For context: I was 2 years in a standard coverage group. Middle bucket, solid reviews, handled the sweat. Left ~14 months ago due to severe burnout and internal politics. Basically a "push came to shove" exit.
I didn't plan for a long break. I underestimated how bad the market was. I haven’t just been sitting around. I’ve been in processes. I’ve had interviews. But between hiring freezes and just narrowly missing the cut in final rounds, nothing has stuck.
The constant rejection and lack of structure is breaking me. Without the external pressure of the job, my ADHD (manageable before) is spiraling. I’m losing the "killer instinct." I wake up foggy, simple tasks take forever, and my prep is getting sloppy because I’m mentally exhausted from 14 months of trying. I see my analyst class making associate or moving to UMM PE, and I’m sitting here with no offer, and declining confidence.
I want to get back into a seat (Corp Dev, Strat, LMM PE), but I need to stop the bleeding.
- The Spin: How do I frame "14 months of near-misses" without sounding like damaged goods?
- The Mental Game: How do you stay sharp for technicals when you haven't modeled a live deal in a year? My "grind" capacity is gone.
- Reality Check: Given the gap + the failed interviews, do I need to aim lower (standard FP&A/Valuation) just to get a logo back on the resume?
Be brutal.
Restarting after burnout and managing ADHD overload is a tough challenge, but it's not insurmountable. Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s a structured approach to tackle your situation:
1. The Spin: Framing the 14-Month Gap
2. The Mental Game: Staying Sharp for Technicals
3. Reality Check: Should You Aim Lower?
4. Managing ADHD and Burnout
5. Rebuilding Confidence
Final Thoughts
You’re not "damaged goods." The market is tough, and many talented individuals are in similar positions. By reframing your narrative, sharpening your skills, and strategically targeting roles, you can turn this around. Remember, it only takes one "yes" to change everything. Keep grinding, but don’t forget to take care of yourself along the way.
Sources: Please Advise: Never-Ending Job Hunt, Navigating the Unemployment Terrain, Unemployed and living in parents' basement, losing hope, Finding New Jobs, Running out of time and options in a big, big way; have no idea what to do; losing my mind
Over a year of unemployment screams that you have either been too picky or didn’t broaden your search enough.
At this point you need any job in finance. Should consider fp&a and other corporate finance stuff. PE is not going to happen, I’d deprioritize that stuff. You doing practice LBO models is a waste of time and you’d be better off applying to jobs and networking.
What jobs have you made it deep in the process for?
I did consider those but given the market there were not too many to begin with.
i made it to final rounds for several IB , PE and corp dev postions as well.
You just need to widen your net. Similarly I exited IB and took a break before getting back in. You'll most likely have to downgrade in banks and also shoot for cities outside of T1, and even T2 depending on your background. Good to get a break, but heard this market is quite tough. Tbh, I would either go to a adjacent IB role, completely exit finance, or go back to IB and exit when you have more leverage for corporate roles.
I would offer a different perspective than what I am seeing in the comments. Obligatory I have never been in this position, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
At this point, I have to assume you have burned through savings and are living at home. This is noteworthy because if so, it means you can "afford" to take a bit of a break. If you are half as burnt out as you say you are, take December off. Really unwind for a month, spend time with local friends and family, work out a bunch, eat clean, get your head on straight. Think of this as a hard reset prior to kicking off 2026.
Why start with a hard reset? You sound exhausted man. December recruiting is historically horrendous, and your confidence is likely in the gutter. You need to take care of yourself before you can put your best foot forward and land a competitive role.
Next, contrary again to what others said, continue with your targeted search. Corp Dev, IB, PE, all sound good. You need to look for the small shops willing to take a chance on you. I would challenge all these folks saying you need to expand the scope of your search. Rarely does FP&A take IB guys, not because they arent smart or qualified, but because they want other FP&A guys and girls. Branching out to industries youve A. Never worked in B. Dont have a network in and C. Know little about rarely works. Even if the jobs are "beneath" you, you will be shocked at how hard these jobs are to land. Source: I have personally tried at different phases in my career. If you network hard, maybe its possible, but you will never be the first choice.
In parallel, you need to be crafting your story. You didnt get fired (right?), so you can craft this as a ~2 year break. Call it a reset to explore passions, travel, take care of your family, whatever the fuck you want. But dont call it two years of job searching.
Finally, understand which shops you should be targeting. Small 20 person IB firms in the LMM might kill to have you on your team. A nascent privately held company forming their first Corp Dev team might love to have you, especially if their comp isnt competitive. You need someone to take a chance on you. Which means subpar comp and deal reps. But remember, youre just getting back on the saddle.
