Q&A: 2nd year - TMT M&A Analyst
This is a throwaway account because a lot of people know me on my usual handle.
I am starting to get sick of my family and my blackberry surprisingly has not gone off in the last couple of hours, so I figured that I would try to give back to WSO, which has been monumental in my career development.
I am currently in my second year at a top boutique (although not at the EVR / LAZ level) in TMT M&A.
I can field any questions regarding networking into analyst interviews, HH and buyside recruiting, boutique analyst experiences, etc.
Happy holidays!
Did you have internship experience anywhere before getting a FT offer? How do those banks look upon people with degrees that are not Finance? Regarding networking do LinkedIn messages / sending connections to analysts / associates work or is one better off emailing careers@? Thoughts on recruiters?
Happy Holidays! :)
we tend to focus on finance background kids because we don't have multi-month training programs like BBs and need analysts who can ramp up quickly.
Linkedin messaging analysts / associates works, but even if they'd be willing to help, your odds are relatively low due to our smaller class sizes and most boutiques being a lot more focused on a core set of schools vs. BB's.
How did you get your sophomore internship?
-Current Sophomore
Tips on preparing for interviews?
Nevertheless, technicals are always still just a 'hit the minimum' bar. We won't give a finance star an offer if no one liked the candidate as a person.
boutiques will be a lot more focused on why them. know what deals they've worked on recently and network with analysts / associates at the firm so you can bs about how xyz person told you about the amazing collaborative and mentorship focused culture, etc.
Thanks for doing this!
What tips do you have for interns looking to receive FT offers? This question pertains to any finance position, not just your firm.
How about the exit opps at your firm versus other boutiques and bulge brackets? Are your opportunities comparable to those of analysts at other firms?
How do people choose the industry/coverage group they get placed into (question for an intern and full-time employee)?
Happy Holidays!
Do you ever decide to call candidates on their premeditated answers for why us and torture them?
candidate: well I spoke to X and was really impressed by how passionate and candid he was and how highly he spoke of the mentorship culture at Y and blablabla
interviewer: so you just like the mentorship? nothing specific about the bank?
candidate: well from the research I've done I know that one of your strengths is actually Z and I'm quite interested in Z
interviewer: I'm actually not in that group, what else did X say about the 'culture' at our bank
guessing this is something that happened? sounds like he wrote you off already and was just screwing with you.
no actually thats one of the nightmare scenarios that I torment myself with
As a non-target going into a summer analyst program next year, what are your tips to prepare and earn a full-time offer? I feel like i won't be competitive since everyone else that will be interning are smart, driven and motivated.
Additionally, why did you choose to start at a EB rather than a BB? I know this has been covered numerous times, but if you had to do it over again, would you still choose the EB?
Not in the industry yet, but one tip I can give right away is lose that mindset:
"I feel like i won't be competitive since everyone else that will be interning are smart, driven and motivated"
You are also smart, driven and motivated if you got the offer, confidence is key and just make sure you perform well. I can provide more tips, but I'll rather let those in the industry have an input.
as an intern, your non-feeder status means a lot less as long as you do good work.
please ask questions and check in often. i hate interns who will sit there and spin wheels because they don't know what they're doing and are too stubborn to ask questions.
please let know your powerpoint shortcuts and formatting (stuff like making sure the aspect ratio is not screwed up when you presslink in outputs). unless you're a rockstar, i likely will not let you play around in excel because checking and having you fix your work would take longer than me doing it myself, so your greatest value-add is being really good at formatting.
i wanted to do TMT M&A and liked the firm I interned at. If i did it again, i probably would not have gone into banking and instead gone into AM, so your last question is moot, unfortunately.
Do you have a sectorial focus within TMT? Or do you work on staffings across all three industries?
What are some websites/newsletters that you recommend following specific to TMT? (e.g. Fortune's Data Sheet)
Finally, do you have any advice as to how best to hit the ground running on day one and stand out as a top-bucket analyst before or right after starting FT at an EB next summer?
Thanks for your time.
i don't officially, but you're kind of unofficially siloed by virtue of the type of stuff you've been staffed on historically.
i get the vast majority of my news from FinTwit, dealbook / FT / WSJ, and the traditional TMT news sites (wired, engadget, etc.).
find the right MDs to work for (read: not assholes / slave drivers / the ones who actually bring in deals instead of pitching 24/7) and schmooze with them so you can get on the right type of projects from the get-go.
not sure what kind of experience you've had, but having a decent finance background in terms of the modeling and valuation will help differentiate you.
Do you have any advice on how you would "schmooze" an MD if you're an analyst or at the bottom of the totem pole?
Thanks for doing this!
Where do lateral hires usually come from? I'm going to be at a valuation firm (think D&P, HL, Big 4, etc.) and am interested in making the move to banking. Any tips on lateral hire interview process / getting the interview?
i know a decent amount of people who made that transition, and it seems relatively common. network + use headhunters and then milk the fact that your current gig is relatively close to banking work.
Do you have networking tips?
For BB's, I'd imagine that getting in contact with analysts or MD's would be the best bet while for EB's I feel like it's harder since they only take so many people which would make me think shooting for the VP's/MD's is the best way to go.
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