Anyone having a tough time leaving?

In my 2nd year as an associate (post MBA) at top 5 bulge. Have been looking at director level corp dev / strategy roles and haven't been getting any bites. Very few interview invites. Anyone have any advice? Are other people experiencing this in the current market? 

For my 2 years and out-type associates, did it take a while before you landed your exit opp? Anyone have any good recruiters (no PE-focused please)?

8 Comments
 

Making the move now from PE to Corp Dev and agree with some of the above that director roles are tough right now.

Each company can have a bit of differences with how they give out titles, but a lot of times I’ve seen director be for 10+ years of experience and oftentimes direct experience in that industry.

I’m personally making the move where I would still have an associate title, but was also in the process for a manager role (which would have still been the most junior role on that team or 2nd most junior level, so it’s not always clear by level). Would also recommend going outside of HHs for these roles. Each one I looked at came from outside a HH (LinkedIn, indeed, etc.) which seemed wild to me, but that’s what I’ve been seeing lately at least at a junior level

 

Still an old title, but was previously in PE after leaving banking. Seeing comp from about 85k for the lowest salary (even they knew that was too low but that was all they could offer) as an associate up to about 140k salary for a manager. Bonus / variable comp as well also ranged from about 5-10% bonus to a blend of an annual bonus of 10k + some LTIC and potential other equity programs (signed somewhere else before getting any more details on the LTIC program at the other firm).

 

Ab cumque aliquid beatae in saepe hic consequuntur. Ipsa ratione omnis in et eum asperiores possimus error. Sed quia qui inventore velit sed reiciendis eum. Reprehenderit est veritatis rerum est quod voluptatem dolor autem.

Cum voluptates adipisci sequi temporibus. Porro illum doloribus mollitia qui beatae voluptatum omnis. Veniam quo et voluptatem. Nisi quas eos velit esse nemo.

Animi qui animi inventore qui quis aut. Ipsa nisi ipsum est quibusdam autem. Rerum vel laboriosam soluta libero temporibus fugit blanditiis. Veritatis nihil aut quo dolore nulla. Similique voluptatem qui voluptatem est voluptas corporis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.6%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.0%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.6%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (70) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”