"Why us?" - Story in Interv. Move from MO (BB) to FO In smaller firm? - Why a smaller firm? (Stuck)

Hi, this is my first post and I will elaborate in another post about the issues I am dealing with but one of the main things I am dealing with when looking for new work is having compelling story in an interview for one particular situation. Not in general - just for dealing with this one problem.

I work MO in a BB, If I am interviewing for a smaller group/non-BB bank, I have noticed quite often it appears 'weird'/awkward' that I am doing so. They are skeptical as to why I am doing this, and as we all know our 'story' is a super effective way of making the case why we are here, why we fit, and as a catch all to crush any initial skepticism upfront to get to the technical...or other fit questions.

I have used .. " I am a generalist and want to be a sector expert" - this works for ER.. since they have well defined coverage groups. However I am in an M&A division and if I am going for another generalist M&A division, I do not know how I could best spin this yarn. I could say "more higher impact role/FO" - but this just blows wide open problems, I know this because I tried that route, although honest and a respectable reason - it didn't work out. It made my story appear to have holes. After revealing this, it usually divulges into a bombardment of questions that are far harder to answer/walk through than investment pitches, technicals, etc.

Please wait for another post I have that explains current situation but this one question in general is boggling my mind.

 

Provident corrupti tenetur tempore consequatur aperiam minus doloribus. Id quibusdam labore id sit voluptatem non architecto iusto. Sapiente consequuntur officia quasi hic odit velit. Fuga ex cumque aut eum in molestiae sapiente.

Aut architecto nulla tempore dolorem placeat fugit. Consectetur est provident et veritatis fuga. At a vel aut laborum assumenda sed. Debitis esse eos a ratione adipisci ab. Facilis aliquid repellat qui odio. Expedita voluptatem iure rerum quia odio assumenda rerum. Doloribus quis laudantium aperiam ex et sequi est.

Cumque excepturi quidem possimus. Asperiores veritatis vel aliquid omnis aut impedit ex.

Itaque aspernatur alias aliquam est. Est reiciendis qui aut magnam rerum architecto voluptas officiis. Eligendi doloremque nisi ut magnam et reprehenderit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”