Sophomore Intern Lateral to IBD

I'm going to GS/MS/JPM this summer for my sophomore internship in non IBD, but still relevant role. The group has a solid training program and typically staffs interns on a few live deals with some modeling exposure. For my junior year I want to transition over to IBD, ideally in industrials or M&A (disqualifies GS I guess haha). Assuming that I am qualified (H/Y/P/D/W/M with 3.7+), what is the best way to go about making my move? Should I be honest with my group from day 1 and state my intentions and/or try to internally network during the summer? Ideally, I'd like to have a return offer targeted at a specific group. Thanks in advance everyone who can help.

11 Comments
 

So the D is Dartmouth right? You go to Dartmouth then?

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there" - Will Rogers
 

very common - I've seen it happen (S&T -> IB). Work your ass off this summer, then negotiate once you get the return offer. Be careful not to piss anyone off though, you might be walking on eggshells

 
Best Response

It's definitely possible, but I would be very careful in networking - you don't want your internship team to think you're not committed and lose a return offer because of that (it will be necessary to get a return offer to have a chance to move to IB).

I would reach out to a couple people in IB halfway or 3/4 the way through the summer, alums of your school if possible, and ask them to grab coffee to introduce yourself.

When you're meeting them, say that you've really enjoyed your internship in capital markets, it's been good to try something new, and you'd love to learn more about the rest of the bank. Mention you've done a previous IB internship and are curious about the way the experience differs at a BB.

Be able to speak intelligently about your prior experience and ask good questions. If they ask if you want to move to IB, say something non-commital (my opinion, others may differ) and have lots of enthusiasm for capital markets.

ONCE YOU GET AN OFFER FROM CAP MARKETS, reach out to them and say you've been thinking IB may be a better fit and really enjoyed speaking over the summer, and do you know if their group is looking for analysts for full time, if so it'd be great to speak with more people in the group, etc.

 

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