Should I take the offer if it's not going to get me any closer to my ultimate goal?

I'm currently unemployed with some decent experience in my field (non IB). However, I left my previous job and have been looking for something in the meantime. I have an offer from a small shop in the investor relations department which pays really well for my area. However, I don't see myself being in IR long-term (want to go M7 and early/growth stage investing) and wondering whether it's going to set me back more than anything since it's all sales and no analysis. I'm doing a couple of things on the side that I can easily use to explain the gap in my resume.

Considering the current job market, should I take the role that pays well but won't get me the experience that I need to get where I want? Or should I keep recruiting (and work odd jobs to pay the bills) until I find something that I'm really excited about?

1 Comments
 

Exercitationem sequi repudiandae sed temporibus. Cumque est quae aliquam magni nisi non sed. Nam explicabo amet est et qui qui.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 98.4%
  • JPMorgan No 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”