New first year- things incredibly slow?

Any other first years just not have much work to do? I've been on the desk since monday and have in total sent one calendar invite, edited 2 powerpoint slides (not decks- individual slides), and printed out one thing for a senior.

Is this normal for someone hitting the desk? Everyone at my bank constantly telling me how busy they are, yet it just seems like no one wants to take the time to actually get me up to speed and help. I talked to my staffer once but it's a bit weird because he's working remotely (on vacation maybe?) and I don't want to keep harassing him. 

Do I just bide my time and wait? Anyone have tips/tricks looking busy at the office when you have 0 work but don't want to look like a slacker and leave work? I've currently been sitting at the office everyday for 14 hours messing around in my email. 

14 Comments
 

Open previous project folders if you have access, and then check what's in them. Either genuinely study the materials, or put something on your desktop to pretend to be busy. I don't judge people on your motive.

Or, you can go to Macabacus or MultipleExpansion and learn to build models from scratch. The instructions are crystal clear. I guess you can also call that spoon feed, but it works. 

Persistency is Key
 

Was in the same boat last year and it made me pretty anxious. Looking back, I wish I would of sat tight. I would let the staffer know I had capacity any time we had a check in. I kept getting accounts that were slow / non active. A month later almost every account I was on blew up at once. 
 

i had a horrible 6 months after that. Lesson learned: don’t ask for work (excessively). It will come to you. 

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Qui necessitatibus impedit voluptatem voluptate in. Amet odio dolores est. Nam adipisci sed perferendis nesciunt. Quaerat consequatur ad non veniam dolore assumenda.

Commodi nihil assumenda reiciendis sit debitis ut. Harum culpa excepturi magni quia qui doloremque. Qui laboriosam laborum itaque itaque vitae. Consectetur quis rem consequatur impedit quae et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”