“My mentoring session with Andre was extremely valuable and gave me the clarity and direction I needed at an important stage of my application journey. He was kind, approachable, and generous with his time, creating an atmosphere in which I felt comfortable sharing my experiences, asking questions, and discussing my doubts openly.
One of the most helpful aspects of our conversation was his guidance on how to organize and communicate my personal story. Andre helped me understand how to connect different experiences into a coherent narrative, identify the elements that matter most, and explain their significance more clearly. His perspective was fundamental in helping me see how to present my background with greater confidence, purpose, and authenticity.
I particularly appreciated his advice on what to avoid. He helped me recognize that including every detail does not necessarily make a story stronger, and that being selective can make a message much more effective. Our discussion gave me a clearer understanding of how to avoid unnecessary repetition, keep my narrative focused, and ensure that each part contributes something meaningful to the overall application.
Andre also provided valuable guidance on how to organize the application process itself. He helped me think more clearly about priorities, how to approach the different components, and how to make the work feel more manageable. Having a clearer structure has made a difference to my mindset: instead of seeing the applications as one overwhelming task, I now feel better equipped to approach them through specific, achievable steps.
Another important takeaway was his advice on how to use the coming days effectively. Our conversation helped me understand where to focus my energy, which tasks deserve immediate attention, and how to establish a realistic plan. I left the session with a stronger sense of direction and a better understanding of how to balance thoughtful preparation with consistent progress.
What made the experience positive was the combination of practical guidance and encouragement. Andre offered suggestions in a considerate and constructive way, helping me reflect on my choices while also making me feel supported. His kindness made it easier to engage honestly with the process and to see areas for improvement as opportunities to strengthen my applications.
Overall, this session was fundamental in helping me understand both what I want to communicate and how to move forward. I now have a clearer approach to telling my story, organizing my applications, avoiding common mistakes, and planning the next few days with intention.
I am very grateful for Andre’s support and for the care he brought to our conversation. His advice gave me useful tools, renewed confidence, and a more focused approach to the work ahead. I would highly recommend a session with him to anyone seeking thoughtful guidance, practical direction, and a supportive space to develop their application narrative. The session helped me turn uncertainty into a clearer plan, and I feel much more prepared to make the most of the time ahead and present my experiences in a meaningful and convincing way.”
Analysts make mistakes all the time, An1-An3, but as long as you're not making the same mistakes over and over then you're fine. As a first year to be a top bucket you don't need to be a rock star by any stretch, senor bankers just need to see that you are progressing and learning from your mistakes. Bottom bucket is reserved for those who aren't proactive and continue to make the same mistakes.
Thank you so much for your response. I’m just curious , given a couple analysts who are all very proactive and have great attitude, technically sound, what fundamentally differentiate them when comes to ranking?
Luck
75% politics 20% work ethic 5% skill.
99% of analysts have the same “ability”, this job is very easy and outside of a few people that are absolute machines or complete clowns, every analyst is basically the same.
Work ethic is similar, some people just go above and beyond on everything and work 24/7, some people don’t respond to emails on a weekend, but the vast majority of analysts work pretty hard but still have a semblance of self respect (a bit slower on weekends, go out on Friday night, etc)
A few people will clearly be top or bottom bucket based on the above, but the vast majority of analysts fall in the same tier of being good at their job and hard working but not truly exceptional.
It’s the politics that differentiate this bucket, as some of those will end up top, most will end up middle, and a handful bottom.
If you’re someone the MDs like to work with and are fun to be around, they’re more likely to give you a little push to be top. If you’re a weird goober, more likely to one of the unlucky few who gets pushed into bottom because HR says some percent of the group needs to be bottom even though you’re work quality is fine.
Figure out who the key decision makers are, every bank has a different format. Is there one MD who likes to be involved in reviews? Who are the key decision makers who might vouch for you?
At my bank associates gave most of feedback but no one really cared what they said, it was an inner circle of a handful of VPs and directors who the MDs really respected that had all the power. The MD in charge of our comp didn’t know any analysts or really about us, so they’d just ask the VPs they liked for rankings. I was a completely average analyst but had 2 VPs who really liked me and I got top bucket even though others in the group worked way harder.
So summary is don’t overestimate the stupid skills required to turn comments on logo alignment and make sure to remember the big picture. When they’re talking about you on the review committee no one will remember the one time you missed a footnote.
How did you figure out that it was the VPs that really had the most say vs the associates? Any tips on finding out the influence holders subtly as a new analyst?
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