottom bucket though, you'd be surprised how observant seniors can be wrt to cultural aspects and stuff (unless everyone in your group is a robot then idk)
You should compete with what you have to offer, aka your social skills which are definitely better than theirs and which still remains skills, don't try to beat them at their own game. Being a "hardo" is not going to automatically guarantee you are a top perfomer. As long as your quality of work is good (that's what senior said) you should be fine. Social skills are often overlooked in this forum but I think are the key to be a successful banker. All senior bankers have good technical skills otherwise they wouldn't be there and to build relationship you need social skills more than the technical ones.
So so true. this sentence says a lot about so many groups in so many banks
The judgment is BS. Some of us are actually interested in finance and like to practice models and read industry reports because want to learn. Part of the problem with finance is that you have a bunch of people doing it who don’t care or like it and stick at it for the pay. Me and another guy where I work hang out, talk about models, industry reports etc. and it’s fun. You don’t lack social skills if you read.
Ignore the haters hardos!
100% would way rather would work w a dude like you as well. No reason to stay there and burn yourself out past 10pm if you have no work to do. M
Those types of kids are the ones who make the culture toxic down the road cause they’ll judge kids like you when they’re associates 2’s. Absolutely hate kids like that like yes we get you wanna grind, we know man. But you can grind during the 13 hours of 9am - 10pm, no need to wear yourself out for no reason at all.
Don’t be worried. As long as YOU’RE okay with getting paid a bit less, get those extra hours of sleep man. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, you’re saving yourself your future self a ton of gray hairs and energy for down the road. You aren’t taking short cuts, you’re simply just doing your job.
Don’t worry my friend, all will be good and I’m sure some of those hardos are recognized by senior bankers for being a little to weird and hardo and they even think they need to calm down lol.
thanks my man! you a real one!!
How does staying late at night practicing shortcuts make them better bankers? Surely after 14 hours the gains they get vs. you are marginal, and the seniors wouldn't even see them doing so (or care if they did..)?
Just don't be a loser and people will like you more.
yea I feel this guy is just inventing some inferiority complex
when you work on a practice model you're not actually creating any value for the team. Seniors don't see this either so why would they care if you're staying late. What OP is actually mad about is people investing in themselves and thus being more productive/useful than him. For example, if I went home and did the practice without OP seeing/knowing - he wouldn't care. He would just rationalize I deserved top bucket more than him somehow and he wouldn't be mad.
I find it hard to believe you will get a bottom bucket bonus based on your post. I can't speak about all banks, but at my previous firm, it was possible for no one to be bottom bucket if every analyst was pulling their own weight and generally liked by all.
Lesson number 10 from How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie: "make people feel important".This doesn't mean be a kiss-ass and a fuh-nance bro. It means taking a genuine interest in people and how they are doing. This should always extend beyond day-to-day work, with appropriate and personal/professional boundaries in mind.At happy hour, I don't want to hear about a sell-side heavily adjusted EBITDA multiple or how fast you can bang out an LBO model; I'd rather talk about anything other than work. In the business we call it "shooting the shit".
you will probably just be middle bucket and well liked by everyone.
i know from experience. always get staffed on a decent amount of cool deals, get decent bonuses, leave home at decent hours, i never think about the job when i dont need to, solid middle bucket boi
OP to provide an alternative perspective: as an analyst I kept my head down, worked incredibly hard, maintained great relationships with my associates and seniors, built my skills up outside of work (and I worked a LOT), skipped out on lots of social events, and still only got middle bucket despite overwhelmingly positive feedback.
At the end of the day you can blow all your seniors with two hands every night before leaving the office and that still doesn’t guarantee top bucket. Or you can build practice models every night until 2 AM and that doesn’t guarantee it either.
My advice, which you should probably ignore: just be a professional and person that you’re proud to be. Don’t work hard or build your skills outside of work for a rating, but definitely do it if being a competent, fast, and technically sound analyst is important to you. Don’t shoot the shit with your 2nd years if your goal is a good rating, but definitely do it if being a fun person that makes his coworkers’ days brighter is important to you. Don’t hop on at midnight to turn comments to get top ratings, but definitely do it if being a reliable teammate is important to you.
Focus on what you control, which is showing up as the best version of you. Don’t be someone else for the chance to get an extra $10k.
I'm that guy - I will stay later and read something or practice modeling. I want to be good at this job. My view is that if you don't do "extra" work and invest in yourself, by the end of the 2 years you just learned powerpoint and nothing else. I also want to prep for buyside interviews. So many people here were complaining nO oNe wAs rEaDy fOr oNcYcLE. Sure, they weren't investing in themselves and being proactive in their learning so they got upset when PE firms wanted the cream of the crop (and they weren't it).
