advice on IB > strategy at FAANG or tech company

hey guys. Currently in investment banking and I have ultimately decided I want to do some sort of strategy / operations role instead of corp dev or PE.

Anyone have advice for this? So far I think my plan is just networking and reaching out to recruiters on linkedin. Anyone have any other advice / insights on this process?

Also, would appreciate if anyone has any input on how strategy vs corp dev is different. I’ve come across a lot of different arguing viewpoints.

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I can provide color on Corp Dev and strategy, but not how to get into strategy specifically. Most people in F500 companies that I see in strategy (which is just a sub-sector of Corp Dev) come from consulting roles. Corp Dev is the internal M&A and strategy department of a company. The same way Treasury and FP&A are both Finance. Strategy will do modeling and research to help determine the best direction for the company to deploy resources and what verticals to move into/out of. meanwhile "Corp Dev" in the way you're talking about it drives inorganic growth through M&A. They will go out and acquire competitors or vertically integrate by buying suppliers/customers that weren't already a part of the company's operating verticals. This could be like Disney buying Spectrum since Disney provides content and Spectrum broadcasts the content (hypothetical, but you never know). The M&A aspect of Corp Dev is very transactional and the strategy aspect of Corp Dev is more ideas driven. 

 

Non beatae non dolorem dolor nulla enim ratione error. Aspernatur velit deleniti rem.

Consectetur laudantium nisi sed voluptatem aut. Ut accusantium ut nisi et. Placeat necessitatibus earum qui rerum omnis autem.

Dolorem rem qui repudiandae sed. Ex voluptatem sed rerum. Aut quisquam asperiores explicabo et et ex magni dolores.

Beatae consequatur eum ducimus debitis et maxime nihil. Non omnis animi quae ut. Natus quia ut qui voluptas voluptatem.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”