Help With Transitioning

Hey Folks! Need some advice- joined a MM PE 4 weeks ago and it’s been shit since day 1. I like the job but the mentorship and senior coaching has been terrible. I joined from a BB and don’t mind figuring things out- but the whole attitude of ‘how have you not done this’ is extremely demotivating. Is this normal?

How has your experience been in the first few months? If it’s just teething issues and it get better I don’t mind sucking it up- but if it’s more cultural maybe better to leave for alternatives..?

 

I think in general you will find this type of attitude a fair amount from people at the mid / senior level.  Unfortunately a lot of people in this industry have massively inflated senses of self-worth and think their time is too valuable to spend 10 minutes explaining a new concept to a new joiner. 

I would focus on (i) reaching out to other associates at your firm first to ask for examples that might pertain to your workstream, (ii) reaching out to peers from your prior firm who are presumably doing similar work at their PE firms now (obviously don't share specific info), (iii) find the VP(s) / Principal(s) on the team that are more open to helping you out, try to build a relationship with them and use them as a resource (even if you're not working directly with them on a specific deal).

Most people find the learning curve to be quite steep, but you will begin to recognize patterns and get better at the job.  I wouldn't go looking for alternatives right now unless things are completely unbearable.  It's worth grinding it out and getting better at the job, not least because you can leverage a broader skillset if / when you go looking for your next role.

 
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This sounds pretty standard. While your team should be helping you get up to speed on internal processes and structure, most firms expect you to hit the ground running with little handholding. Deal teams are lean (at least at my MM firm) and everyone is typically to busy to walk you through things like in banking. The reason IB is heavily recruited from is because it’s viewed as a training ground for associates.

The sad truth every IB analyst comes to realize is that you actually don’t learn that much from the investment banking job itself. The people that tend to have the easiest transition at first go above and beyond preparing outside of work or got handed actually responsibilities at their bank instead of slide prep.

 

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