The dreaded notes taking

New analyst here, first week taking client notes. I’ve heard different takes on how associates handle this, some will review notes or help add missing details, while others flat-out say not to send them anything because they don’t want to be responsible if something’s wrong. 

Is it normal to ask an associate to review notes before sending to VP/MD, or is it generally expected that analysts just send directly? Trying to understand what’s standard as I'm really scared of missing out key details 

7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Don't be afraid to ask the question.  Best advice starting out is shut off your brain to what might be logical, and defer to your direct manager (associate).  There are so many spaz people in this industry and so many "processes" that don't make any sense, but now isn't the time to disrupt that, no matter how trivial it may sound.  

Practically, you should be asking a lot of questions at this stage, but there are ways to do it that don't make you seem so helpless.  For example, instead of pinging your associate saying "hey do you have a few minutes to chat about the note taking request you had", just take the notes, send them the notes, and present a path, "hey - here are my notes from the call.  I can send to MD if you'd like".  You've covered your bases and now they'll tell you what to do.  

 

CharlesCheese

Yeah, I actually tried that but in my case the associate said they’d prefer I just send notes directly since they don’t want to be responsible if something’s off in my notes. So if that happens, is it better to just own it and send straight up, or should I push back and still ask for a quick review? Or should I flag this to any senior

 

Director in IB - Gen

You guys are fucking up if you're not using AI to take notes for you  

Use an app like Otter to record/transcribe. then tell Gemini 2.5 pro the context and have it edit the transcript and turn it into bullet points

Not thats id ever consider this myself obviously 

Haha, so I go to a meeting room so I can record audio for every meeting?

 

Ad earum nostrum harum. Debitis quia ut veritatis nesciunt molestias. Nisi harum quia ut incidunt sed.

Distinctio nesciunt quibusdam animi enim officiis aperiam. Consequuntur aut aut repellendus voluptate. Cum sunt animi qui blanditiis. Aut explicabo sit praesentium. Doloribus quia provident maxime ipsa illo beatae dolor impedit.

Dolore non praesentium non enim tempora consectetur. Temporibus doloremque sunt cumque commodi adipisci incidunt. Blanditiis odio omnis quae expedita iste iste. Ratione dolores laborum est vitae ad molestias. Optio non doloribus ex. Nihil exercitationem voluptas dolor sit ab. Laboriosam fuga vitae commodi dolorem vitae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”