Top group, ok people vs Ok group, great people
(Sector groups within IB) What should one think about most? Exits, deal flow, reputation, or good relationships and enjoying the professional circle?
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I don't know the US market, but surely being in a group that is enthusiastic and has a better culture will translate into better learning and development and ultimately a more robust skill-set. It would also make the job more enjoyable / less painful. I'd take the more friendly group assuming deal flow isn't materially weaker, even if it is less strong on paper. Assuming the question was asked with PE exits in mind, then I'd have thought that a more motivated / less drained analyst would still fare as well as the one from a better group.
Should caveat this with the fact that it's quite hard to ascertain the real culture of an entire group based on meeting a few people. And that people can behave differently during interviews / networking calls than they do in real life.
Which is gonna make you happier, you should already know the answer in your gut
If you're talking about real estate, people are always more important than "group". No one cares about your group - they care about what you know. This isn't banking, where you're just a monkey for most of your career, or the parts where "group" matters. Your opportunities will come if you show you know shit, and the way to gain that knowledge is people who care about your professional development.
Mind you, if it's being at Hines or being a gopher at a tiny brokerage, that's not the same, but I assume that isn't the scenario.
Being very honest/blunt.... I have really little respect for what is called a "Top" group and really no clue what is "Ok" by WSO standards... So, OP, unless you want to drop a range of names for each... I'm not going to guess (have seen too many "Blackstone=Top" and "PGIM=Ok" type posts, which can be one's opinion, but sounds moronic to me, again each can decide for themselves).
A job you like, you will do better at... period.... Name/reputation of firm matters some, but not nearly as much as people think. And ALWAYS takes a back seat to what you actually, do, and know. So, go where you can be most successful... that generally aligns with "great people" IMHO, but all is personal in this regard!
Having a "name brand" on your resume for a first job can help with a second, no doubt. But if you are comparing between two "name brands" (like Blackstone vs. PGIM as I set up above), the marginal difference is more meaningless than you realize (as Ozymandia said correctly, this isn't banking, this is real estate, name brand is far more meaningless 90% of the time). Further, using my BX vs. PGIM setup.... I do not think it is personally obvious to me which one actually gives you "better exit ops".. this is in part because desired "Exit op" is open for interpretation. So, I'd always go "great people" in this setup, but as they say... YMMV.
Sorry for the misunderstanding, I meant sector groups within IB. So Tech, Industrials, HC, etc. One of these is considered much stronger than others in terms of deal flow but seems to have slightly colder people (as of networking), while a few other "slower" groups have very enthusiastic members.
not sure if you meant to do this... but you posted in the real estate forum... sounds like a question for the IB forum. Not sure if this is the right crowd to say.
I do think seeing "more deal flow" is better, all else equal (id guess true in IB). BUT, I think the "great people" rule goes to fit, and that usually is most important in all types of careers. Still, ask this in the IB forum and you will get better, relevant answers!
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