How shitty is it to recruit in London at the moment? - Vent

I posted this earlier and got nothing—no responses, not even from the bot. Figured I’d rephrase it to get some of you to chime in. Anyway, recruiting is absolute shit right now. There was some hope with rates on a downward trend, but are there any firms actually hiring out there?

6 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to know about the current recruitment situation in London:

  1. Hiring Freezes: There have been reports of hiring freezes in London, particularly in the banking sector. For instance, Goldman Sachs has a hiring freeze in IBD for full-time positions.

  2. Recruitment Status: Many firms have already finished their recruitment for Summer Analyst (SA) and Full-Time (FT) positions. For example:

    • Bain Capital, Baird, Barclays, Blackstone, BofA, BNP, Centerview, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, DC Advisory, Evercore, FT Partners, Gleacher, Greenhill, Harris Williams, and Goldman Sachs have all completed their recruitment for SA positions.
    • Some firms like Campbell Lutyens are still in the second round of interviews for SA positions.
  3. Impact of Brexit: The uncertainty surrounding Brexit has also impacted recruitment. There are concerns about banks potentially moving operations to Frankfurt or Paris to avoid new immigration laws, which could affect hiring in London.

  4. Consulting Recruitment: In consulting, the process is different from banking. Networking is less emphasized, and academic performance (A-levels or college entrance tests) is more important.

  5. General Sentiment: The overall sentiment is that recruitment in London is challenging at the moment, with many firms having limited spots or completed their hiring processes.

For more detailed discussions and updates, you might want to check out the London 2023 Progress Megathread on WSO.

Sources: London 2023 Progress Megathread, London recruitment-can't understand how it works., Impact of Brexit in London recruitment, 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions - London Edition, London FT 2023: Any success stories?

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

It's not good everywhere man...I see the most postings for senior analyst/associate roles (the doers ofc), particularly in AM vs. Acquisitions. Anything above probably low to no supply as everyone is locked in for the recovery ride, for the post-grads, seems tough to differentiate yourself since you're competing with several class years, pent up demand and little supply, unless you have a connection. 

 

Explicabo est incidunt voluptatum consectetur amet dolores. Earum corrupti suscipit qui sed. Eius adipisci enim voluptatem ipsum. Enim aut minima necessitatibus quia qui laudantium incidunt. Sequi sed voluptatem qui qui. Animi autem quis temporibus.

Sint nisi veritatis eveniet fuga vel maiores numquam. Animi est a facilis porro ullam autem. Architecto molestiae animi provident at quo.

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%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 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 (79) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”