Big 4 audit vs small m&a boutique
Hi everyone,
I know that this topic has been covered many times here, but I feel that none of the answers provide me with the necessary insight that I need to make a decision.
A little bit of background first. I am a Spanish 24 years old guy who graduated (Business and Law) in 2019 from a top university in Spain. I had to take the year post graduation off due to personal reasons. My goal is to work in IB at a BB or EB, whether without an MBA or after one as an associate. I already took the GMAT and got a 730.
I have just received two offers: one in a Big4 in their audit department and another one in a small m&a boutique (10 to 15 people) where I interned during my studies for 3 months. The boutique is not renowned internationally, but it is quite strong in Spain as some of the interns or analysts ended up at BB or EB after a year or so.
Taking into account that my goal to break into IB in a BB or EB, which offer would you take if you were in my shoes?
While I know that I would enjoy more the work at the boutique, and that I would actually doing relevant stuff, I know that brand recognition goes a long way, mainly in terms of gaining admission into a T10 MBA down the road if I do not manage to break into IB as an analyst.
Thank you very much for your help!
Brand recognition is used as a proxy for your capabilities - if these 'institutions' took you in, you must be good. With an exceptional GMAT score, strong recommendations, and a coherent story, you can still get in if you don't have major brands shining big on your resume, although it helps to have some. People have gone from Big 4 Audit to target MBA but wouldn't that be a common profile? The boutique will give you a different and yet relevant experience for your story. Who knows, you might easily make the shift to a BB from your boutique experience, far outweighing the Big 4 Audits.
If I were you, I would take the boutique offer and kill it at work, get the principal or someone equally high up the chain to recommend me for the B-School and also test myself with networking across BBs while I am at it. GMAT 730 sounds fine to me, so that part is done.
With Big 4 Audit, you will have the brand on your resume - but the work would be different and you would be a step away from IB, which I suppose is your end-game.
Also, don't forget that the banks who recruit MBA Associates would also prefer someone with an earlier experience in IB over someone who has come from a Big 4 Audit background from the same class.
Just my opinion. Feel free to throw it in the can! And hey - kudos to you for getting the two offers; a good problem to have.
Thank you so much for your thorough response! I agree with everything you said although I am quite scared that, in case I cannot shift to a BB from the boutique, I do not gain admission into a top MBA program and stay pigeonholed in the boutique... but I guess life is made of risks and we have to deal with them. Thanks again for your insight!
At architecto nesciunt rerum. Optio suscipit voluptatibus non dolores et corporis qui. Voluptas facere unde inventore quasi consequatur rerum rerum. Odit saepe commodi aperiam dolorem id est sed. Id ut reiciendis nam et veniam est voluptate. Qui magnam accusantium voluptas ut quis tempore.
Voluptatem autem beatae illum quis eius itaque reprehenderit id. Et omnis qui ut deleniti. Voluptate facilis qui unde deleniti. Dolorem tempore eos dolor omnis facere sunt id.
Incidunt officia voluptas incidunt quis. Incidunt accusamus est adipisci maiores aperiam. Quo aperiam illum quidem et deserunt ut eius. Est omnis atque minus ad. Voluptatem voluptatum est qui sed fugit ullam. Placeat facere aspernatur quos distinctio modi cupiditate velit numquam. Omnis ratione voluptatibus sit quo veritatis.
Sit enim perferendis fuga porro itaque veritatis. Perspiciatis incidunt cupiditate vitae molestiae. Labore atque reprehenderit odio repellendus id. Ut est officia ex rerum numquam cum sunt. Unde sed quae neque. Enim nihil illo voluptatem architecto libero officiis. Magni expedita architecto harum quas eos.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...