It's interesting because seniors have recognized I'm able to add more value and so I get staffed on the best projects and they ask for my opinion. I actually feel more part of the team and it's rewarding and stimulating. Meanwhile the juniors who don't take my approach complain they get staffed on strictly powerpoint. It's great because there's another analyst here who's keen on learning so we shoot the shit while reviewing stuff. We're sharing resources with eachother and teaching eachother things, it's great and totally uncompetitive.
I'm not doing this to outshine other people or make extra money. I just enjoy it and am naturally curious. Once I feel I've learned enough and the incremental value of staying longer is zero, I'll leave. It's that simple.
My social skills are fine and am well-liked in the team. You can invest in yourself and be social, it's not mutually exclusive.It sounds like you're playing in the NBA when really you enjoy playing pick-up basketball with friends. There's plenty of banks where people do nothing more than what is asked (and sometimes less) and the pay is probably the same. Why not go there? Sounds like you would be a better fit.
hahah already getting MS'ed for basically saying "take control of your career and invest in yourself" and "go to a bank that fits your culture"
you love to see it
You’re getting MSed for sounding like an absolute condescending loser. “Sounds like you’re playing in the NBA…”
My man, you are not Steph Curry and this is not the NBA. There are quite literally 10s of thousands of IB analysts all doing pointless menial work like yourself. You can “invest in yourself” and spend your free time alone in the office with headphones on, but don’t expect to get a cookie for it. The MD will not fuck you bro
I play basketball and have no desire to be in the NBA. Way too much time commitment, traveling on the road, competitiveness, less freedom etc. Sure the concept sounds cool, but if you're not die hard it sucks.
What I really enjoy is pick up basketball with my buddies, low commitment, no injuries etc. I'm not saying NBA is better, I'm saying there's merits to both and you should pick the one that fits your personal goals. Personally, I would love to be around analysts like that - they would make me better and I could learn from them.
Better to be happy somewhere than miserable somewhere else man.
Agree if you plan to leave. If you plan to stay and you're at a meritocratic place (if you're not at one go to one) you will be rewarded if you are smart and have a long-term horizon. I've put in 110% every day and sacrificed weekends on weekends. The returns have been quite strong - faster promo (2 years younger than next youngest), bonus, ability to bend the rules (which has now meant better hours) etc
Y-y-you ... you.... you... you want the MD to f-f-fuck you?
Damn, and I thought I was autistic
This has got to be a troll. This man just likened his menial formatting work to the NBA lolol
Sounds like overall you are well regarded, so therefore I wouldnt sweat it too much. I work with a handful of folks who take their role very seriously so I am often outshined and not a top-bucket contender. Based on your personality, I would do my best to connect with your Associates / VPs as much as possible. I am much more well regarded by senior team members than I am by immediate superiors, which can go a long way. Sounds like you are laid back and good at connecting with others, so leverage your strengths. While this may not affect your Y1 bucketing, it certainly can go a long way for Y2. Lastly, I wouldnt worry about it too much. I think a lot of folks make IB their identity (not IB specific, but finance in general), whereas you seem to have other genuine interests (which is 100% normal and the way it should be IMHO). Keep working hard and trying to build your relationships with more senior folks while simultaneously remembering that a job is just that, and continuing to find enjoyment from many different avenues in life. I have been both top and bottom bucket over my years and actually got pretty bad bonuses overall lol (determined by overall firm performance).
What...the hell....this is a joke right?
If my work / performance were fine, and I had a good understanding with the rest of the team, I would be ABSOLUTELY LIVID if I was placed bottom bucket for this kind of hardo nerd crap. Literally, tell them go back into the lockers they came from.
LMAO thanks for response man this was funny I agree dude.. I am not upset that these kids are bettering themselves, if they want to, who cares not my problem. However, I have a gripe that compared to these crazy hardos I myself will look 10x worse and weaker because they are just putting in insane and unnecessary work
Had a flashback to this classic from Leveraged Sellout: https://www.leveragedsellout.com/2004/01/re-lehman-brothers-recruiting/
Regarding leaving earlier than others - pretty sure there was a study done that showed those who spent the most hours in the office were not the most productive. Wouldn’t sweat it at all as long as you are pulling your weight.
I am the only analyst in the team and will be bottom bucket as well :) Happens to the best of us
How do you know for a fact? Did a friendly VP/ASO tell you a bottom rating was coming?
Delete
Get creative with it. Think outside the box. You may have to physically remove your competition
In all seriousness, my prediction is that this will work to your advantage. Since you are unique in your “chill” attitude in comparison to your competition, you will likely be seen as being a good culture fit that is well liked in the office.
Just got to make sure that you are actually well liked.
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