No Closed Deals for 1st Year Analyst Class

Currently in coverage group at a BB and realized none of the 1st year analysts in my group have closed a deal (M&A or Capital Markets) since starting last summer. Is this common this year with COVID?

We are in a hard-hit industry but typically have had reasonably good deal flow. Current 2nd years had almost all closed something by this point last year. Most of my class hasn’t signed for an exit, so not sure if this is a death sentence for PE recruiting as well.

53 Comments
 

Your first sentence is completely true objectively. The second statement should be completely flipped as in flip all of the >

Will update my computer soon and leave Incognito so I will disappear forever. How did I achieve Neanderthal by trolling? Some people are after me so need to close account for safety.
 

That doesn't mean you have to stoop to their level and make fun of them if they're trying to say something insightful. You should be trying to encourage them to be insightful, not putting them down. This is why you're just a prospect and not an actual analyst at an IB.

Will update my computer soon and leave Incognito so I will disappear forever. How did I achieve Neanderthal by trolling? Some people are after me so need to close account for safety.
 

I would recommend trying to lateral. Start over as an Ana 1 at another bank if you have to. Deal experience is 90% of PE recruiting. If you don't have at least one M&A deal on your resume, you're going to have a very hard time landing at a good PE shop.

I was lucky and had two M&A deals on my resume when I went through recruiting, but half of my analyst class didn't have anything closed and those individuals had a very hard time recruiting (some are still with the bank because they couldn't leave).

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