Dear Recent Grads/Interns

A friendly reminder:

You are idiots. You are all idiots. You are not qualified for any serious financial position. You may watch CNBC. You may have played with a Bloomberg in your school’s “financial lab”. You may even have run money at a student fund. This is all totally irrelevant. This will not prepare you in any real way for an actual position. If we do hire you, you will be a drag on resources for at least a year, and more if you turn out to be as stupid as you look. Unfortunately, we have to hire you because you’re cheap.

I do not mean this as a criticism. As it says, it’s just a reminder. Everything I wrote absolutely applied to me at one time. The key for you is to realize this now, and own it so you don’t come off looking more naive than necessary. Step one is to get professional resume help. Good lord help me I do not care about your coursework experience or your supposed “software skills”. Your job in the financial aid office does not warrant 5 lines.

If you are granted the opportunity to annoy us, again please be cognizant of your idiocy. Soak up as much of this business as you can. Learn how the business actually works. Shut up in meetings until you know what you’re talking about - and don’t you dare try to interject just to sound intelligent.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. All of us were idiots, and we worked out of it, and most of you will as well. In the meantime, I need another coffee and none of that foofy latte crap this time, just hot and black. That is all, dismissed.

 

Cool Cool, you took time out of your day to put other people down. We aren't idiots, we are uninformed. "You don't mean it to be a criticism". Why did you type this? Did your gf break up with you?

 
Controversial

Being an idiot and being uninformed are the same thing, stop being so sensitive. You shouldn't be beating yourself up all the time and obviously, at first, any senior who seriously calls you an idiot for not knowing something yet is an asshole, but you should keep something like the above in the back of your mind so that you work your ass off to learn basic competencies, and don't waste the time of people who actually earn their paychecks by adding value to the firm. Bottom line is that no matter how clever you are and how quickly you learn, when you first start you're dedicating a lot of your time and tying a lot of your identity to something that, for the moment at least, you suck at. Just work your ass off and chill on the ego a bit (at least around people who are climbing mountains which for you just came into view on the horizon).

 
Funniest

Always a fan of your writing Shaun. Keep it up, don't stop voicing your opinions.

 
Best Response
Shaun-Mullins:
A friendly reminder:

You are idiots. You are all idiots. You are not qualified for any serious financial position. You may watch CNBC. You may have played with a Bloomberg in your school’s “financial lab”. You may even have run money at a student fund. This is all totally irrelevant. This will not prepare you in any real way for an actual position. If we do hire you, you will be a drag on resources for at least a year, and more if you turn out to be as stupid as you look. Unfortunately, we have to hire you because you’re cheap.

I do not mean this as a criticism. As it says, it’s just a reminder. Everything I wrote absolutely applied to me at one time. The key for you is to realize this now, and own it so you don’t come off looking more naive than necessary. Step one is to get professional resume help. Good lord help me I do not care about your coursework experience or your supposed “software skills”. Your job in the financial aid office does not warrant 5 lines.

If you are granted the opportunity to annoy us, again please be cognizant of your idiocy. Soak up as much of this business as you can. Learn how the business actually works. Shut up in meetings until you know what you’re talking about - and don’t you dare try to interject just to sound intelligent.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. All of us were idiots, and we worked out of it, and most of you will as well. In the meantime, I need another coffee and none of that foofy latte crap this time, just hot and black. That is all, dismissed.

Is this part 2 of your other thread on how you hate interviewing millenials? Make no mistake, I have no love for millenials, but this is taking things and flipping them to the other end of the spectrum.

I actually agree with the substance of what you're saying...but being a loud d*ck about it isn't efficient. There are ways to convey the message with more pronounced effect, especially long-term. Anyway, my two cents.

 

I love that you are trying to be a hardo here, but your post still includes grammatical errors. I am not going to make the broad claim that "every" recent grad is an "idiot." I have had the privilege of working with some very intelligent analysts who were able to find creative ways to quickly add value and differentiate themselves. Unfortunately the ego that some bankers develop can make it difficult to acknowledge that a recent graduate can be a productive member of the team. Be humble, and stay humble because, like Shaun-Mullins pointed out above, we were all new and inexperienced at one point.

