Valuation Consulting to Front Office

I made my way into IB from a valuation shop so it's definitely possible. Very similar work from a technical side, so there are transferable skills there but the thing you don't get in valuation is the PowerPoint skills which is a lot of IB. When I was trying to break into IB I got quite a few interviews but a lot of the time you will be looked at as a lateral hire and will be interviewing against other individuals who actually have IB experience, which makes it tough. Banks are much more likely to hire someone with a bit of IB experience already because they already know the process and it is assumed they can get up to speed faster and hit the ground running when hired. Learn PPT (Breaking Into Wall Street has a great course, couple hundred bucks) and learn the IB process (M&A, cap raises, etc.). When interviewing you really need to sell yourself and get the people you are speaking with to understand that you are capable and by hiring you they aren't just taking a chance on someone who might be able to figure it out. Finally, if you want to get into IB don't wait too long, the longer you wait to make the transition the harder it will be (3-4+ years of experience). You already have a few months of experience under your belt and FT recruiting is getting under way so if your looking to get into IB I'd start sending that resume around.