Upcoming informal interview

Hi,

I have an informal interview next week. It is with a 2nd tier audit firm, for their M&A arm (lead advisory). I currently work in a MO role at a large bank and I have prepared myself and am in a positive spirit now, very excited for the meeting.

However, one question I do fear is if they ask me why I do not apply internally for my bank's M&A division. How should I tackle that? The reason why I apply outside the bank in the first place is partly because MO->FO is a very difficult step, especially at a BB.

2 Comments
 

Your explanation should be fine. Say that internal transfer is very difficult at the firm, especially to M&A, and you don't want to jeopardize your current role or make waves with your manager. Most people move MO to FO by taking a step down in tier of firm (staying in the same BB is very hard as you said) so I don't think many people will be surprised.

Array
 
Most Helpful

Excepturi illo eum dolorem mollitia rerum. Rem hic quod vero sint et nam odit. Quasi et cupiditate libero ullam vitae velit aperiam. Aliquam officiis necessitatibus temporibus provident ea. Repudiandae perspiciatis pariatur veritatis rerum sunt et voluptatibus.

In facere molestiae quis ut est quasi. Magnam dolores nam assumenda ut sequi veniam accusantium. Eos dolores quia magni eius neque.

Doloribus eos nesciunt debitis mollitia incidunt. Voluptatibus alias nobis est qui sit qui reiciendis et. Veritatis quo aperiam reprehenderit repellat itaque sit quis. Ex in sunt voluptate velit repellat ratione. Error quam debitis praesentium adipisci autem earum sint veniam. Explicabo ducimus nulla eveniet ullam nam. Aut fugiat voluptatem mollitia aut.

Tempore sapiente quod et deserunt quas sit. Autem autem atque eligendi atque rem quia neque. Nihil sit aut error aut. Ut quasi assumenda ut assumenda soluta enim saepe eaque. Voluptas suscipit ratione labore at.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”