Women in IB
Is it true that as a women in banking you need to be the most technical, saw this on Tik tok and not sure how to prepare for my SA or where to start
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Career Resources
Based on the most helpful WSO content, the idea that women in investment banking need to be "the most technical" is more of a misconception than a rule. While technical skills are essential for anyone in banking, the key to excelling as a summer analyst (SA) lies in a combination of technical proficiency, interpersonal skills, and professionalism—regardless of gender.
Here’s how you can prepare effectively for your SA role:
1. Master the Technicals
2. Practice Behavioral and Fit Questions
3. Start Small and Build Confidence
4. Be Personable and Professional
5. Leverage Mentors and Resources
6. Relax and Stay Composed
Remember, success in investment banking isn’t about being the most technical person in the room—it’s about being well-rounded, adaptable, and a team player. Good luck with your SA preparation!
Sources: Preparing for an IB internship, SA Interview Prep Techniques, How to prepare for summer ASSOCIATE internship, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/sa-interview-prep-techniques?customgpt=1
I know a lot of women who did stints in IB before leaving. Generally speaking, no, you don't need to be the most technical, but be warned of the fact a lot of fellow bankers will think you only got the job because you're a woman, not because you're capable. I can guarantee there will be at least 1-2 comments on this thread talking about "Beckies" and DEI hiring.
You have to have some level of thick skin. IB is still fairly fratty, as it's not like many other areas of finance that have been changed a lot by tech and data(like the markets, for example). It's relationship driven and fairly conservative.
Your best bet is simply to make a good impression with everyone. Some of that could be technical, yes, but I'd argue a lot more of it is simply showing off that you're competent and capable. Oh, also, listen to seniors. A lot of juniors come in with a lot of arrogance and don't fully listen to senior people they work with. If you can get a mentor or someone to guide you, take full advantage.
You're having MS thrown by the incels of WSO, lol. They don't seem to like the idea that it's possible women have brains, or can do finance...
Oh well. I could care less if a 21 year old who hears the same crap about how women "are just getting hired because of quotas" throws MS at me. It isn't true, especially not now. Some of the most capable people I've met in finance have been women, and they've always had to prove themselves more just because they're women. I used to think women had it better, with pipelines and easier recruiting paths, but I've spent nearly a decade in the industry and I've seen how people are passed over due to their gender or race.
Despite all the edii best efforts, women in banking suck in general (e.g. all the in fighting, can't use excel, pro yappers). Pretty much all the banks my buddies (BB / EB / MM) and I are at, with all the edii guard rails gone, women aren't getting returns on merit lol
OP, best of luck lol, be prepared to rerecruit for IR
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Easiest read of my life
Ohhh boy
To break in probably not, truth be told it will be easier for a women to get into IB than an Asian or white male. I say this as a fellow DEI hire. However, I do think because of the above, if you want to kill the stereo types then you will have to be at least a little more proficient at the job than non-DEI hires. It’s kinda like nepo kids, if the kid gets a job and then just doesn’t care, it’s annoying. However, if that same kid comes in and is just an animal in excel, the fact that he is nepo means a litttle bit or a lot a bit less. I would say DEI and nepo has a lot of similarity.
No. Easier to get in and get good performance reviews as a junior due to gender quotas in a male dominated field.
However women have to deal with a lot of other stuff like creepy coworkers etc.
Easier to get in and promoted due to DEI quotas. The only coworkers that get labeled creepy are the unattractive ones. You will be surprised how many female Associates are sleeping with VP and above even in the same team. A lot of them are work wives of MDs in late 40s with teenage kids.
This is literally made up BS? I have worked in 3 banks, know people in various banks across London, and have NEVER heard of this outside WSO. It's a fantasy. If a male associate/VP is close with an MD, you'd call them friends or a good team.
Maybe not 'most' or even 'more' technical over any other candidates, but I think its important to note there will be people that challenge others for various reasons, and social media does a bad job at communicating this.
There's TMT teams with more Indians in VP & MD positions than white people, and retail / consumer teams that have more females in VP & MD positions than males. Preferences on teams can exist, but it doesn't necessarily play out that way. In all cases, you should try to prepare to be the best candidate for yourself rather than do the bare minimum. If you still get rejected, then you can make it your life's work to outperform them and/or reject them if you end up on the client-side of the table.
I have seen women write-off challenges to their career as sexism, and eventually takes them working for a female MD to finally recognize their shortcomings. Same thing can happen to a white male under a minority MD that thinks he's being treated unfairly because of some derivative of wokeness leading to a revenge plot, then has similar problems with a white male MD. It's equally worse to assume you'll be picked because an MD is the same gender and/or race as you.
How you craft emails, your ability to ask thoughtful questions, and mentioning any kind of literature or blogs you follow to remain "in-tune" with industry developments are ways to help paint a professional impression.
