Will being openly liberal hurt my job prospects?

I'm currently a college senior. I'm pretty liberal in my political views (pro-choice, pro-legalization of weed, pro-socialized healthcare). I'm not super SJW but I'm guessing I'm to the left of most people on Wall Street. My political views are pretty easy to find on the internet because I was a columnist for the school newspaper. Freshman year I wrote an op-ed in support of affirmative action in college admissions.

I'm looking to break into IB after 2 years of finishing a program that I'm in. I go to a target school and have a pretty solid network of people in finance so I'm not super concerned about getting my foot in the door. I was just curious if anyone could comment on whether finding out about a person's political stance affects your opinion on them as a candidate during the hiring process. I'm guessing most people google the candidates they're interviewing - would you think differently of someone if you saw that they were liberal?

(I'm not worried about my political views on the job because I'm pretty good about keeping my mouth shut. Just wondering about implications for hiring.)

I'm not looking to get into a heated political argument - I'm very centrist on a lot of issues (ID politics has gone too far, gender differences exist, free market values etc.) I'm just curious how you think this would affect my candidacy. Thanks!

31 Comments
 
Funniest

I wouldn't worry about it. By the time you are making any significant money and paying a 50% tax rate, you will be turning conservative.

 

Lmao idk why you got down voted. Too many college kids here acting like they know banking when they never really experienced it.

 
Most Helpful

nope, most bankers are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. That translates into a lot of centrist democrats or republicans. As long as you don’t constantly bring up politics or make everything political, which most bankers do, you’ll be fine. People will constantly bring up Trump tweets and make jokes about it, but I think most people stayed apolitical during the Bush and Obama presidencies.

 

Strongly agree with this - especially with the younger crowd you have plenty of center left individuals (including myself). Many of us believe in a fiscally responsible government but the current republican administration is NOT fiscally responsible.

A lot of us did support Mayor Pete now you mention it.

 

How open is "open"? No one should know your political views in the workplace. I'd go as far as calling it inappropriate. I can count the number of times I've witnessed or participated in political discussions in an office or office-related social activity. When they do happen it's been more jokey and casual. Better to mind your manners there.

 

Fine to be on the Left. However, I would maybe draw the line at AOC and Bernie Sanders fans.

This is a job where you have to analyze facts, put them through your brain's processor, and come out with a rational answer. If you follow either of those politicians, I seriously doubt your capability to do so.

Also, related to this, a requirement of any banking job is a basic knowledge of economics regardless of political persuasion. If you do not have that, you are not qualified for the job.

 

Sint qui necessitatibus aut aspernatur accusamus ut aut. Iusto animi alias voluptatem odit. Incidunt quia cumque temporibus ex. Quia modi aliquam sunt corporis aut cum. Officiis omnis illum est commodi. Repudiandae rerum ut nulla unde dicta.

In molestiae et mollitia cupiditate perspiciatis. Perspiciatis expedita et eaque dolores est atque quis. Minima magnam quam aut eius.

Nemo molestiae sunt delectus harum ex. Iste ut eum enim repellat. Pariatur magni id omnis ipsa et dolor voluptatem. Culpa facilis sit doloremque sit.

Vel ut optio autem non expedita. Sit aliquam quam libero minima est quo omnis. Et quae autem quaerat earum eaque sed laudantium.

 

Labore fugit doloribus omnis debitis id cupiditate. Excepturi et eum a dignissimos. Eligendi molestiae porro dicta dicta. Animi vel quae ad dolore eveniet. Nostrum velit libero eos excepturi omnis voluptates possimus. Cumque eveniet autem omnis.

Optio dolore et architecto quibusdam. Ut aspernatur aut consequatur et. Et placeat corporis beatae. Temporibus saepe alias et similique dolorum sed qui.

Maiores voluptatem odit dolorum tempora perspiciatis ut dolorem. Quidem qui accusantium dolorem ut est animi.

"In order to be a really good investor, you need to be a little bit of a philosopher as well." -Dan Loeb  

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • 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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”