Got fired after 1.5 years as an Analyst, want to stay in Banking but I am confused

So I got fired in December right before bonuses and got a new gig in February doing remote FP&A for a media company. I want to go back into banking but I am not sure what level i should be recruiting for.

I am not blaming the company at all I was just on a bad team that didn't get any work regardless, I grinded it out and was let go, full disclosure, they said it was for performance because i think they did not want to not give a reason, the team is really tight knit and i was the new guy who didn't go to the same school or had other personal connections from the other analyst all the way to the fucking MD, I was their attempt at getting a new guy in.

The problem is i am not sure whether to apply for analyst roles or associate roles. I feel like I did my time working 100 hour weeks and it wouldn't make sense to start all over again as i am an older analyst (27yo, i came from big 4 audit)

Some of my other piers are now associates at my old bank and i had what it took but got dinged before the promotions. But i am still scared to apply for Associate roles since my analyst applications have gone nowhere.

What do you guys think? a lot of analyst roles want recent grads which i am not but do you think i am over thinking and should throw my hat in for associate roles? 

My final question is lets say i stay in fp&a for a year will that count for when recruiters are looking at my resume for associate roles?

Should i start again from the bottom of the analyst or is my experience good enough for associate

Have to start again
26% (39 votes)
You have a reasonable shot at getting Associate
29% (43 votes)
See results
45% (66 votes)
Total votes: 148
10 Comments
 

Depends on experience and where, and how many deals closed. Likely you're not getting looks for Associate. Best off trying for a Experienced Analyst role.

 
Most Helpful

In a very similar situation myself. Never got along with the team and it’s overall a bad fit. They still gave me a non insulting bonus but put me on a PIP in the first quarter of my second year so idk if they’ll fire me before the summer or let me ride out the second year. 

I’ve gotten interviews for a lateral associate downstream since I have more experience other than banking but it’s tough. Might have to do one more analyst year somewhere else if nothing is available. 
 

 

This was the exact scheme they did with me, its very evil simply because they used my PIP as an excuse to not give me a severance and this was at a large firm, if they just fired me for fit, i wouldn't have felt so insulted

 

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