Why do Jefferies bankers give such SDE

I’ve coadvised with them, been interviewed by former Jefferies bankers for buyside/lateral IB roles, and have met them in the wild. They’re so abrasive, constantly trying to catch you with “Gotcha!” moments and prove how smart they are. When we work with them they gatekeep information and materials and don’t want to collaborate. When I’ve interviewed for buyside/lateral roles and got a former Jefferies banker interviewer they always were the only one in the process to excessively grill me and would cut me after even if I did well (this has happened at various stages in 3+ different processes). For context, I’m at a good bank (Citi/MOE/LAZ) and went to a target school. Idk if they actually think they’re that far above us or if they are just overcompensating for the massive chip on their shoulder, but I haven’t experienced arrogance like theirs even from people at top banks. Just so weird and SDE. Going forward I will be actively avoiding them and their attitudes.

20 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I can relate with how my first interactions were with the bank in the early - mid 2010s. I found the bank back then to be kinda cultish / fratty and kinda arrogant in their own world. I ended up going to MOE for a couple of years and worked with their RX team which was a JEF lift out. 

Now after leaving MOE and having some other experiences and interactions with Jef including meeting Rich/Brian in person at a jef investor event and others, my opinion changed in them. 

Yes they are still kinda arrogant and “in their own world” but I have a better opinion on them. They can be nice and helpful but it’s kinda like Jef or bust for them. They may not be as intertwined with the other banks / broader economy (they don’t do earnings calls fwiw like every other public IB) so they do kinda have their own island on Madison Ave. 

Just understanding that psychology and the fact that they kinda see themselves as very independent and the next time a crisis shows up they are on their own (compared to the other big banks and even boutiques who seem to be more part of the “herd”), has helped me better relate and do business with them. 

Since I changed my mindset I got 2 solid stock tips from their ER department (Spotify a few years ago before the drop and GEV when it was recently spun off), so hard for me to say bad things about them at this point. lol. 

Good luck if you have to deal with them again. Cheers

 

“I respect them… they do the sketchiest deals” - like first brands lol

 

Their name is so annoying and every time I spell it I have to look it up to make sure I’m including all the necessary “e”s

 

My interactions with them are fine and ppl in my groups also like them in general. But maybe it’s just because how more toxic we are lmao

 

Architecto ad provident et aut aspernatur voluptas. Ratione quam natus expedita nisi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”