HSBC v. Harris Williams v. BB corp banking

I have exploding offers from three different places, and I'm having trouble making a decision.

The offers are HSBC M&A in NYC, Citi/JPM/BAML corporate banking in NYC, and Harris Williams in Boston.

My thoughts were that an IB internship in NYC would be preferable, but I've heard from some people that the corporate banking role might lead to an easy internal lateral to the investment banking team, and that the position at HW is a better place to be.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

 
Best Response

If your ultimate goal is to end up in IB, I would think twice about taking the corporate banking role just to lateral. They see through that and it isn't as easy as you might think. It happens, but it's not super common. Not that there's anything wrote with corporate banking though, it's a solid career.

Between HW and HSBC, if you're looking to end up at a bigger/more presitigious bank, I would think HSBC would be the smarter move. They're not a top BB, but I think they've been growing their business lately, and M&A in New York at a name people recognize is still good. I don't know what their deal flow is, but I imagine they must be on some good deals out of Asia where their brand and business is really fucking strong. Better opportunities to work with, meet bankers at better banks and lateral if that's your thing.

HW is a middle market shop, and so the exposure will be a little different, and being in Boston can make it hard to network your way into a better NYC bank. If you want to end up in AM/MM PE though, and you like Boston, then by all means take HW. But they're a niche shop with a smaller niche brand, so know what you're getting yourself into.

 

If you'd prefer NYC, then I think you have to go HSBC. Worst case you go there with the intentions of lateraling over to a better shop ASAP, which is obviously easier to do in NYC than Boston. I also think being in M&A will give you broader exposure and allow you to keep more doors open for either lateraling or moving into PE. I've heard mixed reviews on HW&Co.'s Boston office and certainly would not plan on going commercial with the intentions of trying to switch functions.

 

Ex quis ad harum earum eum ut. Sunt ad temporibus velit qui. Ut in rerum aut ut voluptatem. Quidem est minima facilis labore aut omnis. Rerum explicabo repellat eum sint eveniet assumenda sequi placeat.

Quibusdam reiciendis vero dolorem sit rerum et qui. Perferendis et eum voluptatem architecto accusantium. Dolore vel nihil voluptatibus quis omnis. Vitae velit aperiam nobis sunt velit dolor delectus.

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 (13) $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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”