Joining a top GE firm after a year in banking?

Is it possible to join a good growth equity firm a year after banking? With a lot of firms having analyst classes, would it make sense that they might be open to having you join early as a second year analyst? Just curious if anyone has attempted or heard anything about it.
 

I had some experience on semi decent places on buy side prior to banking but missed the boat on full time recruiting.  Ultimately decided to accept my return offer even though I personally didn’t enjoy my experience in comparison to my buy side time. For extra context I will be joining a top tech group that has very good exits when it comes to ge.

5 Comments
 

Difficult move. The handful of top buyside firms with analyst programs don't have much attrition and don't need to refill the class for the second year, so your best opportunities are either for FT or as an associate. You may be able to land something at a smaller GE shop after 1 year if you really dislike banking but won't be the same options you'd have for associate.

 

Ahhh makes sense. What about leaving early and joining a smaller firm for a year with an offer in hand? I’m a bit of an older candidate and a lot went into my decision based on my experiences (I don’t want to come across as someone who is just chasing things without thought). I can definitely grind out the two years but my group is a notorious sweatshop that has gotten worse rep recently and I don’t see myself being able to do two years without hating my life. With that being said I’m fortunate to be in this position and of course if I have to do two years I will honor my commitment.

 
Most Helpful

First of all, don't be so worried about being fortunate to be in this position, etc - banking is a grind and even if it's difficult to get into you're still valid in being worried about it. Most of the people on this board saying you HAVE to grind it out are college students.

Buyside shop would probably not let you go to a different bank in between, and buyside recruiting may be pushed back to 6-8+ months from when you start based on the fact that class of 2020 on cycle still has yet to happen. If you get a year in and really need to get out of banking, your best move is to find an UMM, reputable GE shop that will take you on as a second year analyst. Pretty easy to lateral up to a "top" firm from there.

Finally, not trying to talk you out of GE by any means but make sure you're not aiming at it solely because it's the prestigious path. Top GE firms have a pretty similar lifestyle to banking - slight improvement on hours but you will still work a lot

 

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