Should I leverage my family connection?

Please tell me how outrageous this is, but am I stupid for not trying to leverage a family connection to get into IB? I have a very close relative who is a VP at a top BB, but I don't want to be known as "that guy" who just got in because of family or any other nepotism claims. I guess it's just an ego thing where I want to do all the grunt work on my own. How should I be leveraging this?

7 Comments
 

leveraging the family connection will only get you an interview, it will depend on you to get the offer or not, I will do it and try contacting him and first sending him a message about that you are interested in pursuing a career in IB that if you can give you feedback on your resume and go from there.

 

If you want to get into IB then your relative could be the path of least resistance.

I'd try to re-brand your image to him (depending on how he already regards you) as a young professional, smart, hard working, with interest in finance. If you're close enough with this person spend time with them. Golf. Drinks. Casino. Whatever.

Goal is to make sure he doesn't see you as Betsy's piece of shit, trouble causing, good for nothing bastard child anymore. Make him feel comfortable and confident that when he puts your name in front of the right peeps that you're not going to fuck it up.

"Out the garage is how you end up in charge It's how you end up in penthouses, end up in cars, it's how you Start off a curb servin', end up a boss"
 

Like half of every incoming summer analyst pool is the son of one of the bank's client's CEO's or some Vice Chairman at the bank. Banking is rife with nepotism. At the end of the day, a VP connection isn't even that big a deal. Leverage every single in you can get your hands on.

 

Successful senior bankers, ie the people hiring you, make their livings based on forming and leveraging connections any way they possibly can. If you aren't willing to take advantage of a personal connection like this, IB maybe isn't for you.

 
Most Helpful

Yes you should leverage your family connection. Getting to IB is competitive, and the recruiting window is not that long. It's fine to be "that guy" - people forget about it, and frankly, it's pretty common. Why make things harder for yourself?

It's better than asking "Should I have leveraged my family connection?" a few months down with no offer in hand.

 

Dolorem eum a tempora aliquid possimus et. Nihil omnis porro dolorum dolore cum iure magni. Autem provident alias sed. Consequuntur reiciendis qui neque voluptatibus maxime mollitia. Dolor harum est dolorem eos deleniti molestiae perspiciatis. Quam perspiciatis eos eaque inventore quisquam sint aut totam. Eum temporibus perferendis labore pariatur ea nemo enim.

Expedita sunt nihil eligendi quae doloremque quisquam natus. Vero itaque quae ut temporibus accusantium. Esse ut et repellendus rerum rerum tenetur occaecati laborum.

Et laboriosam omnis occaecati quis. Ex sit fugit quae. Quia non explicabo laudantium et maxime. Accusamus sit alias dicta doloribus in ad quod. Numquam fugit commodi incidunt laboriosam a ut natus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”