This is unfortunately something that happens with a lot of groups. I've seen black men, women, hispanics, asians, hell even white men with some underrepresentation. As humans we often don't want to look in the mirror honestly at ourselves and our own faults.
Otherwise, I really agree with this. Just try to be a great employee and work hard.
is this because all the tech CEOs are indian lol
Reason DEI was allowed to flourish and go off rails was that it primarily benefitted white women. Just go through DEI audit report of your bank, you will see 90% of the focus is on gender diversity and KPIs. However, majority of the hate is directed towards racial diversity measures which have minimal efficacy.
Why would an woman be any less capable of doing excel modelling? Ida Lovelace practically invented the computer. 200 years ago, women weren't allowed to do science, now they dominate. Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel prize and then was the first PERSON to win 2. There is no reason whatsoever that girls can't be good at investment banking. Yet this forum makes out they are all DEI hires that belong in marketing.
Yes, was an incredible run to be a white girl.
Accrue all the benefits while receiving none of the blame. Fascinating the tides didn’t start turning against liberals until the rights of women started getting infringed upon (trans athletes in male sports).
I have spent more time in banking than 90% of the people who will be commenting on this thread. Anyone, who has actually worked in this industry, anyone, will tell you that there is DEI and preferential treatment towards women in banking. And that is frustrating at times. If you’re complaining about unfair recruiting, wait till you get staffed under a bad woman associate when you work in a group that cuts low performing male associates. It’s a whole another level of frustration.
But you also have to consider the other side of it. In my time in banking, I also saw a dearth of inappropriate comments, seniors and mid levels being creeps to younger women, and women being ignored or talked over because they’re women. Two sides to the coin.
This is accurate, but I've had a ton of great women as colleagues and bosses. I graduated into the tech bust, and an Indian woman gave me a shot when I was a week or two away from joining the Army...straight to Afghanistan at that time. She gave me a ton of help in rising from back-back-office (literally putting paper trade tickets into filing cabinets) to an actual trading seat.
I did that for a couple of years and then started back over as a 1st year to get into IB at a different BB. One of my two favorite MDs was such a badass woman. She was a 6'3" former Princeton tennis player who was a lesbian but not fully out, although she'd invite me to her and her partner's place for dinner so we had built some trust. The analysts and associates really didn't get her, but she crushed it and would confide in me and helped me a lot. She was in the Liar's Poker class with Michael Lewis at Salomon and later switched to IB.
I've seen a lot of sides of this. I was roommates with a black college buddy, massive former d-lineman who can light up a room. He got promoted to associate after his first year as an analyst and then VP 2 years later. He's a super smart guy. He got a year or so into his VP stint at a BB and then confided to me that he was in way over his head. He more or less said they just keep trying to promote me, but I'm not sure I'm ready. I told him to just get a MBA and point to his crazy career progression. He did that, worked in PE and is now a tech CEO.
We had a woman who was a director who was so brutal that all of the analysts/assoc/VPs mutinied against her for abuse, and it still took them a year to fire her. I didn't participate because that's not how I operate. As a result I got stuck working with her for that year as I was the only one who would. I just figured out to be very specific on work product, and she started trusting me. It wasn't all bad. It was sort of funny because my now wife lived directly across the street from her on the UWS. We used to put printed books in black cars back then for next day meetings. I'd just ride along, drop them and then walk across the street to my girlfriend's place. I'm not sure if she, the director, ever knew about that as I'd drop the books, ring the doorbell and be gone before she came out.
It is apples to oranges discussion. Based on your view, preferential treatment for women is fair compensation for the creepy behavior of old farts at the top. Let me tell you they are just as rude to junior men if not more and make us pull the hard yards far more than women. A lot of the creepy behavior is driven by women too. They purposefully entertain these men to get a leg up on their male peers. Just go to social events where HR isn’t present and decide for yourself. They become their work wives and see this as a power move over their immediate peers and seniors (AS/VP). Also, competent male juniors lose their jobs during layoffs because senior bankers are hesitant to fire women and hurt DEI KPIs.
While several senior men mentor patronize women, show me one female senior banker coaching / mentoring junior men today. If anything, they try their best to exclude men and have radical f*minist leadership styles with power trips.
This is true. But women still deal with more creeps than men on this job. That being said, good point that a lot of women play into it to get ahead of their male peers. This has been going on for ages, nothing new.
DEI definitely needs to be curbed / removed but don’t discount some of the creepy stuff women go through on the job. I saw some of it first hand and couldn’t believe how much people in power still can get away with.
Purposefully entertain? What are they supposed to say? 'The way you are speaking to me is inappropriate boss, it's a bit creepy. Please don't fire me'. Of course they are polite, their career is in the hands of their creepy boss that has the power to fire them if rebuked. And then they would get called a snitch or be accused of overreacting if they go to HR.
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