What are people looking for in a lateral associate?

Thinking about lateraling as an 1st or 2nd year associate to a BB or EB, what are people typically looking for? It seems like the technical questions are the same as analyst interviews.

5,756 WSO Academy Investment Banking Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '29 Oct 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Career Roadmap (optional)

“I think that Michael was a great mentor. He was on time which is think is a very important thing when you are in business. He talked about my career paths and how to differentiate myself from other people. He also explained to me about Bloomberg and how I can utilize that to get more contacts. He was very kind, he offered to help me with drafting up emails to send to people and he even offered to look at my resume when it was completed. He said the big thing in networking is to contact the person you want to contact and then talk about their live deals and connect it with your real estate deals. He was excellent!”

Class of '28 Jul 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Investment Banking Mock Interview

“Julius was one of the best mentors I have worked with so far. The interview was very well structured, realistic and genuinely challenging, which made the session extremely valuable. I especially appreciated the way he asked follow-up questions and pushed me to think more deeply rather than simply accepting the first answer. His feedback was clear, practical and specific, and he explained how I could improve both my answers and the way I communicate them. I really enjoyed the session and would definitely be happy to work with him again.”

See All 10,757 WSO Academy Reviews

1 Comments

WSO Monkey Bot

O

4y

Alias ut esse facilis inventore sequi suscipit aut. Ab vero harum sit qui sed eveniet. Saepe placeat temporibus voluptas quo qui harum autem. Et nesciunt dignissimos et ad iure accusantium voluptatem. Hic corrupti adipisci repellat cumque ratione esse. Expedita cumque rerum rerum debitis aut nulla at.

+159	Piper Sandler in talks to acquire PWP	70	1h
+155	Just One More Year	11	3d
+119	UBS Appears to be Exploring Sale	19	17h
+86	Paradise Is Paradise	6	19h
+81	Bringing Deals as a Vice President	25	1d
+57	Drunk VP. How to manage?	20	7h
+38	Q&A \| Investment Banking Analyst, UBS \| 2 years in investment banking	11	3d
+32	M&A is Paradise	1	3d
+31	Will they pay Directors $1mm+?	14	3d
+30	Lazard US Views 2026/2027	7	5m

1	redever	99.2
2	Secyh62	99.0
3	kanon	99.0
4	BankonBanking	99.0
5	dosk17	98.9
6	GameTheory	98.9
7	CompBanker	98.9
8	Betsy Massar	98.9
9	DrApeman	98.9
10	numi	98.8

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

What are people looking for in a lateral associate?

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

What are people looking for in a lateral associate?

See All Comments - 100% Free

Trending Content - Investment Banking Forum