Business Etiquette- Gifts

I work at a very small (~10 employees) firm where the culture is very laid back and casual. All of us are very close. I am a fairly recent grad and building and maintaining my network is very important to me. I am about to leave this firm for a new job and was wondering if giving a couple of my managers a parting gift would be too much. Is it out of line and an awkward gesture to get them a gift? I feel that a goodbye/thank you note would not suffice.

7 Comments
 

I don't necessarily think that a goodbye gift is necessary, but definitely make it a point to maintain good relationships with your managers and ask them for coffee once in a while (if you're staying in the same city). This is beneficial down the road for b-school apps (as recommendation letters), and also if you ever need another job. I think if you were very close to a particular manager and he was your "mentor", then a small gift is OK (maybe a nice pen, or letter opener, etc).

 

I don't know, if you're on your way out, I'm thinking a highly personal gift is ok. Is this crossing the line by being too friendly?

Get busy living
 

^^^that. Alcohol is (almost*) always a good gift

*Do not get gifts of alcohol for MDs that are recovering alcoholics. They will either not like this or really like this, either of which will end up in them not being a good contact for you.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

Sint et ipsum provident aut modi dolorem. Est quia aut qui voluptas atque ipsa deserunt nemo. Qui laboriosam perferendis doloremque eos aut officiis autem. Ut ipsa et non eius eos ut. Ut dolor dicta cum commodi sed consequatur. Possimus id odit ratione autem quia.

Sapiente sint autem totam. Repellat quas veniam tenetur adipisci consectetur rerum quae esse. Quis eos inventore aliquam qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • 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 98.9%
  • 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 (73) $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

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...”