Hope this helps, good luck man. Take care of your mental, and youll be shocked at how quickly you land something. Keep pounding the pavement while burnt out, and you will likely continue to spiral and struggle.
can’t emphasize how helpful this was even to just seek external validation (in regards to me thinking in the same direction).
No, I wasn’t fired and was recovering from the loss of a parent as well ( I try not to bring this up in interviews bc of the effect it still has on me and reactions/questions from others)
I do agree it is my fault but I just could not get myself to network or face the world right after….
Hey man, in no way shape or form am I saying this is your fault, life just isnt that straightforward.
Recovering from the loss of a parent is an extremely valid reason to take a break from banking. It just isnt possible to pull your weight 365 days a year while unpacking all the emotions and mixed feelings.
Thinking about the why you left banking is only more complex now, as you have a very valid reason. My only recommendation would be to have 2-3 justifications in your quiver and to use your own discretion depending on where you interview. If you interview at a sweatshop, you probably dont want to mention that, as it will seem as though personal may take priority over work. However, if youre interviewing for a corp dev role where most of the team isnt ex-IB or theyre all Dads with little kids who prioritize WLB, I think honesty is the best policy.
Hope this helps. Try and get some R&R this holiday season, and dont be too hard on yourself. Holidays are tough enough, before taking into account the loss of a parent.
As someone who has explored the FP&A space as a way to get out of IB after my analyst stint, I found it extremely difficult to get into any processes. Overqualified to start over, not the right experience for the role, etc.
I actually ended up switching banks, as the recruiting process was significantly easier with minimal prep. So, I think there is quite a bit of merit here - in staying the course.
I agree with this, firms can be wary of someone coming in from IB who might be a flight risk + doesn't have the experience that is plentiful with the many F500 FLDP/corp fin grads in the market.
It can be done, but you would probably need to network and craft a solid narrative for why you want to take such a huge pay cut. I would cast as wide a net as possible
Great perspective, I had a similar issue when trying to leave consulting with a mixture of IB and Consulting experience.
Banking is sold as this promise land of exit opportunities, where you have this diversified skillset that makes you attractive for many different roles. This is true, you have a very versatile skillset, which makes you a candidate for many different roles, but really you remain a top candidate for M&A focused roles, with little exception.
You can stop using ChatGPT to do your writing for you as a start
I saw some ReEntry Programs from large banks. Not sure what the requirements are but it says it’s meant for people who have taken a career break. Worth looking into.
aim for boutique MM IBD and LMM PE / credit / buyside shops, get some deal reps in, and then lateral when the market improves, which it will eventually.
thanks for the advice.
how should i go about structuring this search?
Headhunters, college career platform (usually Handshake), LinkedIn, college alumni network, cold networking, etc.
Burnout happens, and believe me, it's much better to burnout earlier than later, so that you can learn from the experience when you are still early in your career.
For context, I burnt out during my junior year SA program and did not get a return offer, graduated jobless in 08, and landed on my feet a few years later.
In this economy, lateral market is cooked for the most part, so I would focus on getting any Wall Street type role, get some deal reps in, and then lateral upmarket when the economy improves.
In a good economy, there have been people who have lateraled from DA Davidson --> GS --> CVP, as well as HSBC Global Markets --> Lazard RX --> SVP.
Right now, I'd focus on getting a stepping stone gig first.
Hi! I saw this post on LinkedIn and after reading your comment about your parent I had to come here to answer it. I am so so so sorry about it. And I'm petrified you said it's your fault that you needed space before you faced people again. We are humans! Of course we need space to heal, even if the corporate world denies it to us. I lost someone very important to a horrible death while I was in IB too. And I couldn't face people too. They gave me some days out but I started low performing afterwards and finally I left before they came to the conclusion to let me go. I left to a job I hated but did GMAT in the middle and the possibility of an MBA started to give me some reason to be hopeful about life. That's what I ended up doing and I'm almost graduating now and life seems easier to bear / more hopeful than in those last days at IB.
I hope you find your job (please come and tell us when you do! I'll be rooting for you), but maybe consider studying for GMAT (it will at least give your brain some sense of productivity bc that math gets you obsessed 😂). And maybe go to the MBA that accepts you if you don't find something else. In HBS I've seen people as young as 24 and old as 34. I'm sure you are in this age range.
Also, if you don't need to move anyone around with you, I'd consider applying for IB in random countries (MENA region mainly) and say you wanted an intl experience. You can come back after 1y.
Good luck!
Also: DEF GO TO THE GYM AND EAT CLEAN. It does miracles.
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