 
Shaun-Mullins:
You are idiots. You are all idiots.

I do not mean this as a criticism.

If you are granted the opportunity to annoy us, again please be cognizant of your idiocy.

You sound fun.
Shaun-Mullins:
All of us were idiots

Were we?

Shaun-Mullins:
hot and black

giggity

"Son, life is hard. But it's harder if you're stupid." - my dad
 

Really? He sounds super chill to me. I guess you can't really pick up tone online, but I thought it came through fairly well.

When I came with a question to my favorite mentor my first two years, he'd just smile, look me in the eyes and say "You don't know shit, kid." Of course after that he'd explain so much that I would readily concur that I didn't, in fact, know shit.

I miss that guy, he taught me you don't have to try to play 'super understanding friendly coworker' in order to be a great influence. I much preferred the direct, thick skin approach. The last thing most people need is coddling and being treated like a child. Yes, you're new to the company. Yes, you're the age of their children. No, that doesn't mean you should be treated like a child and made to feel special.

 
urmaaam:
Really? He sounds super chill to me. I guess you can't really pick up tone online, but I thought it came through fairly well.

When I came with a question to my favorite mentor my first two years, he'd just smile, look me in the eyes and say "You don't know shit, kid." Of course after that he'd explain so much that I would readily concur that I didn't, in fact, know shit.

I miss that guy, he taught me you don't have to try to play 'super understanding friendly coworker' in order to be a great influence. I much preferred the direct, thick skin approach. The last thing most people need is coddling and being treated like a child. Yes, you're new to the company. Yes, you're the age of their children. No, that doesn't mean you should be treated like a child and made to feel special.

Bump madafaqas !

 

C'mon. His tone may be harsh, but the point is clear: don't come out of college thinking the world owes you anything. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

Be humble, understand that (at this point) your skills are limited, and be eager to learn and improve. Humility will get you so fucking far in the first 18-24 months of your career. Then, once you gain a scarce skill set (and scarcity drives demand) you can act like a cock.

 

I see this guy's username and I prepare to roll my eyes over some juvenile attempt to troll or rile people up with some over-the-top controversial statement. This post may be unnecessarily abrasive, but there's actual usable wisdom here. Remarkable that this post gets 39 MS and counting.

 
HighlyClevered:
I see this guy's username and I prepare to roll my eyes over some juvenile attempt to troll or rile people up with some over-the-top controversial statement. This post may be unnecessarily abrasive, but there's actual usable wisdom here. Remarkable that this post gets 39 MS and counting.

Beware the mentor who tickles your ear with what you want to hear.

 

Isn't this the same idiot looking for a roommate in SF, 25, and about to quit finance because he couldn't cut it? All those Liberals in Cali already got your panties all bunched up I see...

Imagine having 4ish years of experience under your belt and already thinking you're top brass ready to talk down to the rest of the world.

 
Mephistopheles:
some holier than though post-MBA 1st year associate with a chip on his shoulder

He's a senior analyst, so you're not too far off.

Currently: future neurologist, current psychotherapist Previously: investor relations (top consulting firm), M&A consulting (Big 4), M&A banking (MM)
 

Quisquam quae officia porro reiciendis aspernatur quo. Deleniti sit sequi laudantium adipisci numquam. Et vel a aut et. Occaecati ratione sint eum atque.

 

Facere omnis consequatur et sit sed earum. Praesentium tempore ad ipsam corporis commodi et. Eum excepturi tenetur minima ipsam laborum adipisci. Amet a cum id nulla. Repellendus ea quia in at et.

Eum eos reprehenderit dolores id ut. Sequi sed consequatur natus doloremque. Delectus sapiente dolores aut fuga debitis.

Totam itaque omnis quia nihil facere. Enim repudiandae dolor quaerat. Nemo et saepe natus ut rerum. Dicta voluptatem dolor quo voluptas vero.

Maiores vitae et quia. Ut voluptatem ad qui qui est.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (145) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”