IB - Why is everyone so rigid?

No matter who it is - age, gender, friend, cold connection and no matter what platform - email, phone call, coffee, it seems that every banker is stone cold when it comes to composure and conversation. They don’t seem to care much for formalities around emailing such as exclamation points or anything personal. In person, they are all very quick to transition around a conversation - almost like they’re following a strict outline with x amount of minutes assigned to each topic. Is this just the nature of the game? Even the 22 year old analysts all seem to follow the same flow.

Please don’t be an ass, this is an honest question about the culture of IB.

 

It depends on the person. Not to lie, Finance isn't the industry where you find people who want to be to your friends. The truth is realistically, they want to read your resume and know your connections. If you don't fill the requirements, people have no desire to talk to you.

"It's okay, I'll see you on the other side"
 

I’ve talked to bankers from a variety of banks (small regional, elite boutique, and BB) and I would say my experience would be the opposite of that. Of course there’s always going to be a few bankers who are tired and not wanting to talk/network. Not sure what topics you stick to when talking but most bankers get pretty tired of answering the same questions over and over. Try to throw in some unique questions and see if you can touch on their interests

 
Most Helpful

This is just a function of the hours, stress, amount of work and desire to be efficient / get out of the office ASAP that everyone has. I used to be exactly the way you think people should be like: exclamation points and all. One thing I noticed was that I became "like a banker" because I conformed to how everyone else around me was communicating both in written and oral communication / behavior. I mean when you are with these people for 80-100 hours, some of that attitude will brush off on you too, right?

 

Imagine working a 100 hour week and someone that you don’t know or care about cold messages you and asked for an hour long coffee chat. would you be ecstatic?

"Out the garage is how you end up in charge It's how you end up in penthouses, end up in cars, it's how you Start off a curb servin', end up a boss"
 

Est doloribus dolores omnis est molestias ut. Asperiores quos dolor optio molestias sequi quasi. Ex ullam nihil excepturi dolor id. Ex aut alias sunt. Voluptate eveniet minima nihil esse.

Qui dignissimos reprehenderit consectetur sit. Id voluptas voluptas quasi doloremque ad voluptate. Omnis at expedita veritatis quo vitae. Voluptatem laudantium quas et ut dolores sed. Incidunt cumque dolor repellendus aut. Eligendi explicabo laborum amet ipsam est sed facilis. Suscipit tempore est velit porro placeat maxime minima.

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 (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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

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...”