Hi all! I’ve been lucky to come away with a few offers post b-school. I have 4 offers, but will only be including 2 of them here. The other 2 are BBs, and I’m just not interested in the people/location.
I really tried to optimize for people and culture. I want to stay in banking long-term, so it’s important to me to be in a place that’s growing, has good culture/people, and has reasonable job security. I don’t care about prestige.
Very nice and supportive people. One of the founders and the head of talent acquisition have really gone out of their way for me. Will let me choose between NYC and Chicago (I don’t want to be in NYC), and will let me choose any group I want. I’ll shop around and maybe end up with industrials, HC, or their restructuring group. People tend to stick around for a long time which is nice to see.
2. Wells Fargo - HC Services - Charlotte
Also very nice people. I like Charlotte. I like HC services, but forever? Idk. People also stick around for a while. They’re in the middle of a huge HC buildout after adding Doug Braunstein to the board and are getting quite busy. A lot of excitement in the air there.
Thoughts?
bump
Firstly, congrats! Big achievement and you should be proud of yourself!
Secondly, it’s a really tough one. Full disclosure, I am based in Europe so I cannot comment on the US, but in Europe Lincoln has a mixed rep, not sure in the US. Wells Fargo is not at all relevant in Europe but well aware they are huge in the US. So I’d actually say go WF on that basis.
But, more importantly, what do YOU feel. What matters to you? I can tell you care about people and culture (bravo, that’s super important!), but you should also think about what you want to do as a next step. You want to move to the buy-side? Then having a brand on your CV is more important. You want to climb up the ranks? Then probably go for the leaner, smaller organization. Also, at the end of the day - what does your gut tell you? That’s usually a good indicator;)
Not sure that answers it, but bottom line is, listen to your gut, either way you did well and will continue to do well
First off, you sound a like a cool person. Thanks for responding!
Second, yeah WF is definitely the bigger brand name. However, I think it’s probably much easier to build a career at Lincoln - they promote faster and it’s easier to crank five small MM deals a year than it is to find one or two really big ones. But both places have good culture and chill people.
Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts!
Appreciate you! Totally agree with what you’re saying, so it sounds to me like you have a decision!
Best of luck, you’ll smash it!
Lincoln. It is a great firm. Lots of people are happy there. Chicago is a fantastic city.
I feel like I’d be a strong performer at Lincoln. I like Charlotte more, but Chicago is a great place. Big fan.
Lincoln International has a great reputation for building a strong people culture, you'll get lots of reps there and they've got a great team in Chicago where you'll have direct access to management
I remember recruiting with them and everybody from the Associates to the MDs made you feel super welcome and that you'd be a valuable addition to the team
Having said that only you can judge where you felt the strongest connections, I would highly encourage you to choose the bank where you feel like you'll fit in best, this job is really tough and being a strong cultural fit makes it a lot more enjoyable
Thanks for the response.
Yeah, everyone has been very kind and accessible. I feel like I’d be very supported and a strong performer there.
To be honest, I really like the people at both places and think I would fit in very well in either. The associates at WF were definitely slightly more my vibe.
I've heard that analysts at Lincoln dont get much modelling experience
I’ll be an associate.
I’d pick Lincoln. I interact with them a lot and like the team - really great people. Don’t do anything in HC so no view on the WF group but I’d take Chicago over Charlotte any day if you’re ruling out NY.
Damn. I’m very torn. I really like both groups of people a lot. And I also really like Charlotte.
I’d say the flexibility Lincoln is providing you with geography and group is a great sign. Seems like you like CLT more but think you’ll get more reps at Lincoln and it’s cool you can choose your destiny a bit more. See if you can network more with some of the groups and see if you get super pumped about one of them and take it from there
Lincoln has a cooler name
Working at WF. True that HC is one of the 2/3 main sectors really trying to be built out.
However if culture is a big fit, then probably Lincoln. Being a growing bank, teams are constantly changing, and currently has mix of tons of people from different banks.
So if culture/people is #1, safer bet is Lincoln.
Sure. But I’ve been into the office in Charlotte and I really liked the folks. Wouldn’t it be better to be somewhere with a better brand name that is really trying to build out?
I don’t necessarily think Wells has a better brand name than Lincoln. I’d probably argue the opposite, but just my opinion
I'd do Lincoln. Strong franchise and Chicago is an amazing city. They're really good with people and that should be the highest priority.
Lincoln is interesting because I hear from some people that Lincoln is a trash bank that just grinds tiny deals and will get you nothing, and some people who say it’s very respectable and will afford you a career or decent exit oops after a few years.
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