What do you look for in a bank?

Broadly speaking, what do you look for when weighing different banking opportunities? What factor(s) is/are most important? I'm weighing a couple of different opportunities. Even after making a list of pros and cons, I'm still not clear on which route to go.

Level of responsibility (i.e. seeing the whole deal process from start to finish vs. just being responsible for a small aspect of the deal, such as the model)?

Training (formal vs. "on the job" training)?

Mentoring (again, a formal mentoring program vs. "on the job" mentoring)?

Deal flow (number of transactions closed in '09, number of engagements going into '10, etc.)?

Reputation (regional vs. national vs. international)?

What industry / product group you'll be in (confined to one industry or a generalist)?

Pay ('09 bonuses vs. the Street average, and base salary considerations)?

Hours (for me, fewer hours translates into an opportunity to stand out by working 80-90 hrs per week while everyone else works 70-80; however, at a bank where everyone works 80-90, standing out requires a greater sacrifice. Also: more hours doesn't always translate into higher pay and more learning. I've learned it usually just translates into more hours, so it's a double-edged sword)?

What other factors should I be considering?

7 Comments
 

Think about the people too. At the end of the day, if you hate one bank's crew more than the other, you're analyst stint is going to be a lot more painful...

 

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