Problem: Diverse Analyst Way Smarter than My Non-Target Associate
So - my associate tries to correct me, but I have sound logic / data backing all of my work, which is very detailed, and ultimately we discover it is correct. Simultaneously, the associate discovers that they have inaccurate logic / are wrong and gets butthurt because of their ego. This is what happens when we hire non target incompetent associates.
Also - this associate is always bitching about “diversity” - despite the fact that a) she is a white female aka “diverse” and b) incompetent. So not only is she always wrong / doesn’t know what she’s doing, she is objectively ignorant.
Do I tell my manager or what should I do?
Pls help.
Congrats on your diversity
Examples?
You're speaking in strangely general terms. Please be more specific.
Literally simple shit - for example:
1) She said use the numbers for projections from research analyst reports. She tried to yell at me for the wrong numbers — but I showed her the numbers, which were accurate and she shut up. I kindly asked her if she made a simple mistake in reading the number off the page, or if she wanted to alter them for some reason — but she says “just use the research reports” and stormed off. Then she grumbles “diversity diversity.”
2) She tried to tell me the DCF was off. I explained that although the numbers are flowing in correctly from the provided financials - the midpoint convention numbers in the DCF from the template were wrong so I corrected it. Again, she says “please listen to my instructions and change it back.” Now the numbers are literally wrong.
WTF.
What a bitch if she verbally calls you diversity to your face. Sounds like an awful environment and not a team I would want to be apart of.
This probably sounds way more plausible in your mind than reality. I personally find it almost impossible to imagine someone saying "diversity" to insult a junior colleague. That would be professional suicide in 2023. Plenty of bankers are socially inept, but few were raised by wolves.
i'm also "diverse" so i'm sensitive to how that can impact one's experience. i still see shades of jussie smollett here tho (LOL). in other words, what seems plausible in your mind bears no relationship to how people actually interact on planet earth. discrimination is typically more subtle than this
What was your disagreement? I normally make fun of analysts for foolish growth/margin assumptions rather than just saying they're "wrong" arbitrarily. The details are still pretty vague, but fwiw i rely on factset/capital iq consensus rather than a printed research report.
i'm like 50%-60% sure you're telling duck tales
Suck it up my guy. Non-target is not the case here, nor diversity, it's just her ego. Chances are that if she bitches about "diversity", you're not the only person she brings it up with. One day the VP or MD will get tired of her shit and the game will weed her out eventually
This is what happens when the analyst retention rate is shit. You have to hire much less qualified associates who have much less knowledge than the analysts. These shit associates are leading us lol.
Exactly lol. I spent a summer with an MBA associate and bro was on tinder the whole time while shitting on my work. The unqualified hires are ruining the corporate world, be it in IB or not
Never tattle, but when the opportunity comes up to bring it up, do. Wait til you’re asked or set yourself up to be asked. For example, I would consider talking to your manager about how some recent experiences have made you interested in getting involved in diversity initiatives/recruiting at the firm. They’ll probably ask for details and then you can provide them.
A2A promote at the same bank I interned in, so fairly familiar with overall group politics. I think going over her head is pointless. Sooner or later senior bankers know who is capable of what and who isn’t pulling their weight. Especially when they ask you to explain your work / assumptions.
Throwing people under the bus has 0 benefits in the long term. Let your work speak for you. In your case, it seems like your associate has a big ego. (i) explain your reasoning, (ii) make your objections known, (iii) do as told. Ultimately, she’s responsible for the quality of the output and you can easily point to your approach when questioned (e.g., VP says numbers are wrong. You tell the VP in front of the associate “Understand numbers are off here is how I’d fix it” and proceed to send whatever you had done in the past. The VP will get it. And sooner or later he will be coming to you directly, leaving her out of the process). I’ve made countless mistakes in my career, thus my best quality as an associate is that I listen to everyone regardless of seniority. The intern / analyst points something out, I’ll either correct them if they are wrong (9/10 - at least they learn something new) or they are actually right and I give them a well-deserved praise (1/10 - but it builds up their confidence. Last thing I want is other people finding mistakes in my work and not point them out because they are afraid to get shut down). In short, stay the course and if your work is a as good as you claim, things will sort themselves out.
I'm going to guess this is a case of salty analyst not realizing what they're missing and assuming their superior is just an asshole.
Saying this is a result of hiring non-target while calling HER ignorant is incredibly ironic. Makes me wonder if you’re as good an analyst as you think you are cause you’re obviously lacking self awareness. The delusion runs deep here.
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