9 Comments
 

It's been a grind for me too. I started applying to new jobs in September and am just now getting invited to interviews. Last week I had to come up with an excuse to get out of work in order to fly to New York for a 5 hour interview with a PE firm. The day after that I had a 9am interview with one bank and at 12:30 I had another panel interview with another bank. This Thursday I have to come up with another excuse to get out of work because I have 2 interviews in the morning and 2 calls with recruiters in the afternoon. Then in the evenings I spend all my time researching the position and studying technical questions. Its been an absolute pain but its what we gotta do to get to where we wanna be.  

 

I've mostly been applying through LinkedIn and career sites, haven't used a recruiter. Hit rate has been atrocious. I probably applied to 60+ positions since the fall and have only gotten responses from 6 or 7. I had Bank of America last week. Tomorrow I have TD Securities and Wells Fargo. I also applied to a ton of no-name boutiques but without networking aggressively, none of those will probably stick. I have a call with a recruiter from Bridgewater tomorrow but I dont think that's going to go anywhere. Idk if I wanna sell my soul to Ray Dalio 

 

If your bank gives you any excuses to be remote, take it for now. Even being WFH 2-3 days a week is enough to interview - just tell the recruiter that you want to be very discreet and can only take interviews on days you're in the office. That way you're not making excuses to interview every time.

While you're doing this, back off of your work. Just be bottom bucket - don't respond to emails as quickly, take forever to get people deliverables, etc. If something is truly urgent get it done, but really the only way to survive trying to lateral and working is to give working a minimum effort.

 

Possimus porro adipisci id cumque autem. Illo quia consequuntur id voluptatem temporibus. Nam dolorum eaque aliquam est. Tempora excepturi qui quia quia.

Delectus et possimus amet aliquid perspiciatis. Non omnis qui minus rerum corrupti et. Sit qui neque nemo. Facere vitae fugiat dolor occaecati. Animi nam est qui expedita. Iure atque doloremque similique numquam minus tempora eveniet.

Est voluptates eaque quasi repellendus quia quo dolorem. Quas soluta nulla rem nobis suscipit illo. Dolorem ea id labore non impedit dolorem earum odit.

Ipsam molestias quis in laborum distinctio voluptate. Velit ut dolore tempore rerum magnam blanditiis facere. Expedita voluptates id doloremque. Qui sed quia velit consequuntur praesentium eum distinctio. Animi assumenda ea mollitia praesentium pariatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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

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...”